IS CAPEWELL HOPELESS ?

In classic Hartford economic development style, it looks like the city is ready to let the former Capewell Nail Factory collapse into the street rather than push to market its redevelopment.

Barricades have been set up on the north side of the former mill and factory and the sidewalk has been blocked, apparently to try to keep pedestrians and motorists from being in the collapse zone when the building finally gives up.

This property would have made great housing if rehabbed or even great retail style use for something creative like an outlet mall. The building featured high ceilings, hardwood floors and even some great architecture, especially the main entrance and what appears to have been the main office at one time.

If Hartford really understood what economic development was all about, this project would have been a great tie-in to the Colt's Building, the new Dutch Point housing as well as being only a couple block walk to the Connecticut Science Center, Convention Center and the still vacant and undeveloped Front Street retail.

The picture below says a lot about the Front Street development, which is still vacant. The first tenant to announce their move to the project apparently backed out and a new tenant recently announced plans to move in there, but as of today there was still no activity to be found on the property.

Next week I'll be posting about many of the "announced" projects that were hyped with press releases and photo ops and never moved forward. Was it because of corruption, incompetence, the economy or maybe a combination of all three? Plaza Mayor, WFSB's Main Street move, Northland and the YMCA building, Calos Mouta and 95-101 Pearl Street and even a little known project on Tower Avenue that received hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funding and a shovel was never put in the ground.

Is this the message being sent regarding tenants for the Front Street retail area?

PEREZ PENSION REVOCATION MOVING FORWARD

Attorneys for former Mayor Eddie A. Perez had filed a motion to dismiss the action filed by the Connecticut Attorney General and the Connecticut Chief States Attorney to revoke Perez's pension under anti-corruption laws.

That motion was dismissed by a Superior Court Judge recently and that action will now move forward. Perez is appealing his conviction and is able to avoid reporting to start his 3 year prison sentence while the appeal is pending.

For more about the motion to dismiss and its denial, read more at Jeff Cohen's report at WNPR, click on the link to the right.

FOR SALE, NEWLY RENOVATED

Sources are confirming that the Perez homestead will most likely be listed for sale as of next Tuesday.The listing for the former Mayor's home was apparently supposed to take place this past Tuesday but was put off until next week.

According to sources, ReMax of West Hartford will be handling the sale. It is unknown what the asking price will be, but according to City of Hartford records former Mayor Perez transferred ownership to his wife in July of 2010, shortly after he became a convicted felon and resigned as Mayor.

For those interested in the property, highlights include the Dark Emperor Granite counter tops featured throughout the newly renovated kitchen and after a hard day at work you can come home and relax in your own steam shower and a long soak in the jacuzzi tub. Additional revenue is a possibility by opening the property to home tours to show off the focal point of one of the darkest periods in Hartford's recent history.

Pictures of the interior of the home can be found by going to the States Attorney's website and viewing photos of evidence of the renovations that may have Perez headed to jail for three years. I would strongly recommend though that anyone considering making an offer on the property hire the best home inspector possible. Apparently much of the work was done without any permits or inspections at the time.

If you would like to read more about the neighborhood and your potential future neighbors before making an offer, click here

WHAT IS A "CONTROLLED INTERSECTION"?

This is the legal definition:Controlled intersections have traffic lights, yield signs or stop signs to control traffic.

Hopefully the Hartford Fire Department has a different definition. In a department directive issued by Hartford Fire Chief Edward Casares dated November 10, 2010 and e-mailed department wide on March 18, 2011, all Hartford Fire Department vehicles on emergency responses have been instructed
that "all emergency vehicles will stop at all controlled intersections".

The directive can be viewed below, but it seems pretty clear. There isn't any mention of stopping at intersections with a "red light" but instead says at all controlled intersections.

Hartford has seen a dramatic rise in fire fatalities since the beginning of this year. As most people are aware, seconds count in a fire situation and knowing that response times can drastically increase as fire apparatus stop at every controlled intersection is troubling to me as a Hartford resident, possibly depending on a quick response from HFD in a fire or medical situation.

Just consider this, these aren't small vehicles. A fire department driver estimated that it most likely would take a minimum of fifteen seconds, minimum, to stop a ladder or engine and start again and get up to speed when stopping at a "controlled intersection" as the directive states. That adds up, especially when apparatus is making a run on streets like Albany Avenue where you could have numerous "controlled intersections" along the main street and then turning onto a side street where every intersection with a stop sign is a "controlled intersection".

Let's just say you have six "controlled intersections on the Avenue with traffic lights then turn onto Garden Street and have five "controlled intersections" with stop signs. That is at least eleven mandatory stops according to Chief Casares's directive. Eleven stops at the estimated minimum of 15 seconds per stop adds up to almost an additional three minutes in that critical response time.

That extra three minutes could mean the difference between life or death in an emergency response.

The directive I would imagine was drafted in an effort to reduce apparatus accidents but I think it might just have the total opposite effect. Hartford is a city that is not known for drivers that adhere to motor vehicle law., I have seen drivers that pass fire apparatus because they move too slow rather than pull to the curb and stop for an emergency vehicle as required by law.

Imagine now the drivers that tailgate the fire apparatus going to an emergency call and the last thing they will expect is that vehicle to slow down and stop at an intersection with a green light. They won't understand that the driver of the apparatus is only complying with the mandatory directive, right up until the second they plow into the back of the apparatus making its mandatory stop "at all controlled intersections".

