HARTFORD REGISTRAR OF VOTERS, POLITICAL ADS=GOOD, VOTER OUTREACH=BAD

Even though the City of Hartford is facing a huge budget deficit, when it came time to place a full page advertisement in a program booklet for a political organization, the Registrar of Voters Office quickly jumped at the opportunity. Even though the ad doesn't mention one word about voter registration or even the importance of being registered to vote, it does prominently name the Registrars and Deputy Registrars and looks more like a political advertisement. A copy of the ad is below in PDF format. As you can see, the City of Hartford seal and "Registrars of Voters" is prominently displayed in the advertisement.

But even though that ad was ok and use of the seal and "Registrar of Voters" was fine with the Democratic Registrar, a firestorm of e-mails was about to erupt. Working Families Party Registrar Urania Petit added her sponsorship to a voter outreach event, a Board of Education Candidates Forum sponsored by various groups, including Hartford 2000 and the Hartford Public Library scheduled for October 27, 2009. A copy of the flier for the forum is below in PDF format. The issue appears to have started after the flyer was printed and distributed by Hartford 2000 and forwarded out by e-mail. One of the people who received that original e-mail was Kathy Evans, Secretary of the Hartford Democratic Town Committee. Evans, who works for a non-profit partially funded by the City of Hartford, "Organized Parents Make a Difference" known as "OPMAD" then forwarded the e-mail out to unknown recipients from e-mail address at opmad.org. The e-mail was sent under the header of kathy.evans@opmad.org but was "signed" by Sean Arena, Democratic Town Chairman. According to the e-mail, Arena urged the recipients to "try and attend to support our candidates for B.O.E". I'm not sure how OPMAD is set up,but if they are a 501c-3 non-profit and they are using their resources to endorse or support political candidates, that is another issue that most likely will endanger their non-profit status if pursued. Apparently one of the recipients from the opmad.org e-mail on behalf of the Democratic Town Chairman was Democratic Registrar of Voters Olga Vazquez. Vazquez was apparently upset that Petit would have the audacity to sign on to a voter outreach program without clearing it through her first. It should be noted that although Petit is the first third party Registrar of Voters elected in the State of Connecticut, she did it legally in accordance with Connecticut State Law, and there is no difference in authority conveyed to her or the Republican or Democratic Registrar. They are all on equal level in the eyes of the law and no one Registrar is in control of the Registrar of Voters Office. Apparently was so upset by the use of the Registrar of Voters logo that she e-mailed Corporation Counsel John Rose requesting an immediate opinion as to whether Petit may have broken any laws. In Vazquez's e-mail she states " As the Democratic Registrar of Voters, I do not understand why the name of the Registrars of Voters continues to appear as Co-Sponsor for numerous events held by other organizations". I may be missing something here, but isn't that what they are supposed to be doing? We are not talking about a "for profit" event, we are talking about an event that is meant to educate voters and make responsible choices when exercising their right to vote, exactly what the Registrars Office should be doing every day. Vazquez further asks "Can law allow this and is this legal?". The greater question might be "Can law allow this and is this legal that a duly elected Registrar of Voters is actually doing her job and interacting with voters?" The entire e-mail is also below in PDF format. Surprisingly, Corporation Counsel John Rose was apparently having a day in which his thoughts were actually based in law, and forwarded the e-mail to two of his underlings for their opinions and asked "am I missing something here...is this a tempest in a teapot?".

The Corporation Counsel's Office came back with the following opinion that "Examination of the applicable election sections of the Connecticut
General Statutes reveals nothing in the flyer's contents which would
constitute a violation of Connecticut election law.The existence of the registrar's seal on the flyer does not promote a particular candidate or act in any way to influence voters to vote one way or another. The seal merely shows the support of the Hartford Registrars of an event which promotes educating the voters of Hartford
by encouraging voters to listen to the various candidates in a neutral
forum.". John Rose again was apparently on a roll with using the law and common sense that day and offered the following advice,"the better part of valor would be for the three Registrars to communicate before any one of you uses the office's seal
or the city seal to endorse a program.". It seems to make sense to me.

If people at City Hall only put as much time and effort into doing the right things rather than wasting unlimited resources on doing the wrong things and political back-biting, imagine what we as a City could accomplish. Urania Petit declined to comment on this issue.

DOCUMENTS BELOW

Registrar's NAACP Ad
Registrar BOE Forum

Registrar e Mail

DOES PEREZ WANT A SPEEDY TRIAL OR NOT ?

For anyone who has followed the arrests of Hartford's Mayor Eddie A. Perez, his attorney has insisted on a speedy trial, and in fact said they were ready to go to trial at 3:00PM the afternoon of Perez' first arraignment. Since then we have seen numerous delays, most of them caused by Perez's legal posturing. After Perez's most recent arrest he was quoted at his City Hall post arrest pep rally as saying "justice delayed is justice denied". Well apparently that statement came out of one side of his mouth while he was speaking out of the other side to the Supreme Court asking that his trial be delayed until at least January 2012.

