NEW FEATURE ADDED: "SEARCH" WE THE PEOPLE

A regular reader suggested that I add a search button to the blog. It is a great idea and will add more flexibility to find info posted here. The search box is located above, directly below the title box.

Feel free to send me your suggestions, keep them civil though, and no, I won't go away, so save your time on that one.

And it looks like this might be the week that "We the People" passes 200,000 hits. In a 24 hour period last week I actually had a record for the blog, over 2,100 hits were recorded Wednesday from 4:45pm through 4:45pm on Thursday. The next closest day was when Eddie Perez faced his first arrest, 1,100 that day.

Thanks for all of your support, encouragement and of course information, I couldn't do this without your help.

THE THINGS YOU WILL NEVER HEAR FROM HPD

It seems like we always hear the negative things about Hartford Police Officers and I have had numerous conversations with Chief Robert's that HPD does an awful job of public relations.

A perfect example happened this morning, and now that it is posted here it will probably be in a press release, but Hartford officers are doing things like this day in and day out and no one highlights their efforts.

On a Sunday morning when most of us are inside staying warm, drinking coffee and relaxing,others in the City have something else in mind. Two Hartford Police Officers were working a special detail this morning in response to street robberies in the Albany Avenue area.

Apparently something aroused the suspicions of Officers Stephen Pepler and Kevin O'Brien. As they attempted to investigate further, the subject, a 17 year old male took off running to get away from the officers. The officers chased the suspect and during the chase the 17 year old pulled a silver handgun from his waistband. This could have turned into a much different outcome and at one point one of the officers thought that the suspect might be preparing to fire, instead though the suspect threw the gun to get rid of it.

These officers might have ended a one man temporary crime spree through their actions, and these are the things we should be hearing about. This isn't an isolated incident by a couple of "super cops", these are the things HPD officers are doing everyday, day in and day out. Sometimes revolvers, sometimes rifles, sometimes machine guns and in at least one case a grenade launcher.

Instead, many times HPD is portrayed as a bunch of wifebeaters and goons out racially profiling innocent people in the community. Some of that is HPD's doing by not putting information out or stonewalling the media when they inquire, other times it is our polticians grandstanding.

I had a conversation with Councilman Painter about this very subject this past week. I asked him if he knew that Hartford Police Officers had collected hundreds of toys for children across the city who may have had nothing Christmas morning otherwise. It was a great effort spearheaded by police officers, but I heard nothing about it other than talking to officers I knew who told me about it.

That is the type of story that HPD should have gained tremendous mileage off of, possibly on a national level if they only handled their public relations right. Imagine a television crew riding with Hartford Officers as they play Santa, knocking on doors in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods handing out gifts.

It would also serve another purpose as many people might actually see the cops as human beings, and not people to be feared that you only have to interact with at bad times. That is how relationships are built and walls are torn down.

The 17 year old on Albany Avenue might have a different opinion, but his next unsuspecting robbery victim might actually appreciate the HPD's
efforts that we never hear about. It's very unfortunate.

UH-OH, THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD

Recent renovations of the Mayor's Suite at Hartford City Hall have been completed and the Corporation Counsel staff is just steps away from the Segarra complex now. One of the people displaced during the renovations was Perez spokesperson, I mean Segarra spokesperson Sarah Barr.

I don't know if her office move is symbolic, but Sara Barr has been "relocated" to the basement of City Hall, right by the rear exit doors, about as far away from the Mayor's Office as one can get without actually being in the parking lot. Could that be the next move?

Barr is now occupying office space previously used by Lillian Ruiz. Lillian Ruiz was the Human Relations Director terminated by Segarra when he assumed the Mayor's Office.

I wonder if there is a hidden meaning in there somewhere.

Best of Luck Sarah.

WHERE DID THEY GO ?

For the second Sunday in a row, the Fox61 political shows are missing. The Stan Simpson Show and the Real Story, originally started by Shelly Sindland and inherited by Laurie Perez seem to be gone and replaced by a couple of syndicated programs. They normally air at 10:00 and 10:30am

Does anyone know what happened or if they will be back.

