ANOTHER NOLAN WIN

Dan Nolan pictured above, 2nd row far left, before his recent deployment to Afghanistan

I think it is a fair question to ask when this nonsense is going to end. All along the trail of the Nolan termination it has become pretty clear that Dan's termination as a Deputy Chief with the Hartford Fire Department was unjustified.


The City of Hartford Corporation Counsel has gone to the mat though trying to defend the actions of a felonious Mayor and an apparently less than honorable Fire Chief who has since retired. You can follow the trail by entering Dan Nolan in the search box above to read all of the archived articles.

Essentially though as a quick recap, the Arbitrator agreed upon by the City and the Hartford Firefighters Union determined that Nolan's termination was not legal or justified and ordered Nolan reinstated. Apparently the Corporation Counsel didn't agree with that and appealed the decision.

The Court has now also agreed that Nolan's termination was not justified and that the Arbitrator acted properly and was correct in his actions. In a ruling issued last week, Superior Court Judge Wood has affirmed the arbitrators decision and rejected the City's arguments to have the award rejected. Judge Wood confirmed that the award was properly decided and confirmed Nolan's right to enforce the award.

This may prove to be another expensive mis-step by the decision makers in the Corporation Counsel's office. It is time for Mayor Segarra to do the right thing and abide by the decision, settle the matter with Nolan and get him back to work when his tour in Afghanistan is done.

Mayor Segarra settled claims with a corrupt Mayor for accrued sick time and vacation time after he was convicted of his felonious acts against the City. Doesn't he owe better treatment to a military veteran who has served his City and his Country with honor?

Here is Judge Woods decision below, it pretty much shot down all of the City's arguments as baseless:

NolanDecisionMTV

HALF A MILLION AND STILL GOING

The hit counter has officially rolled over 500,000. I never thought the blog would catch on, but apparently it has.

I have been relatively quiet the last couple weeks as I have been a little under the weather with a cold I can't get rid of, but I am ready to start digging an writing again.

I will be posting a "Nolan Update " later this evening and anything about Dan Nolan has proven to be very popular here.

Thanks again for reading and following "We the People"

A GOOD WEEKEND FOR A GETAWAY

Word from Hartford City Hall sources is that our newly elected Council is enjoying a weekend away at the taxpayers expense. No comment was available officially from City Hall, but sources are telling me that the new Council along with Mayor Segarra and a few others would be getting on a limousine party bus this evening to be whisked away for their weekend rendezvous.

More on this as I gather more information. Preliminary estimates are that the "retreat" will run between $6,000 and #8,000 in expenses to Hartford's taxpayers

IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG FOUR YEARS

If agenda item number 21 at last nights City Council meeting is any indication, it is going to be a long four years dealing with the Council.

Item number 21 was as follows "21.Via Verde Pipeline. Resolution urging the Army Corps of Engineers to deny the request of the Puerto Rico Power Electric Authority for a permit to build a 92-mile natural gas pipeline in Puerto Rico due to negative impacts on waterways, animals, plant life, and the safety of the residents of the island. (Cotto) Passed

It is not surprising that many other local issues such as joblessness and unemployment are not addressed. Neither are the City's outrageous tax rates that are killing business and preventing economic development. Issues of inefficient government and waste are never looked into or addressed, yet a resolution regarding a natural gas pipeline in Puerto Rico are immediately addressed and passed.

Does the Council have any clue what their functions are? Do they have any idea what is actually happening inside the borders of Hartford rather than addressing a pipeline thousands of miles away?

The grandstanding and constant pursuit of media attention needs to stop, it is time the focus is placed on turning Hartford around and addressing local issues first

ARREST IMMINENT

This could possibly also be an entry in Hartford's dumbest criminals. Copper thefts have become a huge problem for HPD as the price of scrap copper continues to rise. Thieves have realized that stealing copper from Hartford's stock of vacant buildings produces quick results at the scrapyards.

Apparently they don't notice the video surveillance and other measures at the scrapyards that makes it pretty easy to identify vehicles and thieves turning in copper for cash.

But an even dumber move is to steal copper piping from the new Public Safety Complex and think it will go unnoticed. That was the case recently as several hundred feet of copper pipe and fittings were stolen from the building around Thanksgiving.

A suspect has been identified and an arrest warrant should be served anytime now. Hopefully the thief will realize it isn't a bright idea to steal copper from the "coppers"

CASARES CALLING IT QUITS?

Several sources have confirmed that Hartford Fire Chief Ed Casares is calling it quits when his contract expires in 2012. Casares replaced Fire Chief Charles Teale in 2010 when Teale retired.

Chief Casares was unable to be reached for comment.

More on this as information becomes available

THE CLAIRVOYANT COUNCILMAN KENNEDY

Jeff Cohen at WNPR had an interesting story about the battle for Council President when the new Council begins. Click here to read Jeff's story

Kenneth Kennedy, a Council incumbent, is seeking the Presidency as well as Council newcomer Shawn Wooden. The vote apparently comes down to one swing vote, also a Council newcomer, Kyle Anderson. The general consensus is that three Democrats have aligned themselves behind Kennedy and the three minority Council members, all Working Families Party members are behind Wooden. That leaves Anderson potentially as the deciding vote.

One of the points I tried to make repeatedly is that people need to think hard about who is placed in the position of Council President. We need to ask if we can imagine that person as potentially the Mayor. The Council President, as outlined in the Charter, is the successor to the Office of Mayor if the Mayor is removed from office or can not complete their term.

We saw that last year when Eddie Perez was convicted on corruption charges and left office in shame as a convicted felon. I shudder to think what would have happened if the Council President wasn't Pedro Segarra at the time and someone else might have become Mayor.

But going back to the Cohen story. Councilman Kennedy was quoted in the story as follows, "I know the rumor mill in Hartford but I want to state unequivocally that Mayor Segarra is going to finish his entire term.".

Unequivocally? Based upon what, a crystal ball? ESP? the stars? In true political fashion, it seems like a promise being made that no one can guarantee. It seems like the Councilman may be trying to allay potential fears of what kind of Mayor he would be if he is fortunate enough to gain the Council President's seat.

I'm sure many people would have said "unequivocally" that Eddie Perez would have finished his term also, but a lot of things can change in the course of four years and no one can back up a statement like that, not even Councilman Kennedy.

ANOTHER EPISODE OF HARTFORD'S DUMBEST CRIMINALS

I guess for some people it is true that crime doesn't pay. Actually eventually it doesn't pay for most people, but some are a lot less skilled in the trade.

One example is one of our local residents who committed a robbery on Friday. I guess he was unaware that during the robbery he somehow dropped his wallet at the scene. It didn't take too much effort for HPD to quickly identify a suspect when they took the wallet into evidence, complete with photo ID of the alleged robber.

The officer's prepared a photo array which included the suspect and several other similar pictures. The victim apparently picked the suspect out of the array without any trouble. The officer prepared an arrest warrant application for the suspect and that was submitted to GA14, Hartford Superior Court.

If losing his wallet at a robbery scene wasn't bad enough, it gets worse for this genius.

Apparently to continue his crime spree, the suspect decided to steal a ladder from an apartment building on Broad Street near Russ Street Saturday morning. He got away unnoticed with the ladder, but then once again he made a critical mistake.

The suspect was attempting to sell the ladder for some quick cash on Broad Street Saturday morning. In a City with over 120,000 residents, this genius happened to approach the one wrong person. As he approached another individual to sell the ladder for cash, the person he approached suddenly recognized the ladder as his own property.

