A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Sometimes I just can't let something just die and I'll follow it until the bitter end, this I guess is one of those cases and some of you might be getting tired of reading about this, but what's right is right and I choose not to give up on this.

The picture above is of former Hartford Fire Department Deputy Chief Dan Nolan last night as he, and some of Connecticut's other brave men, as he prepares to deploy to Afghanistan, again, to defend our Country.

I don't usually let things bother me much or get overly emotional, but something about this entire situation is very troubling to me. I wish there was a way to flip a switch and see this situation correct itself, but I have to convince myself that eventually what's right will prevail.

I'm not sure if part of it might be the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 coming this weekend I guess as we all sat glued to our television sets 10 years ago Sunday, just about all of us can tell you where we were when the twin towers collapsed and followed the events from the comfort of our homes. I can tell you where Dan Nolan was, he was headed to NYC to sift through the ruins along with hundreds of other firefighters and first reponders.

It might also be from spending much of this past weekend re-reading the transcripts of Nolan's mediation hearings. Hearings , by the way, in which he prevailed, the hearing officer found no wrongdoing on Nolan's part and ordered him re-instated with all back pay and benefits due to him. The hearing transcripts were the official version of the testimony recounting Nolan's termination by a corrput Mayor eventually convicted of felony charges against him and a puppet of a Fire Chief willing to comply with the corrupt Mayor's wishes.

Particularly troubling was reading the testimony of retired Chief Charles Teale who, in my opinion almost oozed dishonesty in almost every statement he made under oath. Many of those statements contradicted by other witnesses that took their oath seriously and testified to the facts truthfully.

Teales inability to remember facts and select lapses of memory come through loud and clear in his testimony. Surprisingly though he did remember taking a payoff from an eye doctor and he did testify to that under oath. (page 69 of transcript below, page 52 on PDF page numbering)

Maybe it is the picture I have posted here before of Dan Nolan in front of the rubble and devastation we have all come to know as "Ground Zero". Deputy Chief Nolan and many, many others selflessly gave of their time to search through the rubble of the World Trade Centers to recover the bodies of those who died in the attacks.

Maybe it is knowing that Dan Nolan has given up the comfort of his home and the comfort of being near his family, especially his parents during their final months here before they passed away. Dan is one of those unique individuals who is willing to sacrifice that to go to areas of the world to protect our lives as Americans, giving up what most of us take for granted.

And I think what bothers me the most is that the same systems that Dan is willing to go into harms way to protect, are treating him so poorly.

Our military and people like Dan Nolan have fought and died to preserve our system of justice, our freedoms to make life choices as to who we want to associate with or what charities we choose to support. A system of justice that ensures everyone fair hearings when accusations are made against them. In the case of the mediation hearings, the hearing officer found that Dan Nolan and his actions were credible and his termination was not.

And now, two days before he is set to leave US soil and go to the sand and rock of Afghanistan, the City of Hartford made an offer to Nolan to end their persecution of him if he accepted their deal. The City of Hartford apparently made the offer to Nolan that they would pay him all of his back pay since the date of his termination, approximately $210,000. He would be brought back and rehired for one day to submit his resignation to take effect September 16, 2011, and of course agree not to pursue any lawsuits or claims against the City.

Why would Hartford's Corporation Counsel make such a settlement offer if they were on solid ground and their actions were legitimate?

For anyone that knows Dan Nolan, guess what his answer was. If you guessed absolutely not, you guessed right. I think that if this matter ever makes it to a jury, this offer will seem like pocket change compared to what a jury may potentially award in the end.

When you weigh the testimony as to how Nolan's termination was orchestrated by a corrupt Mayor convicted of felony criminal charges and carried out by a puppet of a Fire Chief with some real credibility issues of his own. How do you accuse Nolan of using his position for personal gain because he encouraged recruits to participate in charity events, while at the same time the Chief of the department, Chief Teale, had his hand out accepting a payoff to reimburse him for a penalty imposed on him for profiting from the improper rental of City property?

I guess we know now that Mayor Segarra will not step up to end this nonsense. I have to ask though, how do you send a respected war veteran and firefighter into harms way without clearing this matter up first. Nolan should be going to Afghanistan knowing that this matter was resolved, and be able to concentrate fully on his performance as a soldier and not wondering what his future will be when he returns home. It's wrong and it says a lot about the character and integrity of anyone in a position of authority to change the outcome, including Mayor Segarra, the City Council and even Chief Casares.

The transcripts of the testimony from Chief Teale and others is pretty dry and boring, but it will shed a lot of light on this matter. If you have a little time, scroll through the document and read it. Teale's admission of taking the payoff is on page 69 of the transcript document if you go by the page numbering printed on the transcript, it is on page 52 if you go by the numbering from the PDF document. Teales denials of his friendship of Nolan, even though they were hanging out together at the Mardi Gras strip club in Springfield can be read on page 13 of the transcript, page 25 of the PDF itself.

More transcripts will be posted over the next few days so enjoy the reading and feel free to comment.

And Dan, my thoughts and prayers along with those of many, many others are with you as you head off to protect our freedom. Focus on keeping yourself and the other men and women with you safe, and rest assured, this matter will not die. If the City of Hartford isn't willing to do the right thing, a jury of your peers will when you return. Until then stay safe, and thank you for your service to our City, our Country and the countless charities and people that have benifitted from your service

Nolan711