I guess that does make it official now, Dennis House's "Face the State" is the most watched local political program. Dennis airs on WFSB 3 Sundays at 11:00am

WHAT BUDGET DEFICIT? SUPT. ADAMOWSKI ISSUES $2.7 MILLION IN BONUSES TO HARTFORD SCHOOL EMPLOYEES

I don't think anyone knows the real numbers but some estimates for Hartford's budget hole aren't pretty. I have been given estimates on the City budget deficit anywhere from a few million up to a number I was given Friday of $40 million or more and the Board of Education's is possibly even worse than that.

With a huge budget deficit looming. Superintendent of Schools Stephen Adamowski has just compiled his most recent list of "bonuses". Some of them are contractual, some defy any reasoning , but which ever way you look at it one question looms large. Should we be paying out huge bonuses at a time when we are cutting back on the core staff in schools; teachers, para-professionals and even custodial workers.

I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but would an educator or even the "non-educators" who constantly say that "it is all about the kids" consider a giveback of the bonus to actually benefit the kids?

I know in some cases it is a tough job, especially for a Principal or teachers, but can some one explain to me why the spokesperson for the Hartford Schools David Medina received a bonus of $ 1250.00. Is his excessive salary not enough to cover the job he was hired to do?

Former Perez staffer and 4th District State Representative Kelvin Roldan received a bonus of $7961.00. How much time has Roldan spent in a classroom raising test scores? If anything, his and Adamowski's bonuses should be given back as a gesture of good will to cover the catering costs for the lunches in their offices that they rack up on the City credit cards.

Below are the bonus recipients in alphabetical order:

BONUS LIST- ABATE, ROBERT TO FAIR, LAURA

BONUS LIST -FALCONER -CRAWFORD, JANET TO MARSELL, FRED

BONUS LIST - MARTINEZ, JOSE TO ZUBRETSKY, CANDICE A.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE FUNDRAISER TOMORROW

On Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m, a fundraiser to benefit the 40th Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade will be held at Damon's Tavern at 310 Prospect Ave., Hartford. Matt Fleury of the Connecticut Science Center will be honored as Hartford's Parade Marshal, and Catherine Blinder as Hartford's person of the year.

The parade is set for Saturday,March 12, 2011 an is sponsored by the Central Connecticut Celtic Cultural Committee.

ROBLES ENDORSEMENT FIGURES PROMINENTLY IN HPD UNION ELECTION

Many Hartford voters and residents as well as many Hartford Police officers were surprised, and in most cases upset, when they saw a campaign flyer claiming that the Hartford Police Union "endorses Hector Robles". The mailer was sent out by the Robles campaign for the August Democratic primary. The headline proclaimed Robles's "honesty, integrity and making our neighborhoods safe".

Most were upset that these claims were being made at the same time that Robles was the subject of an Internal Investigation into claims of larceny and fraud against him for his scheme to double bill the City for hours worked.

One resident who was also challenging Robles for his legislative seat, Alyssa Peterson, questioned the Unions decision and whether it was proper. Many HPD union members also questioned the action and felt embarrassed by the timing of the endorsement as the allegations against Robles were becoming public.

Peterson explained that she questioned HPD Union President Richard Rodriguez and union Vice President Richard Holton. According to Peterson, during a meeting they claimed that it was a decision of the Union's four member executive committee. Subsequent to that meeting, at least one member of the executive committee claimed there was never a discussion or meeting regarding the endorsement and it was something the union president did on his own.

That decision proved to be a major issue in the recent HPD Union election held last week. Both Holton and Rodriguez exchanged barbs back and forth regarding the Robles endorsement. Several police officers that I spoke with claimed that normally the endorsement wouldn't have been an issue, but that the timing was very poor. They felt that endorsing Robles while he was under potential criminal investigation reflected poorly on the rank and file members of the Union and put them all under a cloud of suspicion for approving of Robles's potential illegal behavior.

In the end, Rodriguez was voted out and Holton prevailed by close to 3 to 1 vote margin. Unofficially, sources have told me the vote was approximately 300 votes for Holton to Rodriguez's 80 votes.

MAYOR SEGARRA, HOW IS THAT ENERGY "CZAR" WORKING OUT?