So for all those Hartford residents reading this posting, please carefully plan your escape routes and check those fire extinguishers, it might be a few minutes longer before the Hartford Fire Department will arrive when you really need them.

HERE IS THE DIRECTIVE BELOW

DD23 Department Emergency Non-Emergency & Discretionary Responses

THE REPORT IS IN THE MAIL

Apparently the Dan Nolan report is in the mail....finally.

There is no indication yet which way the decision will go but if I had to bet, I'm pretty confident the Nolan name will be cleared. The report was actually supposed to be released today, but according to sources it was only mailed today and hopefully will be arriving at Nolan's attorneys office in the next day or so.

As soon as I hear anything, it will be posted here. Much more information, such as transcripts and testimony that I think readers will find extremely interesting will also be posted here. The transcripts couldn't legally be used before the decision was released.

Also, video of a Worcester Massachusetts Fire Academy graduation will be posted here soon where recruits and Academy staff were praised for the exact actions that the Perez Administration and Chief Teale apparently terminated Deputy Chief Nolan for.

What a difference a border...and a little integrity makes.

ANOTHER YELLOW HUMMER PROBLEM

Here is an amateur video from the internet that ends with a clip involving a yellow Hummer ? What is it about yellow Hummers and people having trouble following the rules?

To read my first yellow Hummer story, unrelated to the second yellow Hummer story, click here. This is definitely an interesting video, I wonder how it was handled in the end by the parents?



EMBED-Epic Video Game Freakout - Watch more free videos

A LITTLE HUMOUR, BUT SADLY APPROPRIATE

After yesterdays posting about the silence of Connecticut's legislative leaders in failing to take action against Hector Robles, I received the following joke in my e-mail this morning.

Sadly, most people would see this as the way the system works for politicians.

"THE HAIRCUT"

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.

After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' The florist
was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank
you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill,the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you'
card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not accept money from you. I'm doing
community service this week.' The Congressman was very happy and left the
shop.

The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen
Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the
citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.




We are the only ones that have the power to change our broken and corrupt political system.

MORE JUSTICE DELAYED

Two Hartford wrongful termination cases winding their way through hearings and motions have once again been delayed.

The hearing officer's decision in the Dan Nolan case was originally expected in late January or early February 2011. That was then pushed off until March 23, 2011 since the hearing officer needed more time to finalize his decision. Well, the 23rd has come and gone and now the word is that it will be at least another week for the completion of the report.

In the wrongful termination of Hartford Police Officer Matthew Secore, that has also been pushed off for at least a month. Secore won his reinstatement to the Hartford Police Department as the result of a Labor Board decision. The City of Hartford chose to ignore that decision and appealed the decision to Hartford Superior Court where the appeal has been delayed by motion after motion. The matter was supposed to be heard by a Judge on Monday, but was postponed for another month because the Judge assigned had too much going on to listen to the matter.

Hopefully in these two cases justice delayed is not justice denied.

THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING

Does anyone remember Senator Lou DeLuca (R) and his downfall from the Connecticut Legislature a few years ago? After Senator DeLuca stepped up to defend his granddaughter who he believed was being threatened, he was arrested on, I believe, a misdemeanor charge. He was promptly run out of the Senate and forced to resign.

No violation of the public trust, no theft of the taxpayers money, DeLuca was accused of trying to defend a family member.

Governor John Rowland and Senator Gaffey are two more Connecticut politicians who promptly resigned when their actions were called into question and they were marched before Judges. One a Democrat (Gaffey), one a Republican (Rowland).

What is the standard that should be applied to our elected officials and their resignations when they are accused of crimes? All too often we hear "innocent until proven guilty", but does it really take a guilty verdict to confirm that an elected official isn't worthy of the public's trust placed in them by the electorate?

When does integrity and soul searching kick in to realize what is best for the people the elected officials represent as well as the institution itself? It seems that all too often it is about self survival and selfishness. Is it any wonder voter participation is so bad and many voters don't even bother to turn out to vote because they see the system as so corrupt.

Hartford has lived the nightmare of municipal corruption for several years now. Not just through the Perez corruption investigation and his arrest and trial but also through a corrupt Councilperson, Veronica Airey-Wilson being rewarded with an early retirement after her arrest on corruption charges.

We currently have another Councilperson facing potential disbarment or suspension of his law license for his role with a client in a Federal Investigation where one party just plead guilty to $1.3 million in Food stamp fraud.

And the most recent case is that of Hector Robles who is being accused of violating the public's trust on two very important fronts. One as a police officer in a city that struggles everyday to earn the trust of its residents. Secondly as an elected member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Robles has been arrested and accused of "double dipping" in a scheme he is said to have perpetrated to steal over $10,000 from the taxpayers of Hartford. To read the original IAD report from the Hartford Police Department, click here

Robles was recently arrested by Inspectors from the States Attorney's Financial Crimes Unit and charged with two felonies, crimes far more severe than those that forced Senator DeLuca to resign.

The sad part though is that even though Robles admitted to IAD investigators, in a statement he gave to them, that he knew what he did was wrong and illegal and was "double dipping, he still refuses to accept blame. He continues to claim that others were doing it also, as if that lessens the seriousness of the allegations. Quite a few people rob banks every year in Connecticut, but that doesn't diminish the charges against those who do get caught.