This crook needs to try a new line of work since crime is definitely not his strong point. The owner of the ladder called HPD and officers responded promptly and the suspect was located and the ladder was recovered.

Another stroke of bad luck though, one of the responding officers was also involved with the investigation of the previous days robbery. The officer recognized the suspect in the ladder theft as the person who was identified as the robbery suspect from the previous day.

Moses Castro was arrested and charged with the ladder theft and unless he makes bail will most likely be presented in Court on Monday, putting an end to his crime spree, at least for the time being.

Another good job by HPD, but some times it just seems too easy.

MARG HOLIDAY PARTY THURSDAY NIGHT

The maple Avenue Revitilazation Group (MARG) will hold it's annual Holiday "Meet and Greet" tomorrow night, December 8th at 6:00PM in the lower level of Saint Augustine Church.

The event is open to the public and attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the St. Augustine Food Pantry or hygiene items that will be donated to the South Park Inn shelter.

Light refreshments will be served.

CITY TO OCCUPY HARTFORD.....CEASE AND DESIST....TODAY

Apparently today will be eviction day at "Occupy Hartford". A "cease and desist order" has been served upon the "occupiers". Police Officers have been instructed to serve the order upon organizers this morning. Officers have been advised to inform the campers that the order issued today will be enforced at 6:00PM .

Those not vacating the park will be subject to arrest after the 6:00PM deadline. The decision was apparently made after several violent incidents have occurred at the site, including a stabbing, a sexual assault and two gun calls that occurred in in the last 24 hours

A LIGHTER MOMENT....UNLESS YOU ARE SANTA

I'll take a break from the serious side to share this you-tube video.

No Santa's were injured in the making of this video

KIRKLEY-BEY FORCED OUT?

In the world of Hartford politics, I guess nothing really ever makes sense. It would seem that a long term State Representative would be able to exert some clout to keep their district from being dismantled from under them. Even more so if that Rep also served as Deputy Speaker.

In the case of 5th District State Representative Marie Kirkley-Bey, nothing could be further from the truth. The proposed redistricting of Legislative Districts has drastically cut the size of the 5th District and in fact has even moved Kirkley-Bey's residence (save the Old Saybrook comments) out of the 5th District all together and she will be in the 1st District if the changes go through. The 1st is currently represented by State Representative Matt Ritter.

I am not sure if a challenge to Ritter by Kirkley-Bey is in the future. I would say Kirkley-Bey would have a tough battle challenging one of the potential rising stars in the Legislature. Ritter was the driving force that capped tax increases on residential property and taxes as a result of re-val. The results would have been disastrous for single family homeowners in Hartford without Ritter's bill. Kirkley-Bey might be wise to consider "retirement" and bow out gracefully

A lot of potential changes may be on the political horizon for Hartford as the redistricting may also throw numerous Town Committee seats into play now as the lines are being redrawn. Several HDTC members from the 7th District will now be living in the 1st District. The 5th District HDTC members will be cut drastically also from 11 members to possibly only 4.

At least 3 members of the current 5th District HDTC have now been "redistricted" so their residences have become part of the 4th District. This could prove to be a very interesting battle for control of the 4th District as the current 4ht District HDTC includes former Town Chair Sean Arena. One of the 5th District current HDTC members that will be shifted to the 4th District is the current "shadow Chair" Marc Dibella. This could prove to be a very interesting match up come HDTC election time.

The 7th District also has seen some interesting borders cut for the area represented by Doug McCrory, Several longtime HDTC members have seen their district moved out from under them. Prenzina and Shawn Holloway, Shirley Surgeon, Paul Basch and others now reside outside the proposed boundaried for their current district.

The current 4th District State Representative, Kelvin Roldan survived a close election last go-round and just barely retained his seat from a challenge from a less than stellar candidate. Follow the dots here, Roldan's fiancee is the daughter of Bart Halloran. Halloran is the Attorney for the MDC (Metropolitan District Commission). Marc Dibella's father , William diBella is Chairman of the MDC.

Bart Halloran is also currently representing our convicted felon former Mayor Eddie A. Perez against action by the State Attorney to revoke Perez's pension, as well as 6th District State Representative and former Hartford Police Officer Hector Robles who was arrested on Larceny charges and fired from his job as a police officer.

I think it is probably pretty safe to assume that power in the 4th will not just be handed to Sean Arena without a fight.

Town Committee seats, both Republican and Democrat, are determined by the number or registered voters in a district. With the 5th District being carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey, it includes numerous unpopulated areas including most of Keney Park and a large part of the North Meadows which is primarily commercial area as well as the former landfill.

The 1st District HDTC will also most likely see some change as much of the District had encompassed the West End of Hartford prior to redistricting. The 1st now also has shifted to include much of the Northend/Albany Avenue area and has shifted the demographics to a larger minority representation. This could prove interesting to see if the HDTC from the 1st District shifts to include more minority members to actually represent the makeup of the District.

The 3rd District hasn't changed much except that it now looks to encompass the old Charter Oak Housing project area, where HDTC Secretary, the honorable Angel Morales lives with his mother on Margarita Drive. Since Morales does not have to be an actual member of the HDTC to serve on the Executive Committee, his position seems to be safe. Besides, with all the time he spends at the Hartford Public Library downtown, he has plenty of time to research the legalities.

The 6th District also remains pretty much intact.

It could all play out very interesting come HDTC election time in 2012. Most of the HDTC districts are not cohesive and are potentially ripe for change. In the mean time, maybe Marie Kirkley-Bey can land a job with the MDC and she and Bill can commute together.

MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TREASURER'S RAISE

The recent action trying to approve a raise for Hartford's Treasurer Adam Cloud just stinks, pure and simple. Did Cloud not understand the dollar sign and the zero's that listed his salary before he ran?

I have to wonder how this action was on the agenda and moved forward so quickly when our previous Treasurer, Kathleen Palm-Divine, had to fight for years to get her raise put forward. But then again, Kathleen wasn't a political operative pushing the ethical limits.

And it confuses me why the Council President would introduce the resolution authorizing the raise. Does rJo Winch not realize that Cloud and a couple of her Council counterparts were instrumental in her political demise? Cloud was right there, front and center at the Democratic nominating convention cutting the deals that forced Winch as well as Sean Arena off the slate.

In true Hartford political style, I would not have been surprised to see Winch landing a job in the Treasurer's Office when the new term starts if the Treasurer got his raise, but that wouldn't happen in Hartford, would it? Maybe she could get the job the Treasurer's wife had, now that he was forced to realize having his wife work with him was a conflict.

Maybe rJo could handle Clouds "community giving and outreach" plan so that he wouldn't have to strong arm City vendors to benefit his campaign worker's non-profits.

But the larger question is why the public had to be the first to identify the Council's actions as illegal. Does the Mayor have a staff to review things first. Do we not have a Corporation Counsel that should have enough legal experience by this time in her career to question improper actions by the Council.

Even more importantly, the Corporation Counsel sat on the dais as the pay raise was raised and very little debate took place. Would it have been that difficult for the Corporation Counsel to raise a point of order? "Madame President, I have concerns regarding the legality of this matter and recommend it be tabled for further research"

I'm not sure that anyone cared about the legality. If the illegal nature had not been pointed out here by a commenter more than 24 hours prior to the Mayor's veto, would it have just gone through unquestioned? How could four attorneys sit there, 3 Council members and the Corporation Counsel, and not realize the actions they were voting on might be illegal?