During the Perez Administration, and during a hiring freeze none the less, many of us were surprised to hear that former Mayor Perez had hired an "Energy Czar" to cut energy costs and usage by the City. The "Czar" was hired at a salary of close to $100,000 annually.

At the time many of the Council members seemed surprised by the hiring while other employees were being laid off. One of the members of the Council at the time who seemed helpless to prevent Perez's hiring of the "Czar" is actually now the Mayor himself. Yet, the "Czar" still remains. The only thing that remains is that his office has been moved out of the Mayor's Office.

Hopefully that move was done so that Mayor Segarra doesn't have to be reminded daily of the wasteful position of the "Energy Czar".

At the time of the original hiring, I had suggested that it might make more sense to hold a contest for all City employees and offer rewards to them for identifying waste in their Departments and buildings. A $50.00 gift card to a Hartford Restaurant or something along those lines would encourage their involvement.

The other side of the coin is who knows their buildings better than the people working in them everyday. They definitely know how to cut back better than someone in the Mayor's Office sitting looking at printouts and utility bills and waiting for the direct deposit of his paycheck.

This past week someone from the Department of Public Works called me and expressed their frustration that no one listens to their suggestions.Initially I wasn't sure where the call was going but I listened anyway since that is how this blog exists, by the info I receive from people on the inside of the system.

Once they started to explain their point, I was about ready to run out and get them a gift card for dinner at the Chowder Pot because it made so much sense.

This seems to be a no brainer, but when I explained it to someone at City Hall yesterday they once again accused me of applying logic to the situation, and that is apparently not the Hartford way.

Ok, here goes, let me know what you think. Apparently the City of Hartford has numerous buildings that are heated year round, even though no one uses them all winter. One example is the buildings above. The concession stand and the field house and locker rooms at Dillon Stadium are used Thankgiving Day for a high-school football game. The buildings are then closed up and not used again until April.

The buildings are heated the entire time. There are garages in Northwood/ Soldiers Field Cemetery, the North Main Street Cemetery and a DPW storage garage as well as several others that are heated year round, even though a couple of DPW employees have told me there is no need for it.

Probably one of the biggest energy wastes though is the heating process for the North End Senior Center. The Center is heated by the boiler from the old Burgdorf Health Center. Rather than install a separate heating system for the Senior's, the empty Health Center is kept heated to be able to heat the Senior Center. I know that reasoning is hard to follow, but it doesn't make any sense to me either.

With the cost of energy escalating, the DPW employee suggested it would make a lot more sense to "winterize" the buildings, the same as thousands of people with summer homes in Connesticut do.

I know, applying logic to City operations, but I think they still deserve the gift card for a common sense suggestion.

WOULD THIS HAPPEN IN WEST HARTFORD ?

The picture above is the Bank of America branch at Main and Kensington Streets in Hartford, across from the Rajun Cajun. The lower left hand corner of the picture is where the shoveled sidewalk is supposed to be. This morning I spoke with a few area residents who were complaining that the sidewalk has not been shoveled after the recent storms.

And not just the latest storm either. All winter long the Bank of America sidewalk has apparently been an issue according to former Councilman Steve Harris. Harris has actually called the Hartford Police to complain about the issue. The Hartford Police confirm that they have attermpted to address the issue and the branch manager has been warned that she could be subject to a fine and a summons to Community Court for violating the City ordinance that requires snow be shoveled from the walks 3 hours after the storm ends.

While I was there to take the picture, I saw several people having to walk into busy North Main Street to get by the bank property. One woman pushing a stroller had to navigate through the slush and traffic because of the Bank of America's disregard for the public and Hartford's ordinance.

I would hope that the Hartford Police Department and the area Community Service officer will forget the warnings and make it a point to hand deliver a summons for an appearance in Community Court to the Bank of America branch manager first thing Monday morning.

I doubt very much that the Bank of America branch in West Hartford Center leaves their sidewalks unshoveled and they shouldn't think it is acceptable to do it in Hartford.