I guess the part that is troubling though is the silence by all of the people that you would hope would show some integrity and step up to demand Robles's resignation. I really don't expect too much from the Hartford Democratic Town Committee, but Speaker of the House Donovan as well as other members of the Legislature are surprising me with their silence.

I would think that the Speaker would be as offended as I was when Hector first lied to me when I asked him about the allegations almost two months before any of the allegations became public. That was long before the IAD report was released when Hector essentially admitted to the scheme.

He used the same line on just about anyone that asked him about the investigation, claiming that it was all administrative and was no big deal. He never mentioned that he gave a statement admitting his wrongdoing.

This past Saturday the 6th District Democratic Town Committee held a meeting at which Robles was present. According to sources a lot of tough talk was being made prior to the meeting by members that were going to call for Robles resignation or censure. Apparently that is all that it was was talk, since none of the big talkers made any motions or even brought up his resignation.

Robles apparently again gave his speech that others were doing the same thing so it wasn't a big deal, even claiming to the group that Chief Daryl Roberts was guilty of the same thing when Roberts was a detective. The truth is the truth and although Chief Roberts vehemently denied the accusation when I asked him about it, it in no way lessens the allegations against Robles. So far no evidence has been introduced to show that others on the PD were "double dipping" but if there is any evidence to substantiate others involvement, then they should be standing before a Judge entering a plea, the same as Robles did.

If others were double dipping, that does not suggest that Robles is innocent, all it shows is that we have a greater problem.

I guess I need to go back to one of my previous questions, is a guilty verdict the only time we can ask a public official to resign. Or when the evidence shows that they clearly violated the public's trust as well as their own statement that they clearly violated the public trust by stealing, shouldn't that be enough to call for them to step down. If not, it is a slap in the face to any politician that understands the awesome responsibility they are entrusted with the day they are elected.

I also realize that the paycheck Robles is receiving from the Legislature may be his only source of income now that he has been fired by HPD, but that is not a reason to allow him to remain in a position of public trust and authority. Besides, the MDC might be hiring , surely someone else in the legislature could put in a good word for him there.

HERE IS ROBLES' ARREST WARRANT AFFADAVIT FOR HIS ARREST:

A BAD DAY TO BE CHIEF...OR WAS IT?

I'll start this off by saying I like the job Hartford Police Chief Daryl Roberts has done and is doing. I respect the Chief's honesty and his integrity and I am sure some of his detractors that read this blog are screaming at their monitors right now as they read this.

But there has to be some days when he goes to put on his uniform in the morning and ask himself why he does the job he does. He has the time to retire and go to some small town and settle in without the callout's in the middle of the night, the constant battles for funding and staffing and equipment.He could even go to UConn and make almost double what he is making here. For anyone who doesn't know Chief Roberts though, he is all about Hartford.

Any Chief, especially in a city like Hartford has to be 1/3 cop, 1/3 administrator and 1/3 psychologist. The Chief recently had to make some tough decisions when it came to promotions, several qualified candidates and he only had two slots to fill. That's where the psychologist part comes in, and may not be the Chief's strongest suit, but he tries, I think. He has been passed over for promotions during his career I'm sure, even when he thought he was the most qualified and should have been promoted.

The tough part for any Chief is trying to keep morale up and keep the interest of those passed over, while being honest about why choices are made.

The toughest part has to be days like today though. This Chief, his command staff and probably 95% of the men and women of the Hartford Police Department are about building relationships and working with members of the community. But it only takes one officer, maybe even an otherwise good officer, just having a bad day to move that whole process quite a few steps backwards.

Who knows what Officer Kevin Brodie's day started off like yesterday. Several people I spoke with have told me he is normally a decent guy. Maybe he had an argument at home before starting his shift yesterday, maybe he had a splitting headache throughout the day. Who knows what was said to him by a 17 year old when he answered a complaint at a school on Locust Street.

Nothing though can ever justify his actions from that point on. An altercation occurred where Brodie was allegedly the aggressor. After delivering his beat down to the 17 year old, Brodie apparently returned to his cruiser and told the bystanders and potential witnesses that if anyone had a problem with his actions, come see him in his cruiser and he would wait a half-hour to deal with anyone who had a problem.

Probably not the poster child for any campaign on Community oriented policing plans.

The bottom line is that his actions that probably lasted only a moment or two casts a huge negative shadow over the entire department and erases much of the positive work that Chief Roberts and his fellow officers do every day to build relationships.

One of the most positive signs though is that under Roberts the "Blue Wall of Silence" has pretty much been torn down. I would be naive to think it still doesn't exist, it's human nature, not just in Hartford though but even in small towns like Windsor Locks, but eventually the system works itself out.

A month or so ago I posted that until we start hiring robots as cops, we still need to deal with the human issues of police officers. Our police officers still need to be picked from the same pool of human candidates and no system is perfect. What if a potential police officer candidate had anger issues before being hired and through a court ordered program eventually had a record sealed or dismissed. That legally can't be used during a background investigation , unfortunately , and the department's hands are tied.

All any Chief or administrator can hope for is that if and when such behavior occurs again, it is dealt with quickly and openly to once again begin building on the public's trust.

I think that is why Chief Roberts and almost every officer working with him continues to get up every morning and put those uniforms on. Hartford is a great City and we have a good Police Department of human beings trying to do the best they can, and most times under very difficult circumstances and conditions. Nothing is perfect, but I think for the most part we are lucky that we have the 450 or so officers that we do.