How is it that the "dangerous" lefto Councilman Luis Cotto, as GOP Town Chair Mike McGarry describes him, and the other WFP Councilman Larry Deutsch, were the only ones to question the actions. Forget the legality, what about the moral and ethical issues of the raise? Hartford has the highest unemployment in the state and many residents would love a $10,000 salary, never mind a $10,000 raise.

Who is the "dangerous" lefto now Mike? Cotto and Deutsch said no, but your own Republican fully supported it. One of those things that makes you go "hmmmm" and shake your head in disbelief.

And Cloud was already elected and knew the salary. It is not like we are saying we need the raise to a salary to be competitive and attract the best possible Police Chief or Tax Collector or any hired position. Cloud was elected, and if the salary wasn't enough, then don't run.

I miss Kathleen Palm-Devine.

PEREZ FLEECES US AGAIN....NO GRANITE THIS TIME THOUGH

It's old news by now that an arbitrator awarded our disgraced and corrupt convicted felon former Mayor Eddie Perez almost $71,000 in vacation time and sick pay. Jeff Cohen from WNPR has more here

I guess it is a small price to pay to get Perez to just go away, but what about everything he has cost us? How much has been spent repairing Park Street which is falling apart after Perez's deal and now stands as Hartford's tribute to corruption and payoffs.

What was the total the City of Hartford spent on attorney fees representing city employees that were called to testify before the Grand Jury? The answer is several hundred thousand dollars, who is going to reimburse us for that?

And who makes the decision when litigation is done and what is the criteria? In this case it seems as though it is Mayor Segarra, the beneficiary of Perez's dirty deeds that paved the way for Segarra to move into the Mayor's Office.

Why is Perez given the luxury of benefiting from an arbitrators decision when just about anyone else has had to fight for compliance with a decision? Secore, Nolan, Murtha and others come to mind.

Why are some decisions fought to the death yet Eddie gets a check cut, no questions asked? Hopefully the Department of Corrections will attach the payment to pay for his prison stay.

THIS WEEK ON FACE THE STATE... BE SURE TO EAT BREAKFAST EARLY

photo from http://www.wfsb.com/story/14969552/the-hartfordite

I know that usually I watch Dennis House's "Face the State" program (Sundays, 11:00am, Ch. 3) while getting started for the day and eating breakfast. This Sunday I will have to be sure to eat early to avoid being nauseous while watching one of his segments. Sorry Dennis, it's not you but your guest.

I'm sure most people have noticed that the Republicans in Hartford were thoroughly beat into the ground the last few years, and especially this past November when they lost their remaining seats on the Council. You may have also noticed that the local GOP "leadership", and I use that term lightly, have had plenty of blame for everyone else except themselves.

Even before the loss, you could see the venom spewing from Hartford's Republican Town Chair Michael McGarry anytime he spoke about the Working Families Party (WFP) and in particular WFP Councilperson Luis Cotto. I am not a fan of Cotto's, but McGarry chose to make it personal between himself and Cotto.

McGarry also concocted the deal, or was at least one of the "masterminds" behind the misguided deal to endorse Democrats in the last election. This stripped the Republican's of any ideology or any means of differentiating the GOP from the Dem's. In the end, McGarry should realize that his deal cost him and his party votes.

According to Dennis House's blog "the Hartfordite", McGarry said the election of Working Families candidates to the council instead of Republican candidates, is bad for business and sends a message to investors to stay away from the city. He called the WF party “dangerous.”

I would counter that the attitude of the Republican Party in Hartford for the last several years under McGarry's "leadership", or lack thereof, has been dangerous. Throughout the entire Perez corruption scandal, McGarry and his party remained silent. No press releases, no comments, not a word.

Since 1999 as Hartford's mill rate steadily increased from about 29 mills to the current rate of over 71 mills, not a word was said by McGarry and his party. The only Republican elected to the Council Veronica Airey-Wilson voted for just about every item that increased spending as well as every bloated budget. Although she had to align herself with Perez and his operation since a Grand Jury investigation eventually proved that she was also benefiting from Perez's criminal acts.

Not surprisingly though, not a word from the Republican "leaders" before or after Airey-Wilson's arrest. In fact, they appointed her nephew to replace her on the Council when she left after her arrest on criminal corruption charges. And in the total opposite of Republican beliefs of smaller government and reduced spending, Airey-Wislons nephew, Corey Brinson voted for the illegal raise for the City Treasurer Monday night. Hopefully one of his last official acts as a Councilperson since he was not re-elected.

McGarry himself probably has a hard time as Republican Town Chair criticizing City Hall since he benefits directly from the City and Board of Education's advertising in his periodicals.

Rather than calling WFP dangerous, it mike make more sense to educate potential voters as to what the GOP is about and why it would make sense to vote Republican. I think people are fed up with the negative politics and if you put a message forward that makes sense, people just might listen.

There is no outreach to the community, there is no education and there definitely is no Republican presence in Hartford, other than Mike McGarry spouting his nonsense blaming everyone else.

Buy a mirror Mike and line up your Republican Town Committee members behind you, that's where you should be looking to place blame for the decay of the Hartford Republican Party.

I agree that the WFP most likely will not be good for Hartford for the next four years on the Council. It will most likely mean more fiscal recklessness, more liberalism and attempts to tie the hands of our Police even more and less accountability to the voters.

But McGarry is the one that has to accept the blame. The WFP ran campaigns and got their message out, the Republicans did not.

The Hartfordite also stated that "McGarry predicts the increased power of the Working Families party, will be so detrimental to the city it will actually help rebuild the Republican party in the city.". If only it were that easy what the Democratic controlled Council has done to Hartford for the last 10 years would have voters flocking to the GOP in record numbers.

The Republicans have to grow a back bone and be willing to make some noise and let people know what is happening in City Hall every day, 24/7. In McGarry's case, silence has not proven golden and he has missed many opportunities to gain a voice for the GOP, no one knows what they stand for or what they believe in.

The only thing that will rebuild the Republican Party in Hartford is hard work, and a lot of it. And that hard work will have to come from fresh blood with new ideas and a message the voters can connect with, shouting out the WFP is bad just won't cut it.

IS THE END NEAR?

The end for the Eddie A. Perez corruption case that is.

Legal briefs are due to the Appellate Court by December 21, 2011 and a decision should be rendered shortly thereafter. Perez had appealed his conviction on corruption charges and his subsequent prison sentence. The corrupt former Mayor has remained free on an appeal bond pending the decision.

SEGARRA VETOES TREASURER'S RAISE

In an interesting move, Mayor Pedro Segarra has vetoed the raise for the City Treasurer that was approved by the Hartford City Council Monday night. Segarra makes the claim that the raise was a violation of Connecticut's Constitution and cites his reasons in the letter below.

The same reason used for the veto was also posted here on the blog as a comment at least one day prior to the veto being submitted to Town Clerk John Bazzano.The "anonymous" commenter had posted "One problem, the state Constitution prohibits a raise until 2015

"The compensation of an elected official of a political subdivision of the state whose term of office is four years or more may be increased once after such official has completed two years of his term by the legislative body of such political subdivision"

I guess my readers know what they are talking about.

Here is the veto letter below:

Segarra Cloud Veto

SEGARRA ABOUT TO HIT A GRANDSLAM HOMERUN...INTERIM POLICE CHIEF TO BE NAMED

Several sources in the Hartford Police Department and at Hartford City Hall are confirming that Mayor Segarra has picked, and made a job offer to, who he hopes will be the next leader of the Hartford Police Department. The choice will have many of you asking James "WHO?".