SICK LEAVE IS OVER , ERIC JACKSON RESIGNS

Mayor Pedro Segarra issued the following statement tonight:

HARTFORD CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER RESIGNS

---NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---


(January 27, 2011) --- Mayor Pedro E. Segarra has issued the following statement:

Eric Jackson has tendered--- and I have accepted--- his resignation, which is effective immediately. With his resignation no further action can be taken; the internal investigation is now closed.

My administration and I have a zero tolerance policy regarding any claims of sexual harassment and we will investigate any and all claims with the seriousness and import that they deserve.”


Thank you Mr. Mayor, you can disregard those messages you never returned.

ERIC JACKSON UPDATE: ANOTHER ONE FOR THE "ONLY IN HARTFORD" FILE

Well, it seems like many of the comments and phone calls on the previous Eric Jackson post had hoped that Mayor Segarra would take the high road and do what had to be done to protect City of Hartford employees during the sexual harrassment investigation.

Sorry to dash your hopes, but apparently the answer is no.

City Hall sources are confirming for me that Eric Jackson is on "extended" sick leave as of the time of this writing. Another travesty and a fraud being imposed on the people of Hartford, all at our expense.

There is no word yet as to whether Chief Roberts and the Hartford Police Department will step up and accept their responsibility to investigate alleged criminal behavior by Jackson.

Extended sick leave might actually be appropriate, his alleged victims might agree that he is ill.

Councilman Painter and Councilman Brinson, now's your opportunity to show us what you are made of. I don't think many of us have confidence in the existing Council to take action, or even speak out. Let's see if you two have anything to say when Hartford employees are allegedly victimized, or is it more business as usual.

WE ARE "FRUSTRATED AND FEEL HELPLESS"

That was a comment left earlier tonight by an anonymous poster on the Eric Jasckson story. Actually the full context was "the rest of is frustrated and feels helpless with all this sort of behavior from our leadership".

The fact of the matter is that we aren't helpless, frustrated maybe, but helpless... not at all.

Less than 10 months from now every Hartford voter will be able to send a message loud and clear that business as usual, the way it has been conducted for the last 10 years is totally unacceptable. All of the City Council seats and the Mayor's Office are up for grabs. It is time we reach out and take what is ours back.

We need to say no to the special interests, say no the the big money donors from outside Hartford trying to buy their way into City Hall and say no to politicians who care more about their own interests than they do the residents and business people who make Hartford what it once was and can become again.

We need to remind our elected officials that no one group "owns" any of the Council seats or the Mayor's Office. Racial profiling by our elected officials is just as wrong as racial profiling by our police. And the fact of the matter is that there is far more evidence of the political profiling than there has been of police profiling. 2,2,2 needs to be gone and we need to find the best possible candidates willing to serve Hartford for the right reasons.

The days of our elected officials using City Hall as their personal travel agency or "jobs for relatives" employment service needs to end. We need elected officials who are able to make the tough decisions based on the best ethical and moral reasons, not what is in their best interest or which decision will best serve their political interests and futures.

We have less than ten months to organize these efforts, bring forward excellent people willing to serve and then make it happen. It probably sounds naive but I think people have reached their boiling point with the level of incompetence and corruption flowing from City Hall. And after the last few years some might even combine the two into "incompetent corruption".

The encouraging part though is that I have spoke with several people over the last few weeks that want to try to work together to start that change. Some I have had bitter differences with, but in the end we can all put that aside and try to work together for what is best for our city, not ourselves.I'll make sure to put information here as we move forward and try to get others involved.

We may be frustrated, but we are far from helpless.

HARTFORD MHIS DIRECTOR ERIC JACKSON UNDER INVESTIGATION

Eric L.Jackson, Director of MHIS , picture from hartford.gov

Over the last couple of weeks, numerous people have contacted me regarding sexual harassment allegations against the City of Hartford's MHIS Director Eric Jackson. Apparently several female employees have now filed actual complaints with the Office of the Corporation Counsel alleging sexual harassment by Jackson.

These allegations are said to include improper behavior by Jackson both in the workplace and outside. The allegations include charges of improper contact and advances towards female employees in the MHIS offices as well as "late night" text messages, phone calls and visits to employees.