Hopefully Kevin Brodie will find a suitable career that he is fit for because this doesn't seem to be it. Luckily the problem was revealed and dealt with quickly, Brodie has been a Hartford Police officer for less than 8 months.

And just a reminder, keep your comments on point or they will not be posted.

HARTFORD POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED FOR "ON-DUTY" ASSAULT

Police sources are confirming that Hartford Police Officer Kevin Brodie was arrested shortly before midnight last night for an assault he allegedly committed while he was on duty. The assault apparently occurred at a Hartford School during the day shift while Brodie was working in the patrol division.


The Hartford Police Department spokesperson Nancy Mulroy said that an official statement will be released later today.

Sources have also told me that Brodie has been a police officer less than a year and graduated from the HPD academy on July 2, 2010 and is still on his probation period. From what the police sources told me, the assault by Brodie was revealed when the victim sought out treatment for his injuries and apparently the assault was also witnessed by school staff members.

No report of the beating or any case report was made by Brodie after the incident. Although Brodie has already been arrested for the assault charge, HPD Internal Affairs is continuing their investigation.

Chief Roberts was unavailable for comment at this time.More on this as I get it.

UPDATE 12:30PM

HPD STATEMENT ISSUED

HARTFORD POLICE NEWS
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 16, 2011

OFFICER SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY

(Hartford) - Hartford Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts has suspended without pay Probationary Officer Kevin T. Brodie. The suspension was precipitated by his arrest following an incident that occurred at a Hartford alternative education school at 245 Locust Street, Hartford, on March 15, 2011, that involved a 17 year old student.

As a result of that incident, Brodie was charged with strangulation in the second degree, second degree unlawful restraint and assault in the third degree. He was released on a written promise to appear with a court date of March 24, 2011.

Brodie, who joined the department on December 14, 2009, and graduated from the Police Academy on July 2nd, 2010, has been a probationary employee since graduation seven and one half months ago.

The Hartford Police Department's Internal Affairs Division has begun an investigation.

A FEW CLIPS FROM THE SAINT PATRICKS DAY PARADE

I'm still toying with putting video on the blog, so here are a few clips from this weekends St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hartford.

Everyone knows the parade is on the way when you hear the rumble of the HPD Harleys as they lead the parade, and the bagpipers are always a crowd favorite.I think the float that wound the crowd up the most though was the XL Center's Stagehands Union and their confetti cannons and the orange white and green confetti raining down along the route.

It was a great day for the parade and after this winter's weather, I think people welcomed the opportunity to get outside on snow free streets.

Here's a little video from the parade.

ANY DAY NOW FOR NOLAN DECISION

After months of hearings and delays, a decision is expected any day now in the Labor Board hearings into the wrongful termination complaint of former Hartford Fire Department Deputy Chief Dan Nolan.

Once the decision is rendered, all of the hearing transcripts become public documents and will be posted here. I'm sure they will provide some interesting reading. As a side note, five of the key players in apparently orchestrating Nolan's termination are no longer employed by the City of Hartford. Fire Chief Charles Teale, gone, Assistant Fire Chief Michael Parker, gone, Attorney Ivan Ramos from the Corporation Counsels Office, gone, Corporation Counsel John Rose, gone, and most importantly former Mayor Eddie A. Perez, gone.....and convicted.

Wouldn't it be ironic if a favorable decision is released on St. Patrick's Day?

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY

Sometimes it seems that Saint Patrick's Day is a holiday to celebrate crazy green wigs, outrageous headgear and of course alcohol. Anyone who has experienced Irish hospitality or has had the opportunity to actually visit Ireland realizes that there is so much more to the Irish warmth.

One of the things I remember most about growing up with an Irish grandmother was when you would walk into her house to aroma of fresh baked Irish soda bread. The first few years after I was born, I actually lived next door to her and my grandfather, in the same house my father grew up in.

After we eventually moved to a new home I looked forward to the overnight stays at their home since it almost always meant fresh baked "Irish bread". After "Grammy" passed away in 1974, the Irish bread became a thing of the past except for the occasions when my mother would make it.

A few years ago, my mother gave me my grandmother's "Irish Cookbook" after she found it out at a tag sale that my sister was having at her house. Inside the back cover was the handwritten recipe for "Grammy's" Irish Soda Bread.

It wasn't half bad the first time I made it, but something wasn't the same when I took it out of the pyrex cooking dish. I eventually found out that the only way to cook "authentic" Irish bread is to bake it in a cast iron frying pan. That made a huge difference in the texture and crust.

I bake the Irish bread regularly, especially this time of year, and I have quite a few people that begin asking about the beginning of March when the Irish bread will be ready.

Recently I had a conversation with Governor Malloy and we somehow got on the subject of Irish soda bread. He asked if I made it with or without caraway seeds? When I told him with, he asked me to be sure I saved some for him. I have a few in the oven now, if I can get by his security detail I may share my Grandmother's Irish heritage with our new Governor, that would surely make Grammy's day if she knew that.

I don't believe in "secret" family recipes. What good it is if you can't share it. So here is my grandmothers Irish Soda Bread recipe. If you want to be real authentic, the easiest place that I have found cast iron frying pans have been at Target, in case you don't already have one.