Segarra has apparently made an offer for the "interim" Chief of Police position to veteran Hartford Police Officer and current Chief Inspector of the Chief State's Attorney's Office James Rovella. Talks have been in the works and according to sources, the offer was made to Rovella after a lengthy meeting this morning at City Hall. The "interim" title is apparently a matter of semantics as the final details and contract are worked out.

Rovella was chosen to run the Hartford Shooting Task Force earlier this year after it was created at the direction of Governor Malloy under the guidance of Connecticut's Chief States Attorney's Kevin Kane. Rovella and his task force have produced some very noticeable results and has impressed many with the ongoing efforts of his team.

Rovella retired from the Hartford Police Department after building a reputation as an outstanding investigator and then moved on to eventually the Chief Inspector in the State's Attorneys Office.

Rovella also has a very strong working knowledge of the Hartford Police Department and its "players", which should prove interesting as the transition from the Roberts administration begins. Rovella apparently is known as a no nonsense supervisor with a strong work ethic and commitment to professionalism. One source told me that it is common to see Rovella in his office at 7:00am when others are arriving and still be there at 7:00 or 8:00PM at night after others have left.

Rovella also was raised in Hartford from what I am told and has a keen interest in the City.

This wasn't the Segarra choice I would have predicted, but it seems like it could be a win-win situation for the HPD as well as the people of Hartford with the right support for Rovella. This potentially could also be a huge morale booster for HPD, a department that has been racked lately by labor battles and lawsuits and what has been perceived by many as vindictive management by HPD Command Staff.

A GOOD TIME TO CUT THE POLICE BUDGET, HOMICIDE 25 IS ON THE BOOKS

Homicide number 25 for the year was recorded last night after a 19 year old man was shot and killed on the 2000 block of Main Street. That is the third homicide this week after what had been a quiet period.

A perfect time for the Mayor and Council to continue those HPD budget cuts, we still have time to catch up with New Haven, they are at 30 for the year.

HOMICIDE 24 IS ON THE BOOKS

After a quiet period, the second homicide of the week occurred last night at 1995 Park Street in Hartford.

The shooting victim died this morning after under going surgery for his wounds.

OCCUPY HARTFORD: DON'T THEY WATCH FLASH MOB VIDEOS?

Today's "Occupy Hartford" actions turned out to be more of a union media stunt than a protest to effect social change from what I saw. That was more evident than ever when the press releases began rolling out from Union organizers. Signs and banners were front and center from the Teamsters and SEIU.

And for anyone that has ever watched a flash mob video, the element of surprise and spontanaiety happens because the people just show up and get started. No telegraphing your intentions to the media, the property owners and more importantly the police or security agencies. That is why they have an impact.

Today's event was probably the biggest "non-event" Hartford has seen in a while. Do they not understand that HPD has people that live just to develop "Op-plans" to minimize the impact of such events. I think in all honesty many commuters would welcome this as a daily event. It seems that traffic ran smoother nthan just about any day I have seen.

The bottleneck at the intersection of Farmington, Broad and Asylum Streets was non-existent. Traffic was flowing smoothly both east and westbound on Farmington Avenue which is usually bumper to bumper at this time of day. Fortunately the gridlock and disruption of traffic never happened. That's probably a good thing since I think many of the "99%" (translated as us commoners) would have a hard time supporting something that was disrupting our daily lives.

The HPD "Ops plan" diluted the impact so much that unless you were on Broad Street near the Courant and I-84 you would be hard pressed to even know anything was going on. No tasers were unholstered, no pepperspray cloud over the area, no riot helmets,just a street full of cops who politely announced to the 12 human speed bumps that each one was about to be arrested and were they sure they wanted that.

A sergeant and two officers approached each of the 12 people on the entrance ramp and advised them they were about to be arrested. And probably even more politely than a hostess at a restaurant, they were led to the prisoner transport by two police officers.

I'm still not sure what the message is and what "Occupy Hartford" is trying to accomplish, but letting the union's hijack their message and ride their coat tails isn't a good direction to take.

The officer's present from HPD did a great job handling the event, but it is another unnecessary burden being placed on a Department which should be focusing on keeping our City safe, not being used as extra's in a stage production orchestrated by Union organizers.

A QUICK THOUGHT ON "OCCUPY HARTFORD"

Apparently the "occupiers" are planning a protest today to send a message to those nasty Corporate neighbors of ours. From what I understand, they plan to lay down at the entrance ramps to I-84 at Broad Street.

Who is that going to hurt or inconvenience other than hard working people trying to get home after a day at work?

Why not lay down at the driveways at the Corporate locations where the limousines leave at the end of the day returning Corporate executives to their homes? That might have more impact than disrupting everyone. But I'm not sure what the message the "Occupiers" have been trying to get out anyway, other than one of chaos and confusion.

So make today's rush hour a little easier and stay in Hartford at one of our restaurants and relax until the mess clears.

IS IT REALLY THAT HARD FOR CITY HALL TO TELL THE TRUTH?

After the previous post and the "Press Release" from City Hall claiming that the dispatch Center was moved due to a "mock exercise" I have received numerous calls from people inside the building

Apparently, as I have previously posted, the evacuation is due to an infestation of fleas. Once again, I stand by my information, no matter how the City tries to spin the information.

I received one internal memo through "alternative means" and another one detailing the infestation should be available shortly.

Why can't they just tell the truth, how difficult would it be to say " we have experienced an infestation of fleas and for the health and safety of our employees, we will be moving the dispatch Center for 24 hours as we exterminate the area."

What else should we expect them to lie to us about? Once again, so much for that "Segarra Transparency". Do you see the words "mock exercise" anywhere in the Chief's memo?

Dispatch Center Relocation

HARTFORD DISPATCH CENTER EVACUATED

I could say so many things about this and go in so many different directions.

The Emergency Dispatch Center at Jennings Road has been evacuated and moved to the Emergency Operations Center at City Hall because of "bugs". Yes, the actual living type...insects, not the "electronic" type.

Apparently the Dispatch Center was overrun with crawling critters and needed to be fumigated, although no one would say exactly what the "insects" are.

I can suggest other areas that might be worthy of a fumigation, and even maybe an exorcism. Maybe the Chief's complex should be swept for "bugs" also

UPDATE 12:00pm


In typical City of Hartford "spin machine" the move is being called a "Mock Exercise" not a word was mentioned that the Center is overrun with bugs.

Here is the release below:

PUBLIC SAFETY NEWS

From the City of Hartford Office of Communications and New Media

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 17, 2011



DISASTER RELOCATION OF HARTFORD DISPATCH CENTER;

MOCK EXERCISE SCHEDULED TODAY



(Hartford) - The City of Hartford's Emergency Services and Telecommunications Division will be conducting a mock exercise today wherein the entire City of Hartford Dispatch Center will be abandoned and moved to the City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Room 304 on the third floor of Hartford City Hall, 550 Main Street, Hartford.



The media is invited to a press availability with City of Hartford Emergency Planning officials at the EOC today at 1:00 p.m. to discuss the emergency planning exercise. Emergency Services and Telecommunications Director Andrew Jaffee and Jared Kupiec, Chief of Staff to Mayor Pedro E. Segarra, will be available for interviews.