Both Union representatives as well as City Hall staff people confirmed that numerous employees have made claims that are being investigated. A representative of the Corporation Counsel's office, Gilberto Cortez, today confirmed the existence of the investigation but would provide no timeline as to the completion. Cortez also refused to provide any further information other than that the investigation exists and is ongoing.

Beside City Hall staff, apparently Board of Education employees assigned to MHIS have also made complaints against Jackson. According to one source, staffers in MHIS have been instructed to "keep a log of any further harassment or any retaliation".

At least two other persons I have spoke with claim to have been victims of Jackson's actions but they are not willing to come forward in fear of retaliation. Jackson is still active in the MHIS office and has not been placed on any type of Administrative suspension while the investigation is conducted.

According to several people who spoke with me on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, the fear of retaliation is clearly obvious in the office. They have also questioned why this has not become a criminal investigation. Some of the allegations being made would clearly fall under criminal statutes.Those that I have spoke with indicated that Jackson's presence in the office is clearly creating a hostile work environment.



Repeated calls to Eric Jackson for comment have been unanswered. Text messages and e-mails to Mayor Segarra have also not been answered

To read about more of Jackson's escapades as a City of Hartford department head, click here

SOURCES: "ROBLES ARREST IMMINENT"... BUT ARE THERE OTHER VIOLATORS?

Sources on both the State level and the local level are telling me that the States Attorney's Office is nearing completion of its investigation into former Hartford Police Officer Hector Robles's "double dipping" allegations and an arrest is likely.

Sources who spoke to me on the condition of anonymity have explained that the state Inspectors apparently expanded the scope of their investigation into allegations above and beyond those originally outlined in the HPD internal affairs investigation.

Robles was terminated from the Hartford Police Department after the IAD report and subsequent departmental hearing showed a pattern of larceny involving Robles's double billing for his regular hours at the same time he was billing for overtime work , or "PJ's".

Although Robles has been the only one charged so far, it seems that it may potentially be a wider problem. At least one officer was found this week to have submitted time cards showing that he was working two overtime jobs during the same overlapping hours. Unlike Robles, this "indiscretion" was handled by a quick correction by a supervisor with no additional action or investigation according to a police source. That is only one example, but where there is smoke there is usually fire.

Robles still serves in the Connecticut General Assembly as the State Representative for the 6th District.





To read more about the Robles termination and IAD report, click here

HPD PROMOTIONS TO BE ANNOUNCED

Apparently the word this afternoon coming out of HPD is that Chief Daryl Roberts has decided on the filling of vacancies in his command staff.

Jennings Road sources are telling me that Deputy Chief John Horvath will be promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief. Captains Paul Ciesinski and Scott Sansom will be promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief. Sansom will be assigned to cover the North half of the city and Ciesinski will be assigned to the South half of the City.

THE COUNCIL OF FRAUDS

The Hartford City Council once again showed their true colors tonight and for anyone that thinks that Eddie Perez is not still running Hartford City Hall, think again.

In a move void of any public comment or any transparency, two loyal Perez allies were slammed down the throats of Hartford's residents tonight.

Robert Painter a former Republican Councilman was re-appointed to the Council tonight, now as a Democrat. Painter, by his own admission to me a few months ago, had blindly offered his allegiance to Perez ignoring all the signs of corruption that were apparent to others. Painter had apologized to me for not listening to what I repeatedly said to the Council about the corruption and criminality of Perez.

Painter had stated to me that I obviously had some "outstanding" sources and he now realized that I knew what I was talking about when it came to allegations against the now convicted felon Perez. Is that the type of judgment we should look forward to leading our city?

Then we have the Republican replacement Corey Brinson. Brinson has blindly supported his corrupt aunt, former Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson, who was also arrested along with Perez.

I guess the question is to what degree are we looking for change? If we are willing to appoint individuals to the Council who clearly lack any integrity or judgment when it comes to calling out corrupt officials, are we really going to change anything?

This entire Council needs to be replaced in November by individuals willing to step up and do the right thing without playing the political gamesmanship.This includes Dr. Deutsch who was a willing pawn in tonight's escapade and eventually voted in favor of the actions even though he put on a good show of appearing disgusted.