In the same filing requesting Perez's charges be dismissed and States Attorney Kevin Kane be found in contempt of court, Perez was apparently trying to cover his bets. In the motion filed by Perez's attorney it states "should the court determine that dismissal and/or contempt is not warranted in the present case as requested in his September 2 motion, Mr. Perez alternatively requests that this Court order as a sanction against the State that either of the above mentioned trials not commence until the conclusion of his term as Mayor in January 2012".

So much for a speedy trial I guess. Both motions were eventually dismissed and the earliest trial date for Perez has been set for February of 2010, barring any more motions from Perez or his attorney. The first page of the motion. obtained today from the Connecticut Supreme Court, requesting the trial be moved to 2012 is below.

perez 9409motion

IT ONLY TOOK THE ENTIRE SUMMER, BUT FINALLY PULASKI CIRCLE HAS BEEN CLEANED UP

Well, it only took the entire summer, but now, just in time for fall, the planter at Pulaski Circle has been weeded and mums planted for the fall. Why it took so long to get action on this eyesore that serves as Hartford's "welcome mat" as you get off I-91 and enter downtown is beyond me. But regardless, it has been done and serves as a good image as people enter the city. It looks much better than the 5 foot high weeds that sent the message that we could care less about our image as a city. The freshly maintained planter is a far cry from the pictures in the slideshow at the right.

ARE WE READY TO TAKE OUR CITY BACK ?

Since beginning this blog, I have put my thoughts together on numerous issues and shared them with anyone having enough free time to read them. Some serious, some lighthearted, some tongue-in-cheek, but none as important as the thoughts I'm trying to put together here. I keep wondering how President Lincoln felt as he sat down and wrote the Gettysburg Address, did he realize how he would affect the history of our country? Did he think his thoughts penned on a piece paper would become one of the most quoted speeches in history?

As I think about President Lincoln's thoughts, several words keep repeating over and over, "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". And then I think back to our city, a city that many of us, no, probably the majority of us, still love and still believe in. With all of its flaws, all of its imperfections and what many see now as a total lack of leadership, we still believe. Maybe part of this comes from being a Red Sox fan, but just when you think things can't get any worse, that rally spirit kicks in and you decide to fight back and turn a loss into a win. I for one am not ready to give up on Hartford, its people, or its potential. I am tired though of corruption, criminal investigations, back door deals, two-faced politicians,self serving people ready to feed at the trough funded by us and people who have a definition of transparency not found in any dictionary I've ever read.

The time for us as a city to say "enough is enough" has arrived. Although many are posturing to run for Mayor, most are going to hopefully have to answer some tough questions about their past performances when they had a chance to make a difference and chose instead to support business as usual at City Hall. Those that publicly said they support transparency and don't support backroom deals, yet quickly walk through the door into the backroom and slam it in the public's face, hoping that no one will notice. Those that speak out in favor of Democracy, yet do the opposite and ignore the "democratic process" by slamming their deals through because "they are the Democrats and they have the majority".

Hartford has suffered for over eight years now under this type of government. Not only implemented by a "strong Mayor" but aided and abetted by a City Council, less one councilman, who allowed the reign of terror at City Hall to exist. People that are in fear of their careers if they speak out, people that have allowed corruption to exist because they feared the repercussions if they spoke out. Council people that have been beaten down so bad they now argue about subpoenas to get public documents. The list could go on and on but anyone familiar with Hartford gets the point. So let me get to my point.

A little over 3 years ago I received a call from someone I knew of, but didn't really know personally. J. Stan McCauley called me and said he was considering a run for Mayor in 2007, he noticed at the time I was on the Republican Town Committee, and he wanted to know what I thought. After catching my breath again from the laughing spell that anyone thought they could get elected as a Republican ( just kidding, I wasn't that rude, but I think I did tell him he was crazy)I asked him to give me a day or two to think about it. After sitting down and talking to him, I liked what he had to say, he had a very calm and reassuring demeanor, actually put a lot of thought into his vision for Hartford, and just seemed like a decent guy and a potential leader. Unfortunately, 2007 wasn't Stan's year to begin leading the city. Even after a loss to a Mayor under investigation for corruption allegations, facing potential arrests which would soon become a reality, Stan didn't give up. Stan's message didn't change, he didn't drop out of sight, and he didn't give up on Hartford. If anything, his commitment seemed to grow stronger. He has persevered, and unlike many in positions of power in Hartford, he has worked tirelessly to move his vision of "1 Hartford" forward. A city that thrives and moves forward unified, rather than a city that stumbles and fails by those that try to divide it for their own gain.