For further information contact Nancy Mulroy, Public Information Officer, City of Hartford Office of Communications and New Media at 860-757-4021/office or 860-930-8945/cell.

A MESSAGE FROM AFGHANISTAN

I don't usually post other's writings, but occasionally I make an exception. I posted the "Batman" piece a couple weeks ago. Today on Veteran's Day I received an e-mail from Dan Nolan, currently serving our country in Afghanistan. He asked me to post the following and I think it is the least I can do for him.

WRITTEN BY DAN NOLAN FROM AFGHANISTAN:


Dan Nolan
Pay It Forward
In Memory Of Matt Dirrane

Today is Veterans Day and I am very proud of my fellow Veterans who have served this country honorably. This is in no way meant to take away from the appreciation they all so very much deserve on this day. In addition to honoring our many veterans today I would also like to direct your thoughts and attention to a very close friend of mine, Matt Dirrane, who tragically lost his life 11 months ago today while vacationing in Costa Rica. For those of you who did not have the pleasure of knowing him, Matt had a gift of making everyone feel great, he was extremely loyal and loving to his friends and family. He was a protector and a guardian to all. He would do anything for someone in need without hesitating to provide help, even to a complete stranger. I am sure those of you who knew him as well as I did have been devastated by his loss and have suffered through trying times without him. As you can imagine, it has been even more difficult on his immediate loving family, in particular his sister Pauline. One month from today marks the one-year anniversary of his passing. Instead of making December 11th a day of sadness, I would like to request that instead we celebrate Matt’s contributions to our lives and his generosity that has defined him. I would like everyone to honor him by performing a random act or acts of kindness throughout the next 30 days in Matt’s memory. Pay It Forward. For example, pay for the person's coffee behind you at the drive-thru, clear snow off of a neighbor's car, donate to a worthy cause, adopt a pet from a shelter. The possibilities are endless. Additionally, please take a moment to post your good deed(s) on the “In Loving Memory of Matt Dirrane” Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Loving-Memory-of-Matt-Dirrane/146785158705639?ref=ts) in order to help ease some of the burden Matt’s family may be feeling as the date of his loss approaches. I know Matt would not want us to mourn his death when we could be doing something positive to celebrate his life. So please from now until December 11th I ask of you to pay it forward in honor of my dear friend Matt Dirrane. Some of us may have reasons to complain, but most of us in general have pretty easy lives. Sure, there will be rough times along the way. It happens to all of us. Why not reach out and help someone who’s going through one of these rough times? It could be a loved one, a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker or a complete stranger. Please try and reach out to someone and perform an act of kindness. You’ll find the benefit far outweighs the effort. If everyone did this, imagine the effect it could have on the entire world. It’s amazing to think about, the possibilities are endless. I hope I have inspired all who read this to do at least one good deed to help someone who could use a helping hand.

Remember…
“We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own” ~ Ben Sweetland.

Stay safe Dan, we appreciate your service both to our Country and our City

ANOTHER ELECTION, ANOTHER ANGEL MORALES POLICE REPORT

Hartford Democratic Town Committee Secretary Angel Morales, 2nd from right

It looks like we may have a new political tradition in the making, an election season won't be complete without a police complaint against Hartford Democratic Town Committee Secretary Angel Morales.

For regular readers of the blog, you will remember the incident last year where he was accused of bringing a young man back to his campaign headquarters and disrobing and dancing in front of the young man wearing only his navy blue boxers. The young victim of Morales's "performance" fled from the office and reported the incident to police.

Morales had picked the young man up in a vehicle he had rented through his campaign funds, a Lincoln Continental Mark IV. Although Morales was operating under suspension, the entire matter was "squashed" and no charges were brought.

The original posting can be read by clicking here

Here is the police report for that incident:
Morales Case Report-redacted

Now it seems that Morales is being accused of breach of peace after he created a disturbance at a polling place on Tuesday. The complaint was made by the moderator for the polls at the Learning Corridor.Although the moderator didn't know that the individual was Angel Morales, several sources I spoke with identified the suspect as Morales.

According to the sources, Morales entered the polling location and for some reason began yelling at the moderator, claiming that he was from the Mayor's Office and was going to teach the moderator a lesson. According to the sources who witnessed the incident, at one point Morales became very agitated and approached the moderator in a physically threatening manner. At that point security officials for the Learning Corridor were just arriving and they physically removed Morales from the building.

The matter is currently under investigation according to the HPD incident report. We will have to see if this one gets "squashed" also, only time will tell.

Here is the incident report for the 2nd Annual Angel Morales Election Incident:
***As I mentioned above, the moderator wasn't familiar with Angel Morales, other sources at the polling place identified the subject as Angel Morales, Hartford Democratic Town Committee Secretary . Morales has also interned at the Capitol for State Rep. Minnie Gonzalez and he claimed to be a paid campaign staffer for Mayor Segarra. I COULDN'T GET THE DOCUMENT TO SAVE AS "LANDSCAPE", SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
MORALES INCIDENT REPORT 11 8 2011

A NEW ONE FOR THE "BLOGLIST"

It will be big shoes to fill, but I removed Helen Ubinas from the bloglist in the right column. Helen has left the Courant recently and along with that her column is gone.

During the campaign, I was fortunate to listen to one of Hartford's last Republican's, at least one who actually made sense, Michael Fryar. Michael also has a blog and it is worth checking out, http://itsenoughto.blogspot.com

Click the link above or you can follow his writing in the column to the right

THE ELECTION IS OVER, THE HELL WITH PUBLIC SAFETY

The big issue for anyone who attended candidates forums seemed to be public safety. Mayor Segarra constantly reiterated his commitment to Public Safety and making the City safe.

Well, now the election is done and apparently campaign promises mean nothing after the votes are cast.

In Wednesday's COMPSTAT meeting at the Hartford Police Department, department supervisors were told to be prepared for staff cuts and that their walk beats would all be pulled to back fill openings in the Patrol Division. According to sources, supervisors were told by outgoing Chief Daryl K. Roberts that this was only the "first wave" of cuts and was due to budget cuts by Mayor Segarra.

The timing seems quite interesting. In typical political form, we can now see that campaign promises mean nothing. Although "Public Safety" was the political catch phrase during the campaign, it seems that after the polls closed, 12 hours later, public safety can be put on the back burner for another 3 and a half years until the next election cycle.

Although patrol is the backbone of any Police Department, Community Service Officers and walkbeats play a huge role in crime control across the city. Those relationships are invaluable when it comes to controlling or reducing crime. In Hartford, walkbeats, CSO's and SRO's are a huge preventative measure. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the department and under staffing, the Patrol Division has been relegated to be almost exclusively reactionary.

Patrol Officers very rarely are given the time to be proactive or preventative in Hartford, they are too busy answering calls for service after incidents occur. That is not a knock on the patrol officers, it is just the reality that there aren't enough officers on the streets in Hartford.

Maybe rather than stripping walk beats and CSO's from neighborhoods, we should be looking at emptying out some of the 2nd floor at Jennings Road. Really, a detective to handle Freedom of Information requests? A Sergeant to handle backrubs and foot massages for Assistant Chief's? (and if you think I am kidding on that one, just wait until you see what is coming out soon).

Let's see how the voters that fell for empty promises made about Public Safety feel about their neighborhoods being stripped of their walk beat officers and Community Service Officers, while at the same time City Hall is about to be filled with more political appointments and cronies whose claim to fame is that they know how to drive the Mayor around or stick lawn signs in the ground for campaigns.