HARTFORD POLICE OFFICER "ACCIDENTALLY" SHOOTS HIMSELF

A Hartford Police Officer apparently accidentally shot himself early this morning at the HPD Community Office at 500 Farmington Avenue.

Details are somewhat sketchy at this time but police sources said the officer had unholstered his department issued weapon when it discharged and the officer was shot through the hand. The unnamed officer was treated and released from Hartford Hospital.

Hartford Police Internal Affairs and Major Crimes divisions are investigating.

ANOTHER STUPID QUESTION.....

Sometimes I think I am a little too rigid , I try to look at the total picture, but that doesn't always happen. I also know that I have some great readers with good common sense. With that being said, I'm throwing this question out there to solicit your responses.

I fully understand that Wednesday's storm was a record snowfall. Although most city streets have been plowed, it seems that the response was far from stellar. Most major streets are opened to only one lane each way, but at least they are open.

I can't seem to figure out the strategy behind Hartford's plowing operations and the number of plows I saw during the storm driving on city streets with their plow blades up in the air and not moving any snow. I posed that question to Mayor Segarra during a conversation Friday evening. He said he had the same question and when he posed it to Hartford's D.P.W. Director Kevin Burnham, he was told it was to save wear and tear on the plows as they traveled to their assigned routes.

I would file Burnham's response in the "do you really think we are idiots" file and move on. Some things will never change in Hartford. I also told the Mayor that even with the record snowfall, it was quite clear when you cross the Hartford city line. Entering into any of our neighboring towns, the streeets were plowed "curb to curb" and looked much better than Hartford's.

Ok, so now to the question I would like your comments on. If you were the Director of Public Works for the City of Hartford and knew that a sold out UCONN Women's Basketball game was being held Saturday at 12 noon at the XL Center, how would you handle snow removal surrounding the XL Center?

A.) Since Hartford's streets are pretty much empty after 1 or 2:00am, that would be the best time to remove the snow and make Hartford accessible and clear out all intersections so that the area would be clear in advance of the sold-out crowd and traffic and pedestrians could move about properly

B.)Why worry, spring will be here soon enough and snow eventually melts.

C.)To show that Hartford D.P.W. does actually plow snow, do it at the height of the crowds arriving and tie up as much traffic as possible and show the 16,000 people coming into the city that something is being done. People are used to being inconvenienced by Hartford's incompetent leadership so at least it will show consistency to everyone.

D.) Both B and C would combine for a reasonable solution.

Not to influence your decision, but C was apparently Burnham's solution.

Needless to say, Hartford's DPW crews were making a nightmare of traffic as the sold out crowds arrived and I'm not even going near downtown as they leave the City after the game. Maybe it is a decision to keep them all gridlocked in Hartford to visit Hartford's restaurants downtown.

At least we can be comfortable in knowing that the DPW Director is enjoying the day in front of the fireplace at his home in East Haddam, free from the troubles and worries of Hartford. If only he lived in Hartford, he might see what many of us see day in and day out.

SIMPLY INEXCUSABLE

This past summer I posted about Whitey's Towing and their predatory practices. In that case they had towed a vehicle from the wrong property and when they realized their mistake, they still refused to give the woman her car back. To read that posting from April, click here.

Now Whitey's has shown once again the type of business they are according to police sources who wish to remain anonymous.

Earlier today, a Hartford resident from 777 Park Street had asked someone at the Hartford Fire Department's Engine 8 Firehouse on Park Street where she could park to be in compliance with the city's parking ban. She apparently was directed to the Maria Sanchez School on Babcock Street and told to park in their parking area. That was also the message put out to the general public by the Mayor's Office, Hartford School parking lots were to be utilized for off street parking during the storm.

Anyone without off street parking was encouraged to use the school lots to free up Hartford's streets and avoid a $100.00 ticket and potentially the cost of the tow.

The resident at 777 Park Street heeded the call to do the right thing and parked her vehicle in the parking area at the Sanchez School. Apparently someone at Sanchez School didn't receive word that residents were being encouraged to park at the schools. The Hartford School's system is not typically known for its communications skills internally.