Enjoy fresh out of the oven with butter

IRISH BREAD RECIPE

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in a greased cast iron frying pan or glass if you don't have a frying pan.

A CLASSIC CASE OF "DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO"

This is a posting that needs to be filed under "you can't make this stuff up!".

I picked up the Hartford Courant this morning and after reading one of the columns, I had to go back to the video I recorded at the Legislative Office Building recently. That meeting was called by Representative Kirkley-Bey regarding the bonuses handed out by Hartford's Board of Education.

During that meeting, 3rd District Representative Guillermina "Minnie" Gonzalez made some sharply worded comments toward the Board of Education that were critical of their hiring process and spending money "like it is Christmas". The clip of Gonzalez's remarks can be seen below.The interesting part really comes at about 0:40 seconds into the clip.

Gonzalez questions the appointments to the Board and members of the Board "are they putting family members to work at the Board of Education? We have to be very careful of that". She went on to say that if they are doing that "they are not for the kids, they are for themselves".

Video is a wonderful thing when it comes to preserving peoples comments. Second only to the Freedom of Information Act which provides the paper trail to many of our elected officials less than stellar actions.

Although it is pretty common knowledge of Representative Gonzalez's employment efforts on behalf of her family members, Courant columnist Kevin Rennie did the legwork and dug into the hiring of Gonzalez's son, Ivan Maldonado, at both the Legislature and at the MDC. Rennie also points out the blatant lies and omissions on Maldonado's employment application.

One glaring omission was Maldonado's arrest on charges of sexually assaulting a twelve, yes you are reading that correctly, a twelve year old girl. Those charges are currently pending. You can view those charges on the Judicial website by clicking here

You can read Kevin Rennie's column by clicking here

In the meantime, if we were to follow the reasoning behind Gonzalez's remarks directed at the Board, elected officials who get jobs for family members may need to be questioned as to whether they are there for the people who elected them, or are they there for themselves. Especially when those family members are hired under very questionable circumstances.

And if this is the way the MDC typically hires, you might want to think twice before you let an MDC worker into your home, ask them if they have ever been accused of a felony, like sexually assaulting and threatening a 12 year old girl. Somehow I think this might be an isolated incident resulting from a political favor.

DO WE NEED ANOTHER VACANT LOT ?

Capitol West photo from courant.com

Ask just about any Hartford resident how the demolition of the "Butt Ugly" building affected them as a Hartford resident, and most would answer it hasn't. The symbol of Hartford's corrupt former Mayor Eddie A. Perez's actions that sentenced him to prison, was quickly torn down by his successor. The result is even more symbolic of Hartford's past and future. Another vacant lot.

The area bordering the northern end of Downtown Hartford abutting I-84 sends a much clearer message than the Butt ugly building ever did. Hartford is unable to fill the large expanse of empty downtown acreage. There are a lot of reasons for this, the economy, crime, a City who has no clue what economic development means, business unfriendly tax structures and the list could go on and on.

One of those vacant lots showed a lot of promise a few years ago when WFSB Channel 3 announced plans to build a state of the art television facility and move their operations there from cramped headquarters at Constitution Plaza. That deal eventually fell apart and according to one high ranking official from Meredith Corp., the parent company of WFSB, he told me that "if it wasn't for the Mayor and his staff, we would still be in Hartford".

That was the night that Channel 3 had their reception and dinner showing off a beautiful new building a couple years ago when they left Hartford for Rocky Hill. That is a great facility that should be standing proudly on the corner of Main Street and Morgan Street in Hartford, filling one of those long vacant lots.

Today the Hartford Redevelopment Authority will be voting to branch out and create another vacant lot just west of Union Station. This vote will be an attempt to take the property known as Capitol West by emminent domain. This effort will most likely cost the taxpayers of Hartford upwards of $5 million dollars. The environmental cleanup alone has been estimated at $2.5 million from what sources have told me.

The sad part is that there is no plan for this property, other than to create another surface parking lot. I had thought that after the New London debacle, Kelo vs New London, the emminent domain laws had changed. That was a case where New London forced people out of their homes by grabbing the proerties through the emminent domain process. As it turned out after the property owners were forced out and the land cleared, the proposed project, an office park for Pfizer, never took place and the land sat empty.

I had thought Governor Rell had the emminent domain laws changed so that any taking of property by the government could only be done when an actual plan and project for the use of the land was in place, and I don't think creating a vacant lot counts as a project.

Similar to the "Butt Ugly" building, I doubt you could find anyone that can give you a solid reason as to how spending $5 million to create another vacant lot will affect their quality of life in Hartford. The Hartford Insurance has agreed to kick in to pay for the property, and I am not disputing that the Hartford has been a great Corporate neighbor to Hartford's neighborhoods. The Hartford though could afford the entire project and develop something on that property. The residents of the City of Hartford can not afford to fund this project at all.

It may be a feel good thing for the Mayor and City Hall to say they took away another eyesore, but it is not money well spent. That $5 million dollars could fund quite a few new police officers or at least prevent any from getting laid off at budget time. It could fund programs to revitalize our parks and re-hire some of the laid off workers from DPW. It could even fund the Adamowski bonuses for at least the next two years.