And I wonder if the Hartford Police Union is rethinking the promises made to them before the election for their endorsements as they head into almost two years without a contract. I would venture to say that is an issue that doesn't build morale or increase productivity and is only costing the City more as officers continue to leave for greener pastures in other Departments.

Will the voters remember in 2015? Probably not.

MAKING COUNCIL HISTORY

Now that the voters have spoken, Councilman Corey Brinson's rallying call at the polls "I never took my salary" seems to be somewhat historic. Brinson is the only Councilperson in recent history to refuse the salary,and due to Hartford's voters, he will not be collecting a salary from the taxpayers anytime soon.

The one question he never did answer is whether or not he also rejected the City's Health benefits. The benefits alone are potentially more costly to taxpayers than the salary. Council people are eligible to receive full health care at the taxpayers expense. After five years on the Council they are also eligible to receive their health care for life at the City's taxpayers expense.

Aside from rejecting the salary increase, the voters need to be looking at repealing the health care and the pensions given to Councilpeople after 5 years on the council also. Name one other spot where you are vested for a pension after five years.

Brinson was appointed to the Council to fill the unexpired term of his aunt, Veronica Airey-Wilson, who "retired" amidst her arrest during the Perez Grand Jury corruption scandal.

FUNDRAISER FOR ANDREW

If you are a regular reader you have probably read about my nephew Andrew and his adventures to gain a spot on the US Ski Team for the 2014 Paralympics being held in Russia. Several fundraisers are being held to help make this happen.

The next one scheduled is being held this Saturday at the Outback Steakhouse in Enfield. The flyer above has the details and tickets are still available. The menu sounds pretty good and all included for a price pf $20.00 per person.

To find out more about Andrew and his efforts, check out his website, andrewraces.com

SOME WORDS OF WISDOM FROM AN OLD-TIME POLITICIAN

I honestly thought that I could make a difference in returning Hartford to some of the prominence of earlier years, but I guess the voters of Hartford had different ideas of what Hartford needs. Apparently they haven't had enough of spending Hartford into oblivion yet with no regard to how it is being paid for.

I guess the pressure we put on our small businesses and commercial property owners to pack up and leave Hartford isn't a big issue. Besides, it might just be a status thing to have the highest mill rate in the state as well as some of the highest commercial space vacancies in the region.

As much as I thought I could make a difference on the Council, at least one person who led Hartford during some of its better days put it all into perspective for me. Former Mayor James Kinsella, who served as Hartford's Mayor from 1957-1960, spoke to me outside his polling place after he cast his vote.

Mayor Kinsella told me that he was a regular reader of the blog and he like it. He liked my writing style and liked the issues I addressed. He said he had reservations about me being elected because he thought that I was most likely doing more on the outside through the blog than I could do on the inside as a Councilperson.

Bottom line is he knows the system a lot better than I ever will and his words make sense. As the Courant pointed out when they endorsed me, the blog and the position of Councilperson might not be the easiest mix. I thought about that a lot and eventually realized that my hands might be tied on many issues and how I could approach them.

Well, the voters made it an easy decision for me. I do not intend to go away or have my hands tied and as much as I think I could be a positive force on the Council, everything works out for a reason. Chances are pretty good that by 2015 when Council elections roll around again, I can say I made more positive change from the outside than some of those elected yesterday will have made from the inside.

With your help and support I feel confident that we can continue to expose issues that affect our City and hold our elected officials accountable. Keep the e-mails and information coming as you have been and it should make for an interesting four years

For those of you who supported my campaign, contributed, or even showed your support by voting for me, I sincerely thank you. And to Mayor Kinsella, thanks for putting it into perspective (and my apologies for calling you "an old time politician", that's not a bad thing when you see how the system is run today)

IN THE HOME STRETCH

Tomorrow is election day in Hartford. I have enjoyed the forums, the meetings, answering questions and generally trying to shed some light on what we need to do to move Hartford forward.

Hopefully I will have an opportunity to put those ideas and changes into effect as a Councilperson if enough people agree.

If you have the opportunity, please remind someone to go vote tomorrow , and if you are so inclined, ask them to vote for me on row D-3. Any support is greatly appreciated .

Rest assured though, no matter how this turns out, I fully intend to keep doing what I have been doing for the last few years to make Hartford a better place.

"VARGAS VS. SEGARRA" HEADED TO COURT

On October 27, 2011, a hearing was held by the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee regarding a complaint filed by mayoral candidate Edwin Vargas against a cross nomination by the Hartford Republican Town Committee which was accepted by Pedro Segarra.To read the previous posting about Vargas's complaint, click here

Last Thursday the hearing committee ruled against Vargas. The next step is for Vargas to head to Superior to see if a Judge will take the politics out of the matter and look at the complaint differently. That hearing will be held tomorrow, Monday, at 11:00am at Superior Court on Washington Street.

The full motion for a hearing by Vargas's attorney is below:

Complaint - Vargas v. Segarra

LAST WEEKENDS HOOKER DAY PARADE, 2011

Although this weekend we were preparing for a snow storm, the Saturday before brought thousands of people downtown to enjoy the Hooker Day Parade. The video below is just some raw video I shot and I thought I would post it here, maybe you will see yourself if you attended or someone else you recognize .

Enjoy .

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER....SNOW AND EVERYTHING

It just keeps getting better and better this weekend.

First, I love snow and winter, most of you may not agree with that but it is just one more thing that makes living in New England interesting. The forecasts beginning Thursday that we might have a major snowstorm had my attention and I looked forward to the first snowflakes.

Then to make the weekend even better, I learned that I was going to get the Hartford Courant's endorsement for my run for Hartford City Council. I haven't been able to verify it 100%, but I am being told that this may be the first time in the history of the Courant that they endorsed a petitioning independent candidate.

Then I get the e-mail with a pretty moving piece comparing me to Batman. I was definitely humbled by that, but it made my day.

This was all capped off by the announcement that Sarah Barr will no longer be living off the taxpayers of Hartford. It is a year late in coming, but welcome news none the less. Barr was convicted felon Eddie Perez's spokesperson and was more about the propaganda and the "Gospel of Perez" than she was about information and any truth or honesty coming out of City Hall.

Barr will be leaving for a position with Webster Bank. Like I mentioned in a post a week or so ago, those Credit Unions are looking better all the time.

Maybe with the right person we can actually start trusting the information that comes out of the Mayor's Office now.

Here is the City's press release:

PEDRO E. SEGARRA

MAYOR



STAFFING CHANGES



NEWS AND COMMUNITY RELEASE



(October 28, 2011)--- After almost seven years serving the residents of the City of Hartford, Sarah Barr, the Director of Communications and New Media, will be leaving her position to become Vice President of External Communications at Webster Bank.



“I can’t imagine City Hall without Sarah,” praised Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra. “She is the consummate communicator and a true professional. While I am very sad that she will be leaving our team, I am very happy for her and her family. Sarah is a dynamic leader and she assures me she will continue to be very involved in Hartford’s communities. I look forward to her continued passion and participation.”



“My experience serving the residents of Connecticut’s Capital City has been very rewarding. I have established many strong relationships and will continue to find ways to serve the community. However, I have always put my family first regarding future career decisions and this new opportunity is no different. It is the right move at the right time and I am looking forward to this new and exciting professional challenge at Webster Bank,” said Ms. Barr.