So anyway, the person at Sanchez School proceeded to call Whitey's Towing and have the offending vehicle removed as a "trespass tow". Even though the resident was doing what the Mayor had asked every other resident to do, at 5:30 PM her vehicle was towed to Whitey's Towing.

Apparently when the resident realized what had happened she contacted the Hartford Police and the Hartford 911 dispatch center. They all agreed with the woman and went out of their way to get the car back. They realized the woman was doing what residents had been asked to do under the parking ban. Unfortunately though, with Whitey's it apparently is never an issue of right or wrong, it is all about "who's gonna pay the bill".

Even after the Hartford Police had offered to drive the woman to Whitey's to retrieve her car and have the City square it away tomorrow, Whitey's still refused to give the car back.

Whitey's did originally tow the car legitimately, somewhat,but once they realized it was a mistake the car should have been released. The resident trying to do the right thing should not have been inconvenienced, especially after the police promised to "make it right" tomorrow.

Maybe a 30 day suspension from Hartford's towing rotation would make Whitey's think twice about how they treat Hartford's residents and how they respond to the Hartford Police Department.

Mr. Mayor, I hope you make this right for a resident trying to work with you.

DON'T FORGET THE HYDRANTS

As you dig out from today's snow storm, don't forget to clear out any fire hydrants on or adjacent to your property.

The time it takes firefighters to locate and dig out fire hydrants in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death.

And once you are done, enjoy this great New England ambiance.

COUNCILMAN APONTE DONE? NOW WHAT?

This is another one from the "You can't make this stuff up file".

Apparently according to the resolution passed on August 23, 2010 by the Hartford Court of Common Council, Councilman Alexander Aponte was appointed only until January 1, 2011. According to legal sources , even though it most likely was a typographical error, once the resolution is certified by the City Clerk, the exact wording becomes official.

The document was certified and Aponte's term is now done as of January 1, 2011 according to the official certified resolution. A copy of the resolution is attached below. It seems that legally the only way to correct the mistake will be to "re-vote" Aponte back onto the Council.

That could prove to be an interesting task though since a lot has changed since the original Council vote and Aponte's appointment. First up is the matter of how Aponte got his five votes.

If you recall from other posts here, Aponte got the fifth vote he needed from some old fashioned "horse trading". The night before the vote, Councilwoman rJo Winch had stated that she would never vote for Aponte to be appointed. Less than 24 hours later, Winch changed her opinion, voted for Aponte to join the Council and the Aponte in turn voted for Winch to become Council President.

Winch would have never become Council President without Aponte's vote. Nowthat she has her position, it will be interesting how she proceeds now that all bets are off and she is not obligated to Aponte.

Another critical piece is that at least three of the Council members at the time of the vote felt deceived by Aponte. At the time of the vote, myself and others had raised the issue of a Federal Investigation involving Aponte for Food Stamp fraud as well as other issues. Aponte denied any knowledge or involvement in the investigation when asked by Council members prior to the vote. That turned out not to be truthful when documents released and an article in the Hartford Courant showed a rather deceptive case against Aponte.


This could all be very interesting to watch as this plays out for Aponte's next shot at getting voted onto the Council.

UPDATE 4:40pm:

I had originally called City Clerk John Bazzano to see how this matter was being handled. He called back at 4:35PM and said that the matter was "being corrected". I asked how and he stated that his staff had told him that "Certified Resolutions" had been corrected in the past. I asked for a specific instance and the legality of doing that. Bazzano said that he was told by "people in his office" that it had been done before and he didn't think it was a big deal. He also stated that the previous corrections were done before his time so he couldn't give me any specifics.

He further stated that he believes the mistake was noticed at the time of the meeting, but for whatever reason it was never corrected. Bazzano stated that he was waitng for a video copy of the meeting from Public Access to verify what happened. I asked if that meant the matter was corrected and he replied "not yet, not until we get the tape".

Requests for comment from Corporation Counsel Saundra Kee-Borges and Aponte will be posted if and when they are recieved.

