In what seems to be more and more common each election we face in Hartford, a new Academy Award should be established for best Actor in the "Theatre of the Political Bizarre".
Flanked by the current Mayor, who candidate Wooden had labeled as "pretending to be fiscally responsible" and that Segarra had "forgotten to obey the law" and along side Governor Malloy, Shawn Wooden today gave up and quit the Mayor's race.
But have no fear though, since he gave up running for Mayor, he now wants to throw his full support behind an individual that until about 24 hours ago he wanted us to believe was unfit to lead the City of Hartford. And to further reassure us of his integrity , he wants to be "in a leadership role" and has decided to run for City Council.
Unfortunately for Wooden though, I didn't receive one call from anyone that supported Wooden's decision. Many of the calls were from, up until noon time today, die-hard Wooden supporters. Several of them were also financial supporters who had donated the maximum of $1,000 to Woodens campaign.
The rumors of dirty deals being cut were, and are, running rampant. Many people, myself included, are having a hard time figuring out how you tear someone down for months and try to convince us that Segarra is unfit to be Mayor, and in less than a day you have a sudden epiphany and next thing are standing side by side with your new found love for each other.
How many people would take me seriously if I announced tomorrow that I think Eddie Perez should come back and run for Mayor? I would say very few, and most would think I had lost my mind. That was the feeling I was getting today is that very few people are holding Shawn Wooden real high on the integrity and trust meter.
I am trying to understand Governor Malloy's involvement in this mess though. The Governor explained his long term friendship with Wooden, and I understand the loyalty of friends, it's sometimes hard to find. But I also have to wonder the last time a sitting Governor stepped into a municipal political dogfight. And if anything, Governor Malloy I would think understands the benefit of a hard fought political campaign. He's come through a few himself and I would hope is stronger for it.
Isn't democracy all about letting the voters decide who comes out ahead in the political fight? Holding politicians accountable by forcing them to fight for what they believe in is not a negative thing. Instead, Wooden is like the boxer headed for the ring, afraid to climb over the ropes and get the fight started because he may get a black eye or a bloody nose.
Luckily for Wooden, his big brother Dannel pulled him off the ropes and allowed him a graceful exit from a fight, apparently according to Wooden's polling data, a fight that he couldn't win. But Malloy has been in the ring and realizes the value of the fights, so I don't understand the need to rescue Wooden from one of lifes hard taught lessons.
And why should we now think that Wooden will make a decent Councilperson. Especially if he wasn't willing to fight to save us from the unfit leaders like Pedro Segarra. Is Wooden just a bad judge of character and now realizes he misjudged Segarra? And what reassurance do we have that Wooden just won't roll over and give up when the tough battles need to be waged for what is right for Hartford and its people?
Will he still be afraid of the black eye or the bloody nose from the Council fights and be waiting for Governor Malloy to pull him off the ropes and rescue him from the ring?
I guess it isn't a bad thing to have a friend like the Governor watching your back, but do we want the wimp on the playground to be the one watching out for us as residents of a city in distress? I think we need a few people on the Council that aren't looking for someone to rescue them when the going gets tough, but rather people that are willing to fight to the end for what they believe in.
The video of Wooden's retreat is below for your viewing pleasure, "and the Academy Award for the most bizarre political performance in a less than leading role goes to........Shawn Wooden"
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9 comments:
It's the new breed of Hartford politicians. They make dirty deals and sell themselves out before they even get elected. Why wait?
I would never vote for this guy. Imagine what's he's going to be like in office if this is how he is already. Joke.
This is truly unbelievable. I sincerely believe even if Wooden ran and did not win. It was good for the city to see a little competition for mayor. Mayor and council are two different leagues. There is the major league and minor league. I take nothing from council, but being 1 vs. 1 of 9 is a completely different game. Does this man really think he did Hartford a favor? I do not fill I will fill in a bubble for mayor this year. I truly do not think there is a race. I do not vote just to vote. I vote because I care, because I respect the candidates and because I think the person would be the best choice. I do not feel we have a best choice in the category for mayor at this moment. I do not feel there is a strong candidate. There are good candidates but not all around good candidate. As of this moment, Kevin you are not running for Mayor but you are the best candidate. You simply have the best interest of the city as your top priority. Thank you!
I am re-posting this because I am surprised by how surprised everyone is over the withdraw of former candidate Shawn Wooden and his endorsement of a corrupt administration that has only changed its figurehead. If you did not see this coming you have become disconnected from the People of Hartford. If you have an honest conversation with the voters you will find out who they want as their next Mayor. You will also find out that the race is far from over like the spin Docs would have everyone believe.
From 3 months ago.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION FOR J. STAN MCCAULEY
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011 (860) 944-9797
How much money does it take to shackle Hartford Voters?
If money equaled leadership and an ability to govern, the 2007 Hartford Mayoral election would have yielded the best government in Hartford's history. The reality however is that money is the corrupting force that ruins political leaders and the cities they are elected to lead.