In addition to her duties as Director, Ms. Barr served as Chairperson of Hartford’s 375th Anniversary celebration. She is currently a member of the Carousel’s Countdown to 100 Committee.



Her last official day with the City of Hartford will be Friday, November 11th.

HARTFORD'S BATMAN ?

It continues to amaze me the recognition I am getting as I am out meeting people during my campaign for Hartford City Council. One young person who I met recently is someone that has grown up in Hartford and continues to call Hartford home after graduating from college. These are the people that we have an obligation to mentor and bring along as the future leaders of our City. I think that is where we have failed miserably, and the main reason our "leadership" is the mess it is.

We have adults who continue to maintain their strangle hold on power into their 70's and 80's without bringing along any young people to fill our leadership vacuum. To be successful we need young people with new and fresh ideas and a better understanding of an ever changing world to be encouraged to get involved in our city governance.

The person I mentioned above sent me this message below in an e-mail today and I have to admit I am extremely flattered by his opinion as well as his writing style, I think he is boosting my ego, but a lot of his comments are true, even though I was never a big batman fan, maybe I should watch the movie on this snowy night.

And as far as I can remember, this is the first time I am posting someone else's writings on the blog, but then again, how often do I get compared to a "super-hero"

Brookman: Hartford’s Dark Knight

Most people who have seen the movie, Batman: Dark Knight, vividly remember the final scene. As Batman is running away from the police, Detective Gordon’s son, a symbolic character representing innocence and honesty, asks why Batman is running away from the police. Gordon responds, “Because we have to chase him.” The son says, “But he didn’t do anything wrong.” Gordon responds with the final words of the movie, “Because he's the hero Gotham deserves. But not the one it needs right now. And so we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight.”

Like Gotham, Hartford is broken and like Gotham, Hartford also has a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight. Kevin Brookman is not always liked but he is overwhelmingly respected by the political class that governs us and the citizens that bond our communities together. Over the past few years, Brookman’s ability to make an honest effort to hold our city leaders accountable for their actions has enabled the residents of the city of Hartford to become more aware of the problems we face and, more importantly, the consequences we will reap if the city does not change course and head in a direction that promotes a healthy and sustainable environment to live in, work hard, produce capital, and attract investors to our state’s capitol.

Is he Perfect? No.Is he a hero? No.Does he claim to be? No. Does he have a plan? Yes and its simple: Raise the awareness of our past and present problems and return our city back to fiscal sanity, moral responsibility, and a multitude of opportunities for every citizen of Hartford.

Without our Dark Knight, we, like Gotham, will continue to breed corruption, and sacrifice our liberties for short-term security that places band-aids on gashes and screen doors on a floating submarine unaware of and not seeing the dreadful consequences of what will happen when the body runs out of blood and the submarine, like our economy, takes a dive and falls beneath the sea.

Brookman is and will continue to be chased. He will be hunted and he will be persecuted but Brookman knows that truth and justice are never to be sacrificed for power and privilege and the potentiality that our city has is a cause that he will continue to fight for, protect, and honor even if that means the light he sheds must live in a shadow, a dark shadow, a dark shadow protected by a dark knight.

And before the comments begin, no, I will not be wearing the outfit any time soon

VARGAS HEARING HELD AT DEMOCRATIC STATE CENTRAL

Thursday night was another example of Hartford's "Theater of the Bizarre".

The complaint filed by Mayoral candidate Edwin Vargas against the acceptance by Pedro Segarra of the Republican endorsement was at issue. The complaint and previous posting can be read here.

The complaint seems to hinge on whether Segarra violated the Hartford Democratic Town Committee's own bylaws when he cut the deal with the Republicans and accepted the cross endorsement.

The argument by Vargas's attorney, Robert Ludgin, seemed pretty clear cut, the bylaws say it can't be done.

The defense by the attorney for the HDTC, Thom Page, as well as Mayor Segarra's attorney, John Kennelly, were somewhat interesting. Although they seemed to agree that the rule was part of the by-laws, they were essentially rendered irrelevant because they really don't follow their by-laws. I'm paraphrasing there, but that was pretty much the argument.

Page also made the point that the bylaws were "old" and hadn't been updated since the 1970's. He also stated that every year someone talks about updating the by-laws but for one reason or another it never gets done. (I think that could be blamed on leadership, or more accurately the lack of leadership on the part of the HDTC)

An interesting moment occurred after Page made his comment that the bylaws were old so they weren't really followed. Vargas's attorney replied that we have a lot of "old" laws that are followed every day, one of them is a couple hundred years old and we call it "The Constitution".

It will be interesting how the panel will rule, most likely it will be business as usual and the whole matter will be swept away. But the repercussions from that decision should be wide ranging. Essentially if the panel validates Segarra's actions, any Town Committee has no need to have bylaws or even follow them since they mean nothing.

I think the big question though on the minds of many in the room is why Segarra is fighting so hard to keep this nomination. The reality is the endorsement will probably deliver a couple hundred Republican votes to Segarra at the maximum. The other side of the coin is that if Segarra was really in touch with community sentiment, the actions might actually be costing him votes from upset voters.

In the spirit of leadership and party unity why wouldn't Segarra and Holloway step up and say the endorsement just isn't worth it and they reject it? Is there more to this than we know and what could possibly be in play that the Mayor won't reject it? Segarra is most likely a "shoe-in" for the election and it is not like the margin of victory is going to be that close. Besides, if they can find him on the Republican line, they can definitely find him on the Democratic line.

I seriously doubt that there are many Republicans that will be confused, or even tricked, into believing that Segarra is actually a Republican because he appears on the "R" line.

The decision should be issued within three days.

Interestingly absent from the hearing was HDTC Chair Jean Holloway as well as Vice Chair Lou Watkins. Surrogate Chair Marc DiBella was in attendance with his clipboard, taking notes.

Here is Attorney Kennelly's brief outlining his defense for Segarra.

KENNELLY SEGARRA BRIEF0001

SNOW STORM HITTING HARTFORD HARD

Numerous trees and wires are down across the City and continue to fall as the snow does also.

The City has officially opened its "Emergency Operations Center" (EOC) at Hartford City Hall to monitor the storm.

The Blue Hills area and Vine Street seem to be hit exceptionally hard, but damage is widespread across the City.

HARTFORD COURANT ENDORSEMENT'S ARE OUT

The Hartford Courant has released their editorial endorsements for the November 8, 2011 City Council elections, and apparently they agree..."BROOKMAN FOR COUNCIL".

The full editorial can be read by clicking here, but needless to say, I am extremely humbled by their support and confidence. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it is very gratifying that the editorial board of the Courant sees what the Hartford Democratic Town Committee ignored.

In a nutshell, here is what the Editorial Board said:

•Kevin R. Brookman, 52, petitioning candidate. Mr. Brookman, a small business owner, may be the city's first cyber-candidate. He started a blog a few years ago called We The People, which attacked many of the excesses of the Perez administration. Via the blog, Mr. Brookman established himself as a tough, honest commentator, with common sense and some innovative ideas.

But Mr. Brookman must realize that if he is elected, he can no longer immerse himself in personnel or labor disputes, as he sometimes does. That's the price of going from the shop floor to the board of directors.

HEY DAVE...WHERE'S THE PRESS RELEASE?

On Monday, David Medina, the Minister of Propaganda for the Hartford Schools took the time to issue a press release of "high importance" to condemn me and this blog for information I posted regarding an art exhibit at Hartford High School.