On Monday, October 5, 2009 at 3:00PM on the steps of Hartford City Hall, J. Stan McCauley will announce his second candidacy for the Office of Mayor of the City of Hartford. This time will hopefully be much different as a new era of leadership in Hartford begins. No more corruption, no more shutting the public out, no more backroom deals. But rather, people willing to roll up their sleeves and do the backbreaking work to take back our city from the politicians who have nearly run it into the ground. People that are willing to step up and do the right thing for all the right reasons, forgetting about how it will benefit them personally, but rather thinking only about what is best for the City we love. We can do it, but it is not going to happen without the good people of Hartford stepping up and making a bold and clear statement,"Enough is enough and we are taking our city back". The clean sweep of Hartford City Government begins now and we need every one's help. I understand that many are afraid to speak out under this administration, but the opportunity to change is in your hands. Are you willing to accept politics as usual or are you willing to be part of the solution? Please join us as we start the clean sweep and begin to restore Hartford to what it once was and what we know it can be once again. A city that once again will be the destination for people from across the region to visit as an entertainment destination, not a city to be feared for violent crime. A city that understands what true economic development means and realizes that small business is the engine that drives successful cities, not a city that taxes small business out of existence due to out of control spending. A city that has a respectful relationship with our Governor and state officials, realizing that the majority of our budget is funded through the State of Connecticut's coffers. A city where the Mayor and city officials spend the majority of their time making Hartford a better place, not spending time testifying before Grand Jury hearings and attending court proceedings. A city where every idea and every thought is valued, not shouted down and dissenters "squashed like bugs".

I would ask anyone and everyone that is available to attend, please stop by and listen to Stan speak about his ideas for leading Hartford and its people forward. Whether you know Stan McCauley or not, whether you support Stan McCauley yet or not, whether you are registered to vote yet or not, all I ask is that you listen and then make your decision. Are you satisfied with politics as usual in Hartford, or are you ready to support a change?

"All that we're asking, is give Stan a chance" hopefully you sang that like a Beatles tune. I couldn't be completely serious for too long. Remember, Monday at 3:00PM at Hartford City Hall, if you support Stan, great, if you want to hear what he's about, even better, if you want to be a part of the change, excellent.

And remember those famous words by President Lincoln "this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." It begins with you. Thanks

IT IS OFFICIAL- HARTFORD GOVERNMENT IS A FRAUD

After the sudden death of Hartford City Clerk Dan Carey, the Hartford City Council seemed to move at lightning speed to fill the vacancy. Apparently a little too fast for a lot of people. After word began to circulate that an heir apparent had already been chosen without a legitimate selection process,Democratic Council people received numerous phone calls and objections to the flawed process. On Friday, September 18th, the Council Democrats held a caucus with the intention of naming Carey's successor. Due to the uproar from their constituents the Council Democrats emerged from their caucus without naming a successor. Through the Council President, Calixto Torres, it was announced that applications would be accepted for the position of City Clerk through noontime on Friday, September 25, 2009. Although a dozen applications were received from individuals with varying experience and qualifications, apparently no interviews were conducted prior to the naming of Carey's replacement. This was another back room closed door deal hammered out by the Democratic Majority on the Council,without any input from the community and definitely without any consideration of the other candidates who applied.

Hartford is a city that is suffering from a tarnished image brought about by an administration that has faced criminal arrests and accusations of corruption as well as a city that promises to bring cronyism and corruption to new heights. How do you imply any sense of legitimacy when you ask people to spend the time and energy to submit resumes and then totally ignore them for the original choice anyway? How as a Councilperson can you stand and say that new leadership is on the way and a new era of transparency is dawning on the City? This is more of the same old "business as usual" politics that has driven Hartford into the ground. It clearly proves that old adage that "actions speak louder than words". Although this Council seems to try to distance themselves from the Perez Administration, they also endorse his backroom politics every chance they can. We saw it recently when the Council voted to hand out close to $350,000 to political allies and non-profits without any input from the community, no regard as to who was more deserving, and as one Councilman said essentially "we are the Democrat's, we have the majority, so we can do it". Maybe actions true as a Democrat, but definitely not actions of the democratic process or worthy actions of a democracy.

And to those people who submitted resumes and were ignored by this sham process, I for one, as a resident of Hartford, wish to apologize for the Council wasting your time. They had no intention of an open and transparent process, and apparently thought no one would notice, because as you know, according to the "Gospel of Perez" Hartford's voters have a short attention span. And to the members of the Council that say one thing in public, and do the opposite behind closed doors, the day of reckoning is coming when we will hold our elected officials responsible for your deeds.

Municipal elections in 2011 will be here before we know it, now is time to start to take back our City, both through the Mayor's Office and the City Council