The website 24/7 Wall Street has confirmed what many of us already knew.
The Perez Administration has nearly killed Hartford. The website "24/7 Wall Street" has ranked Hartford as number three in its list of America's top 10 dead cities. Hartford takes its place of prominence with other cities like Detroit and New Orleans.
This actually comes as welcome news because the only direction under Mayor Segarra is "up". Once you hit rock-bottom the bar isn't set too high to improve and it seems that the bar is moving upward everyday. Already progress is being made in our parks. I have already noticed trees that have been left dead in parks for years are now being cut down and removed and simple tasks like cutting the grass is becoming a regular event.
Maybe it is time to change Hartford's slogan from "New England's Rising Star" to "At least we aren't as dead as Detroit"
The full article can be seen by clicking here:
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11 comments:
Not Eddie's fault. The city has been in decline at least since WWII. My humble opinion of some long time now; "exclusionary" zoning in immediate suburbs combined with state schools with attendance determined by district. Our local pols are, in large measure, silly, pip squeak, frauds with little impact on what goes on socially. Not to say they couldn't make things better by cutting spending/taxing, but the electorate is happy with progressives spending somebody else's money. The only thing we can reasonably hope for at this point is to dilute the barbarian population. Full blown school choice would allow civilized folks to move in. True, they'd still have to deal with the barbarians, but at least not in their kids' daily lives. But, I'm not holding my breath.
the electorate is happy
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Not to say that the situation is entirely the responsibility of the Hartford voters. We are how our lily white liberal suburbanites celebrate diversity; i.e., not in their backyards (or schools).
I'll second peter's statement that this is less an Eddie thing as it is a more long term deterioration of a city through a variety of different causes.
The 24/7 Wall Street site says the following:
"The city was once the “insurance capital of the world.” In 1950, the city’s population peaked at more than 177,000 and has dropped to 124,000 recently. Hartford was, beyond being an insurance center, also home to a number of manufacturing and publishing businesses. Hartford lost some of its insurance firms as they moved to new locations, primarily because of consolidation in this sector. Five large financial firms have downsized their workforces. These include Met Life, Cigna, Lincoln Financial, Mass Mutual, and, perhaps most depressing of all, The Hartford."
So there, you have it. But feel free to continue to make up your own rationale's.
When it comes to business in the city, our local pols do deserve some blame. How much? Who knows? But, recall, Hartford was the only municipality in the state to adopt the idiotic 15% surtax on commercial property. Our property tax rate is a non-competitive 70/mil. When it comes time for "consolidation" there is an incentive to consolidate in an office box just off the interstate in a lower tax district.
The time is now we must stop looking back for excuses, and start looking forward for make sense solutions and for real leadership that gives a damn.
Steve,
I agree 100%, the difficulty is how do we find, develop or mentor these new leaders. With a system that is so corrupt and inept and seems to promote incompetence where do we begin? It would be nice to upend the political system next year and elect a Council that is willing to listen and eventually do what is best for Hartford.
Now is the time to start that conversation and identify the people that deserve the chance to change Hartford's future.
Steve.. your credibility is questionable.You voted for acorrupt and criminal element in Lou (kickback) Watkins and Angel Morales.You also voted for Holloway who has been an inept chair.Do us a favor and call for the 3 of them to resign and then maybe you will be believeable.
With a system that is so corrupt and inept and seems to promote incompetence where do we begin?
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I just think we tend to overestimate the importance of the muni govt.
There's not a whole lot it can, or is supposed to, do. How about some guys with modesty and common sense? We do have them around, if not in abundance. But, what thankless work. By the by, thanks to Bob Painter for his service.
steve...we also heard that you a supposed "reformer" was in bed with Felon Eddie Perez at the Democratic convention where you both were working hard for Lamont...for someone like you who for years railed against Perez and his corruption of Hartford, it is pitiful that you were doing business with him.
Why don't we just bring in the Feds?
Who says they aren't here and haven't been here all along ?
Remember that a lot of the school building monirs are federal dollars
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