Aponte Resolution

TO READ THE OFFICIAL COMPLAINT REGARDING APONTE'S FRAUD AND MALPRACTICE ALLEGATIONS, CLICK BELOW

APONTE MALPRACTICE -FRAUD COMPLAINT

CAPITAL FELONY MURDER CHARGES IN NEW YEAR'S HOMICIDES

Hartford Police have obtained arrest warrants for Capital Felony Murder charges related to the New Years Day homicides.

The wanted flyer for Angel Rivera is attached below.

Wanted Info Flyer 2009 1

COUNCILMAN RITTER'S FINAL PRESS RELEASE

I received the following press release from Councilman Ritter's office:

HARTFORD COUNCILMAN BIDS CITY COUNCIL FAREWELL

Newly Elected Legislator To Be Sworn In Next Week





HARTFORD - Less than a week before he is to be sworn-in as a state legislator, Councilman Matthew Ritter submitted his letter of resignation to Hartford Town Clerk John Bazzano and sent an email to all City employees thanking them for their support and dedication during his three years on the Council. "Serving on the City Council has been an extremely rewarding experience, as it has given me the chance to help our families, neighbors and business owners with their issues and concerns. I would not have been able to accomplish that without you." Ritter , whose resignation is effective on January 3rd at 4:30 PM, also wrote to city employees: "As I enter this new chapter as State Representative for our city, your words and deeds will guide me in doing what is best for Hartford."

One of the youngest people ever elected to the Hartford City Council, Ritter was elected State Representative for the 1st Assembly District in November. Ritter learned yesterday that he will serve on the Connecticut General Assembly's Banks, Planning and Development and Executive and Legislative Nominations Committees. The Banks Committee reviews all legislation dealing with secured and unsecured lending. The Planning and Development Committee has oversight of housing, urban renewal and economic development programs impacting local governments. The Executive and Legislation Nominations Committee will review all executive and legislative nominations requiring action of either or both Houses, except judicial and workers' compensation commissioner appointments.

"I am honored to serve the residents of the 1st District, and excited to serve on committees that will impact issues that affect them," Ritter said. "I want to thank Speaker Donovan for these important assignments which will allow me to work on issues such as foreclosures, property tax reform and revenue diversification for municipalities."

While on the Council, Ritter chaired the Legislative Affairs and Planning and Economic Development Committees. He will be sworn in at the Legislative Office Building at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.



Now the games can officially begin to fill his vacant seat on the Council. This should be very interesting to watch, I'm sure I will have plenty of information to post on the maneuvering for this, keep the phone calls coming

A VIOLENT START TO 2011 IN HARTFORD

As the sun rose on Hartford for the first morning of 2011, one body lay dead in the street on Francis Avenue, another lay dead in the morgue at the hospital and two more victims were recovering from gunshot wounds at Saint Francis Hospital.

Hopefully this isn't an indicator of things to come, but it is troubling to see the New Year starting in such a manner.

The first shootings came in shortly after 1:00am when a victim was shot in the chest inside the ballroom of the West Indian Social Club. He was transported to Saint Francis Hospital, and according to police sources he was immediately taken into surgery and is in critical but stable condition. The second shooting victim was actually the DJ at the club and he was grazed by a bullet and received superficial wounds.



The first and second homicides of 2011 occurred a little after 4:00am in front of 49 Francis Avenue. Two men were shot at what initially was thought to be a car jacking. A 24 year old male and a 30 year old male both received fatal gun shot wounds during the event. A female and her 14 year old daughter were also in the vehicle but were not injured. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:21am, the other was pronounced dead at St. Francis at 4:46am.

A suspect vehicle believed to be involved was found later in the morning in a neighboring town.

Due to limited staffing, many other calls for service went unanswered for hours as police resources were stripped to cover the two crime scenes, once again pointing to the need for increased numbers of officers for HPD.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AS 2011 STARTS

It has been an interesting year and definitely a year of constant growth and readership of the blog. The "hit" counter continues to steadily rise and is over 180,000 now.

Not everyone agrees with what is posted here, but at least they are reading and getting information. And with that delivery of information, it has helped bring about change in Hartford.

Look for that to continue this year and thanks again to everyone for their comments and their information. Without that, this blog wouldn't exist.