This is the first time I can remember Medina taking issue with anything, but none the less, it was good to see Medina at least doing something to earn his salary of $120,000 plus. Medina's press release drew traffic to the blog so I want to show my appreciation to him

Unfortunately though, it seems that Medina "misses" much of what goes on in the schools. Whether that is intentional is not known. In an effort to assist Medina in his job, I will try to post information I learn about the inner goings on at our schools. Much of this I am sure the administration would like parents to know what their children are being subjected to in their schools.

FIRE REPORTED AT BELLIZZI MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Hartford Fire Department was called this afternoon to extinguish a fire that had been set in a trashcan in a girl's bathroom at the Bellizzi Middle School. The fire was extinguished by a security guard at the school. Initially, the administration of the school chose not to notify the Fire Department, but the School Resource Officer requested the Fire Department due to the smoke condition in the school.

The incident has been turned over to the Hartford Police Department Arson investigators.

See how easy that was Dave. As a public service I will try to post any incidents of guns, weapons, drugs or arson's occurring in Hartford Schools so the public can get a true picture of what goes on in our schools.

WHERE IS IT? OR ....HOW GULLIBLE ARE HARTFORD'S VOTERS

Word around City Hall is that the position of Chief Operating Officer may not be the most stable path for career development these day's, but in light of that, maybe we should try getting some answers to questions before any changes take place. It seems like our elected officials either don't know the answers or just don't want to answer the questions.

Let's start with an easy one. Where is the theater at Front Street? It was announced with fanfare and press releases the first time it was presented. Then I guess that developer backed out and the project was picked up by another developer to fanfare and press releases all over again. Those press releases heralded the opening in "Fall2011". Unless I am mistaken, fall is here and not one piece of drywall has been hung yet.

Next question... when is the Market @ Hartford 21 reopening. We were told they were "regrouping" when they abruptly closed, well...maybe not so abruptly, I think most of us saw it coming. And while we are at it, what was the approval process for the $400,000 "loan" given to keep them afloat? Members of the Council are claiming ignorance to any knowledge of approving the funds, but then again, ignorance is very plausible when looking at many of this Council's actions.

Question number 3...what oversight is in place to make sure the "Festival of Lights" or "Winterfest" ,or whatever we are calling it this year, is being organized properly to avoid another embarrassing public relations nightmare similar to last years "squirrel and bird protection" event. To read more about that, click here or here

Question number 4... Several years ago, our wonderful corporate neighbor, Northland cut a deal to develop the former YMCA on Jewel Street into luxury condos. All of the male occupants who rented rooms there were forced out, most likely increasing the numbers of Hartford's homeless population. The building still sits empty to this day as the ugly twin to Capitol West, a sign of a city that just doesn't get it when they are being played for fools. Why isn't the "Y" at least re-opened to serve a need for housing a segment of Hartford's population that is really needed as we head into winter.

Question number 5... After the previous corrupt administration forced a Hartford landmark, WFSB 3, out of the city to Rocky Hill more press releases and fanfare heralded a "green" multi story office building on the former Channel 3 site. Where is it? I still pass a vacant lot every time I exit Route 2, not a good welcome mat for those entering the city for the Science Center or the Convention Center

I'll stop with those questions, I know editing resumes and job searches take time, so I don't want to tie you up too much, but the voters might enjoy a hit of the truth when making their voting decisions on what direction Hartford is headed in.

VARGAS COMPLAINT TO BE HEARD THURSDAY

The complaint filed by Mayoral candidate Edwin Vargas to Connecticut Democratic State Central is scheduled to be heard tomorrow night, Thursday, at 6:30 PM at Democratic State Central Headquarters at 330 Main Street.

The meeting is apparently open to the public and promises to provide more entertainment than a good night at the Bushnell Theater. Arrive early before the best seats are taken.

To read the Vargas complaint filed by Attorney Robert Ludgin, click here

NEW ELECTION COMPLAINTS FILED AGAINST SEGARRA, APONTE, DeJESUS AND OTHERS

A wide ranging complaint against individuals involved in the upcoming municipal election was filed today by Hartford resident Alyssa Peterson. The complaint, accompanied by numerous supporting exhibits and documents, seems to raise questions about the process used for selecting candidates. The accompanying documents also seem to raise questions about the integrity of some of the candidates running.

The documents compiled by Peterson were obtained mostly from police reports and documents as well as court documents and are included in the PDF file below.

The complaint and the exhibits pretty much speak for themselves and are well worth the reading time. Exhibits "E" and "F" are very interesting.

And in the interest of full disclosure, as if anyone doesn't already know, I am also running for City Council as an independent candidate.

Peterson Complaint Exhibits

Official Complaint Dinardo

DEMOCRAT VARGAS FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST" REPUBLICAN " SEGARRA

Democratic petitioning candidate for Mayor, Edwin Vargas has made it official. On Friday, through his attorney Robert Ludgin, Vargas began the official complaint process against Segarra's endorsement by Hartford's Republican Town Committee.

Vargas's complaint is attached below and pretty much speaks for itself

VARGAS HDTC Complaint2011

DAVID MEDINA....A WASTE OF A SALARY

For those not familiar with the name David Medina, he is the media mouthpiece for the Hartford Public Schools. He came from the Hartford Courant where he was employed before leaving to take the job with the Board of Ed. He was also instrumental in the Courant's endorsement of former Mayor and now convicted felon Eddie Perez. Many considered his new position his reward from Perez.

From what many media people have told me, just getting Medina to comment or issue a statement is a huge chore. But Medina apparently showed his thin skin today when he issued a press release essentially condemning me and the blog for an entry I posted Saturday. You can read that post here

The posting speaks for itself, but I haven't found anyone yet that doesn't have serious questions about this as "art" that is acceptable for display in our schools.The interesting part though is that Medina tried to defend the picture as a "lesson in Free Speech vs Responsibility". Ok Mr. Medina, I guess I have to ask what was the lesson? That at Hartford High there is no responsibility when you exercise your Free Speech rights>

And isn't it interesting that Mr. Medina chooses to essentially condemn my "Free speech" rights at the same time he is claiming the rights to his and those of his "students". Where do the Hartford Schools draw the line? Would an image drawn by a student depicting child pornography or a sexual molestation be found acceptable as "Freedom of Speech"?

Maybe if our schools were actually "teaching" students something about history and civics rather than just how to pass mastery tests, a child's mind might go to thoughts of the Revolution, the Bill of Rights or the Constitution rather than "blood gushing" from some "home boy's dome" and assault weapons.

It is interesting that we have guns and weapons in schools and Mr. Medina has no response to that. A 10 year old and an 11 year old student were caught with drugs on them today at Batchelder School, the ten year old apparently sold drugs that he had found to the 11 year old girl for five dollars on Friday, I bet you won't see a press release from Mr. Medina about that. But he can find the time to fire back at me, it's all very interesting.

But then again, the Hartford Schools aren't really known for truthful messages. Mr. Medina is doing a fine job in that aspect as Director of Propaganda for the Hartford Schools.

Here is Medina's e-mail from earlier today and the attached press release of "HIGH" importance:

Subject: Hartford Public Schools
Importance: High



Attached please find a very important statement from Hartford Public Schools.





David Medina

Director of External Communications

Hartford Public Schools

960 Main Street

Hartford, CT 06103

Tel: 860-695-8862

Fax: 860-722-8502

Cell: 860-558-9640

medid001@hartfordschools.org



Statement+From+Hartford+Public+Schools+10!24!11