Anyone that believes the 2011 Hartford mayoral race is about money has already lost because the people of Hartford are not up for auction and their municipal government is not for sale. The same can not be said of the candidates, their political decisions are heavily influenced by the donor block that gives the most money.
Hartford voters are no longer asleep. They are wiser, smarter, and far more politically active and savvy than ever before and will no longer be taken for granted. This fact was made clear with the defeat of Kenny Green in the last election cycle.
Voters know that in the back room of this political game of “who can raise the most money”, are the gatekeepers that have been the beneficiary of a corrupt patronage system, and said gatekeepers don't want it to stop. And they will give as much money as they can to candidates that will keep the Status Quo alive and well.
The McCauley for Mayor 2011 campaign made a conscious decision in October of 2009 to adopt our own campaign finance reform and not raise large sums of money, but rather raise the consciousness on the voters, and run our campaign like no other.
Candidate J. Stan McCauley at his own expense over the last 3 years produced over 150 episodes of “One Hartford” an hour long political TV show that kept Hartford voters informed. Bringing to light much of the corruption that brought the last well financed municipal administration to its knees.
Hartford's 2011 election is about economic, human, and community development. It's about all of Hartford's neighborhoods being safe for children and seniors. It's about fair distribution of tax resources. It's about functional accountable governance that will fire employees that do not do their job. It's about a Mayor understanding that he or she is employed by “We the people of Hartford”.
Candidate J. Stan McCauley has a plan to rebuild the integrity of Hartford by bringing in community minded businessmen that have a love for cities and are willing to hire the people that live in them. Candidate J. Stan McCauley has a plan to cut the homicide rate by 50% and make Hartford one of the top ten small cities in the country.
Some actually believe money equals votes, J. Stan McCauley believes that knowing your city as your city knows you equals votes. Money can not cast a ballot and out of state donors in Washington D.C. can't vote in Hartford. Cheap politicians may go for $750,000.00 or under, but the people of Hartford are not for sale. Votes are the only currency that matter in this race and they will be spent on election day in record number.
J. Stan McCauley and his family live in the Historic Colt's Building and are in the mist of moving to Enfield street in Hartford's North End. For more information about J. Stan McCauley's candidacy for Mayor, please visit www.McCauleyForMayor.com.
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NOTE* I now life on Enfield Street in Hartford. My wife and I heard the gun shots from Homicide #18.
Next up in Hartford Politics....
The three foot tall grass in rear of police headquarters is going to run for mayor.....
Politics in Hartford is always interesting to watch. I understand that this was a well orchestrated plan from the the beginning. Promises by everyone from the Govenor to Pedro and Pedro to Shawn, from what I understand the Gov. promised Pedro a judgeship and Pedro promised Shawn to be president of the council. There always could be a flaw in any well laid plan, what if the Wooden supports are so turned off by the I quit mentallaity that he doesn't win a seat on the council and the state legislators get so mad at the Gov. due to his "King" mentallaity during this budget cycle they don't confirm Pedro, who suffers in the end? That's an easy question to answer the residents and employees of the City of Hartford. Politics as usual and that is why Hartford will always remain in the state it's in, minor league.
Since when does the Governor have the authority to interfere in municipal elections?
This is the most anti-democracy, anti-voter involvement I have seen. Voter turnout in Hartford is bad enough already without the Governor killing the process even more.
If we were to let one person decide who was worthy to vote for and sidestep the democratic process we could very well be watching a Governor LaMont trying to fix the budget mess.
Governor malloy was way out of line on this one and he owes the people of Hartford an apology for trampling their right to select their own candidates. These things always seem to work out for the best and it looks like this one has done real damage to both Segarra and Wooden.
We register to vote, so we can pick the best candidate. This just seems to be unfair. I want a better hartford and I would like to be part of that decision. For the record, I loved the governor's race because it was a real process. I refuse to vote for mayor unless I see another candidate step up and be a true challenger. I want to weigh my options. Someone who cares about Hartford please step up, many of us residents will be greatful.
Call me naive. I actually have no idea why the Gov. would get involved in this race. What does he gain by arranging for Wooden to leave?
Anybody have any thoughts on candidacy of Ed Vargas? I watched some of an Arena interview with him last night. Sure, he's a lefty (who isn't?), but he did appear to me to be reasonable. For example, he was critical of our muni government's bloated bureaucracy.
Anonymous @ 11:00 pm - Seriously? We need a leader that will be taken seriously not someone who looks for attention through a blog. Some stuff is good and other things are just off the wall. Chasing ghosts if you will.......
On another note, to me it is almost illegal and communist in nature when I think about what occurred. Why aren't the citizens of Hartford in an uproar over this? Why isn't this getting news coverage when a presiding "Governor" openly admits that he arranged for this to take place. HOW is that democracy?
As a lifelong resident I am no longer surprised about what happens in this city politics wise. The shame in all of this is that, "We The People" continue to allow it to happen.
Out of all the candidates I like McCauley or Segarra. If feel like this is the Presidential election of 2000. Darned if you do, darned if you don't......
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