Creating a vacant lot at the taxpayers expense is nonsense. Maybe it would make more sense to leave the building there as a constant reminder that we need to do better to attract new business and celebrate when something useful actually goes there.The only plan that may possibly take place in that area is the eventual development of the high speed rail system from what I have been told

The Hartford Redevelopment Agency will meet tonight to hold a Public Hearing and Meeting in the Plaza Level Conference Room located at 260 Constitution Plaza, Hartford, Connecticut 06103. The meeting will be held at 6:00PM

KIRKLEY-BEY ABOUT BONUSES - "I'M PISSED"

Last week the Council and Board of Education members were summoned to the Capitol regarding the $2.7 million in bonuses handed out. 5th District Representative Marie Kirkley-Bey was asked what she thought about the bonuses, her response was quite clear "I'm pissed".

The videos below will give you an idea of some of the other responses. Some were political, some were quite candid. In the future I'm going to try to incorporate more video into the blog, let me know what you think.

Not all of the comments were recorded, but Councilman Corey Brinson actually made some comments at the end of the meeting that were interesting. It actually sounded like we may have a real Republican on the Council for the first time in a long time. He spoke about fiscal responsibility which may prove interesting this year at budget time. I doubt we will se him "abstaining" on tough budget votes.

The only Councilperson not present was Dr. Painter and the only Board member that was present was Robert Cotto. State Senator Fonfara came in midway through the meeting but seemed to make it clear that he did not want to be there.

BOARD MEMBER ROBERT COTTO'S REMARKS




MAYOR SEGARRA'S REMARKS



4TH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE MINNIE GONZALEZ'S COMMENTS



5TH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE MARIE KIRKLEY-BEY'S COMMENTS

LEGISLATORS CALLING FOR ANSWERS

Apparently Hartford's Legislative delegation is finally showing some unity for an important cause. 5th District Representative Marie Kirkley-Bey has scheduled a meeting for today at the Legislative Office Building to find out more regarding the selection process for the new Superintendent as well as justification for over $2.7 million in bonuese handed out by Adamowski.

Here is the text of the e-mail sent out by Kirkley-Bey's Office today:

There will be a Hartford Delegation meeting held this Thursday, March 3rd, at 4pm in Hearing Room 1A. This meeting will be with the Hartford City Council, the Hartford Board of Education and Mayor Segerra to discuss the BOE Superintendent Search and the raises given recently by the BOE to administrators and staff.


Someone might advise the Hartford City Council that they have the same authority to conduct hearings and shed some light on the situation also.

It will be interesting to see if Representative Roldan and Senator Fonfara attend the meeting since they didn't sign the delegations letter to the Board members. Roldan is also an employee of the Board of Education and served on the selection committee for Adamowski's appointment.

And can anyone spell the Mayor's name correctly? It is S-E-G-A-R-R-A.

COUNCILMAN DEUTSCH CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF DAVID MEDINA AND STEPHEN ADAMOWSKI AND REVOCATION OF BONUSES

The following text was posted this morning in the comment section of another posting by Councilman Deutsch:

Below is a letter written shortly before Board meeting, distributed to press and handed to entering Board members; apparently too little and too late, after hoping many others in and outside City government would further intervene and change some Board minds:

Open letter to the Board of Education and its designated Selection Committee:

Many in Hartford are well aware by now of widespread doubts about the fairness and process in the choices made for the Selection Committee for Superintendent.
Doubts go back to October when a “Succession Policy” was launched.
Later, concerns were raised when the actual Selection Committee was formed, leaving out many representative voices. Later, there was recognition of this fact by the Board, with an poor and token attempt to add new members.
Most recently, openly as well as behind the scene, there were active, highly inappropriate, and unethical attempts by a Board official to influence the ultimate choice.

Many in the City are appalled at the slanting and bias of this process, and agree that the outcome is unacceptable. The Mayor is influential over appointments and decisions of the Board, and the City Council is responsible for accepting the Superintendent choice and the final School System budget. The Mayor rightly voiced concerns about the process as “flawed,” correctly saw the “perception in the city that the committee’s pick was ‘predetermined’, and rightly called for reconsideration -- especially after active biased lobbying by Mr. David Medina, presumably with Superintendent Adamowski’s approval.

Thereforeit is our obligation to presented this Open Letter to the Board, since it may be that the Chair will not permit the public - to whom the City Council is responsible - to express these directly:

1. The choice announced by the Board and its Chairman follows an invalid and biased process and is rejected by many citizens and several City Council members.
2. Revocation of recent bonuses for Mr. D. Medina and Dr. S. Adamowski, unless fully justified in writing for public examination, is necessary.
3. The immediate resignation of Mr. D. Medina and of Dr. S. Adamowski is demanded.

The Board and its Chairman are advised that many in the City will pursue appeals to legal and ethical authorities, and consider these items during upcoming Council budget decisions, regarding flaws and interference in what should have been a fair and transparent process in choosing for ALL the Hartford’s children the future course of the public education system in our City.

Representing views of many City residents and fellow Council members --

L. Deutsch, Hartford City Council March 3, 2011

MORE FALLOUT FROM A FLAWED SELECTION PROCESS AND B.O.E BONUSES

Apparently the Hartford legislative delegation has weighed in with their displeasure on the sham selection process and their thoughts on the inappropriate bonuses given by Hartford School's Superintendent Adamowski.

The issue of the bonuses was first reported here and WNPR's Jeff Cohen first reported on the improper lobbying efforts by Board of Education spokesperson David Medina. Hartford's legislative delegation sent a strongly worded letter to members of the Board of Education voicing their displeasure. Cohen posted the letter on his blog today, follow the link to the right to get to Jeff's blog.

Two names though were notably missing from the letter that listed all of Hartford's legislators with the exception of Senator John Fonfara and State Representative Kelvin Roldan. Their absence shouldn't be surprising though since Roldan actually received one of the bonuses that the rest of the delegation seemed to take exception with.

The letter can be read below:

HTFD DELEGATION LETTER

WHAT SHOULD REALLY MATTER FOR HARTFORD'S SCHOOLS

I had told myself I wasn't going to write about this, but I don't think there is a better example of what is wrong with Hartford's schools.

Last night I received a call from a 15 year old girl who is a student at Weaver High School, and I want to apologize to her upfront for writing about this, but even though I know her name, I won't post it out of respect for our conversation.

When she called she asked if she could talk to me about my blog. The caller was very well spoken and she told me that she was a student at Weaver and both herself and many or her friends read the blog and she wanted to talk about some of the things I posted.

The conversation went well for a while and she said that I was right about the conditions at Weaver. She told me how she had at times thrown her lunch out because she would lose her appetite watching bugs and roaches running on the walls. She told me about days when it seemed like it was warmer outside than it was in the school because of the lack of heat.

She told me about the lack of equipment and teaching materials. She even told me about the principal that would come into the classroom and scream at other students.

Suddenly, she began crying and told me she was going to drop out of school because she couldn't deal with it anymore. She said most of the kids realized that many of the so called "leaders" were all about the money and not at all about the kids.

How do you respond to that? How do you try to convince her that she is exactly right, many of the adults are about the money, but hang in there anyways since it is definitely better than dropping out and ending up on the streets?

It just doesn't make any sense and it seems difficult to try to make sense out of it to someone living it. As much as many try to blame the problems on children and parents who don't want to learn, I think it is so much more about a system that is so broke and doesn't want to change.

How fast do you think the conditions at Weaver High School would change if suddenly Superintendent Adamowski was told to pack up the 960 Main Street "Taj Mahal" because their offices were being moved to Weaver.
Adamoski's gold lettered signs and mahogany desks and woodwork would be replaced. Replaced with spray painted stencils on cinder block walls used as signs to direct you around a building eerily similar to a prison.

Imagine Adamowski and Kelvin Roldan eating their catered Max Bibo lunches on desks and tables with roaches scattering about. Imagine Dr. Kishimoto using a rest room with mold and filth and no toilet paper or handsoap.

Maybe then the conditions might actually become about the kids, and a fifteen year old who really wants to succeed wouldn't be crying about the thought of dropping out. Maybe then our schools would be about educating children rather than about making adults rich.

The phone call from a 15 year old seemed to bring it much more into perspective but it also makes you wonder what it will take to change things. Hopefully my fifteen year old caller will finish her education and consider going into education herself, with a commitment not to repeat the mistakes she has had forced upon her by the adults currently doing it for the money.

I guess we can hope.

IN YOUR FACE MAYOR, GUESS WHO THE BOSS REALLY IS

It seems like all we keep hearing how wonderful our "strong Mayor" form of government is.

Well today the Hartford Board of Education seems to be sending a message loud and clear. The strong Mayor, Pedro Segarra, has been reduced to a weak and ineffective leader if he accepts the Board's message to him.

The Board has decided not to accept Segarra's request to begin over and conduct a legitimate search for a new Superintendent. Board President David McDonald, also not one to be known for his strong stances on anything, issued the following statement today:


Statement of the Hartford Board of Education
March 1, 2011
Last week, the Board cancelled its scheduled Special Meeting to consider the Search Committee’s recommendation to appoint Dr. Christina Kishimoto as the next superintendent of Hartford Public Schools. The decision was made, on February 22, 2011, to consider Mayor Pedro Segarra’s request to conduct a national search for our next Superintendent of Schools.As Chairperson of the Board of Education, I have reached out to and met with Mayor Segarra
to acknowledge and address his concerns. I want to thank the Mayor for meeting with me on two occasions on this critical matter and for also meeting with our parent constituency to discuss their concerns. I am pleased to hear about his continued commitment to our reform
work. We will mutually bring unity back to our city around Hartford’s education reform, and have agreed to work collaboratively with the new Superintendent, the Board of Education and all stakeholders.Additionally, the HBOE Superintendent Search Committee met last Saturday, February 26th, todiscuss the request made by Mayor Segarra. The committee deliberated for approximately two hours on his request and examined the strengths and challenges of different options. The Committee firmly stands behind the integrity of the search process and confirmed their recommendation for the Board to follow their policy, as written, by appointing Dr. Kishimoto
based on her qualifications, track record and interviews. It was also indicated by the Committee that the Board should continue discussions with the Mayor to work towards unity around building coalitions for the benefit of our children and families. In discussions with the Mayor, additional details about the Superintendent Search process wereshared in order to allay his concerns as follows: The process began with the development of a comprehensive Board Policy (Leadership Succession) in April 2010. The work on this policy spanned from April to October, 2010,at which time the Board adopted the Policy on October 19, 2010. In late December 2010, the Search Committee engaged the services of CABE (Connecticut Association of Boards of Education) Search Services to strengthen the objectivity and
transparency of the process. CABE’s consultant facilitated the process, provided training to the Search Committee, assisted in the development of interview questions along with the input of the committee membership, and beginning January 4th, assumed the leadership role for the process. All applicant information was sent directly to the consultant at CABE.
 During the search process, the Board engaged the community on many occasions and at several junctures in order to incorporate the wide and varied perspectives of our community at large. Community Forums were conducted by Achieve Hartford!, and a Board led focus group with key stakeholders was held, including Council members and representatives from the business sector in addition to the leadership of the Administrators union.
o A survey, seeking community input was available online in both English and
Spanish for nearly a month. Feedback was received from more than 700 students,parents, staff and community members. The feedback was used in the developmentof interview questions for the Search process.
o The Board also heard the concerns of our community and agreed to add a 13th member to the Search Committee and did so by seeking nominations from key active community leaders to ensure additional involvement. Those nominations were reviewed and the 13th member, an additional Hartford parent, was ultimately selected.
o Our CABE consultant met with the Hartford Federation of Teachers on our behalf,to seek its feedback and spoke with Connecticut superintendents and key professionals to gather feedback about desirable qualifications for urban leaders.Each of the steps and actions of the search process were routinely and repeatedly shared publicly at Board meetings. At critical stages during the search process, the Search Committee Chairperson and the consultant contacted key community stakeholders to keep them apprised
of the status of the search. Attention to detail and due diligence was the hallmark of the search process. The Superintendent Search Committee was shielded from all rumors and allegations swirling in the community about the candidates during the process and there was no undue influence on the process. We will continue to have discussions with Mayor Segarra in the coming days in an effort to move forward in unity to further benefit our children and families and the great city of Hartford. The Board of Education fully expects the new Superintendent to work collaboratively with the Mayor and all key constituents. The Board is also firmly committed to
following its Leadership Succession Policy, and as Chairperson of the Board of Education I am sworn to uphold all of our policies. In closing, the Board of Education will schedule a special meeting for Wednesday, March 2nd,
2011 to act upon the Search Committee's recommendation. We appreciate the Mayor’s stated commitment to collaborate with the new Superintendent and the Board. We look forward to beginning our transition in welcoming our new Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools.

If Segarra is going to reclaim any authority and look like a leader, he once again needs to shut this process down and start fresh. If it is not already being done, the Corporation Counsel should be drafting paperwork to take before a Superior Court Judge first thing tomorrow morning. The process was clearly inappropriate and enough information is available about unfair influence being used to select Kishimoto over Timothy Sullivan.

It shouldn't be too hard to convince a Judge that David Medina's actions were inappropriate or Precious Ross-Ellis or Millie Arciniegas. It would even be interesting to see David McDonald and others answering questions about the process under oath, before a Judge.

Like I said a few weeks ago, anyone that thinks Eddie Perez and his people aren't still running things behind the scenes, think again.

Only time will tell if Pedro Segarra has leadership qualities or is he easily squashed and silenced.

UPDATE

According to Jeff Cohen at WNPR, Mayor Segarra made the following comment:

“As a community member, educator and Mayor, I stood up and voiced my concerns and I will continue to do so in the future.

I will proactively work with the Board of Education for the good of all of Hartford’s families and children.”

Mayor, it doesn't matter that you "stood up". You need to stand up, continue to stand up and fight for what you believe in. We don't need a wishy-washy Mayor looking for headlines. We need a Mayor that is willing to take a stand and stick to it until all corrective actions are exhausted, That is what they call integrity.

If you can't or are unwilling to do it, we have other choices that we hope will in November.

NO LONGER IMMINENT....ROBLES ARRESTED

Hector Robles, pictured above on left

As predicted, former Hartford Police Officer and current State Representative Hector Robles (D) Hartford, was arrested earlier today on two counts of First degree Felony Larceny.

The charges resulted from an Internal Affairs Division Investigation conducted initially by the Hartford Police Department followed up by arrest warrant applications by Inspectors from the Chief State's Attorneys Office.

Robles will be arraigned on March 8, 2011.

More to follow on this.

To read about the initial investigation, click here

The Press Release from the State's Attorney's Office is below:


Date: March 1, 2011 1:50:11 PM EST
To: Undisclosed recipients:;
Subject: Former Hartford Police Officer Charged with Larceny

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:

Mark A. Dupuis
Communications Officer
State of Connecticut
Division of Criminal Justice
300 Corporate Place
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
860-258-5997
www.ct.gov/csao


Former Hartford Police Officer Charged with Larceny


A former Hartford police officer who also serves as a State Representative was arrested today and charged with collecting on-duty pay from the city while working private duty jobs for which he was also paid.

HECTOR ROBLES, age 39, of Hartford was arrested by Inspectors from the Financial Crimes Bureau in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney on a warrant charging him with two counts of Larceny in the First Degree.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Mr. Robles falsified his timesheets with the Hartford Police Department by claiming he was on duty when he was actually working private duty jobs.

Investigators determined that between September 2008 and September 2009 Mr. Robles defrauded the police department out of $10,651.81, the warrant states.

Mr. Robles, who is State Representative for the 6th Assembly District, was previously dismissed from the police department.

Larceny in the First Degree is a felony punishable by a maximum prison term of 20 years on each count. The charges are merely accusations and Mr. Robles is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mr. Robles was released on a written promise to appear and will be arraigned in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on March 8, 2011. The case is being prosecuted by the Financial Crimes Bureau in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney.