LAST WEEKENDS HOOKER DAY PARADE, 2011

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

Enjoy .

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER....SNOW AND EVERYTHING

It just keeps getting better and better this weekend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the City's press release:

PEDRO E. SEGARRA

MAYOR



STAFFING CHANGES



NEWS AND COMMUNITY RELEASE



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



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



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



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



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

HARTFORD'S BATMAN ?

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

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

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

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

Brookman: Hartford’s Dark Knight

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

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

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

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

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

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

VARGAS HEARING HELD AT DEMOCRATIC STATE CENTRAL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The decision should be issued within three days.

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

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

KENNELLY SEGARRA BRIEF0001

SNOW STORM HITTING HARTFORD HARD

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

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

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

HARTFORD COURANT ENDORSEMENT'S ARE OUT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FIRE REPORTED AT BELLIZZI MIDDLE SCHOOL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VARGAS COMPLAINT TO BE HEARD THURSDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peterson Complaint Exhibits

Official Complaint Dinardo

DEMOCRAT VARGAS FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST" REPUBLICAN " SEGARRA

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

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

VARGAS HDTC Complaint2011

DAVID MEDINA....A WASTE OF A SALARY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Subject: Hartford Public Schools
Importance: High



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





David Medina

Director of External Communications

Hartford Public Schools

960 Main Street

Hartford, CT 06103

Tel: 860-695-8862

Fax: 860-722-8502

Cell: 860-558-9640

medid001@hartfordschools.org



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

THIS IS TROUBLING

The drawing above is currently on display at Hartford Public High School as part of an "art exhibit".

Just the fact this is what a student is drawing along with its written message , I would hope is raising red flags all over the place, but apparently it isn't. Is anyone requesting any type of counseling for this obviously troubled student?

"I'll have blood gushing out your dome boy on your homeboy" doesn't seem like a normal thought for a high school student, yet the drawing is on display showing an assault rifle and the troubling message.

Is anyone paying attention in our schools or is this threatening behavior acceptable?

HARTFORD DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE TO MEET TONIGHT

If you are interested in seeing first hand how Hartford politics work, the HDTC will be meeting tonight at 6:30PM in the Function Room at Hartford City Hall.

If you want to see democracy at its finest, or maybe its worse, stop by and see what goes on.

After a short time watching the process, you will probably be convinced to vote Independent on November 8th. It promises to be a lively night.

WE NEED VISION AND FRESH IDEAS

One thing I have found while campaigning for Hartford City Council is that we have a lot of "politicians" that are good at identifying Hartford's problems. The problem with that though is that the solutions to our problems, for the most part, seem to be in short supply. At the candidates forums I keep hearing the catch phrases for Hartford's troubles... "crime and public safety", "economic development", "education" and "jobs".

This may sound self-serving, but we have plenty of "politicians" capable of identifying problems, what we need are leaders to come up with solutions to those problems.

Back in July, I posted here on the blog one of my plans to spur economic development, you can read that posting here.The idea now seems to be gaining some traction. It is only part of the puzzle to turning Hartford around, but I guess others beside just myself see the possibilities

Last Thursday, former Councilperson and now State Representative Matt Ritter called me regarding the plan. I guess Matt sees the merits in the idea and he wanted to let me know he was interested in moving the idea forward. He was meeting with the Metro Hartford Alliance and wanted to gauge their support and he apparently plans to move it forward in next years legislative session..

Ironically, that same afternoon I met with the editorial board of the Hartford Courant and laid out my thoughts to them also. Tom Condon posted an editorial on line tonight which I would imagine will be in the print edition tomorrow. Unfortunately the message of the editorial is about another Hartford business closing its doors in large part because of Hartford's tax burden on its small businesses.

In the editorial, Tom Condon mentions my plan as an idea "worth exploring". It's not the solution to everything, but it is a start.

Here's what Tom wrote; "A way must be found to entice small businesses back to the city. Blogger and city council candidate Kevin Brookman has an idea, one that state Rep. Matthew Ritter has picked up on, that is worth exploring. It is to offer the region's average tax rate to any business that will locate or expand in Hartford. So say the region's average is 35 mills. That's what the business would pay in Hartford, for some period of time."

We need the vision and the ideas for possible solutions, just identifying the problems doesn't change anything.

To read Tom Condon's editorial, click here

IS DKR'S INNER FIREFIGHTER COMING OUT

Yes that is Hartford Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts in the picture above wearing the fire helmet.

Chief Roberts recently addressed the graduating recruits from the Hartford Fire Department Training Academy.

According to a few people in attendance, Chief Roberts addressed the recruits stating that "inside every police officer is a firefighter waiting to come out". Could this be the beginning of a new career? Is Chief Roberts internal firefighter "coming out"?

WEST END CIVIC ASSOCIATION CANDIDATES FORUM TONIGHT

REPOSTED FROM E-MAIL MESSAGE FROM WECA


WECA Candidates' Forum


Tuesday, October 18, 2011 - 7 p.m.


The West End Civic Association will hold a Candidates' Forum on Tuesday, October 18 at the United Methodist Church in Hartford (located at the corner of Farmington Ave and South Whitney St) at 7 p.m.



Candidates for the City Council, Mayor and Treasurer will attend.


Please join us. A candidates' forum allows candidates for public office to express their views openly so audience members can understand their positions and make informed voting choices. The forum allows you an opportunity to become better informed about your choices for elected representative.






West End Civic Association

A BAD WEEK FOR BILL DiBELLA, THE WEEK IN REVIEW

When it rains it pours, but that might be a good thing for the area's water agency, the MDC. But this week "the rain" just kept coming when it related to bad news for the Chairman of the MDC, William DiBella.

It started off with the announcement that the MDC would be forced to eliminate at least 82 jobs as a result of losing the management and operations contract for the CRRA, Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority.

Then Jon Lender did an in-depth story on the potential relationship between Hartford politicians and the hiring of Democratic State Representative Hector Robles at a company that just received millions from the State of Connecticut, Ticket Network of South Windsor. Lender began to connect the "dots" of the deal with DiBella, the MDC and his son, Marc DiBella figuring prominently in the middle of the article. You can read Jon Lender's story here.

And then on top of all that, it seems that at least 12 of the employees let go this week were IT specialists for the MDC. Interestingly enough, after the jobs were cut, the MDC's computer systems went down and have been down all week, and an MDC spokesperson quoted in a Courant article today said it was a "possibility" that the computers would be back on line next week. That doesn't sound too encouraging.

You can read the Courant article about the MDC's computer troubles here

Luckily for Bill though, he can decompress and unwind on his daily commute back to his home in Old Saybrook.

MORE ON THE ROBLES EMPLOYMENT DEAL, MORE HARTFORD POLITICS AS USUAL?

After the posting of the story here earlier this week regarding former Hartford Police officer Hector Robles' new job with Ticket Network there is now more information coming out. Robles was terminated as a Hartford police officer after being arrested on Larceny charges related to his alleged theft of over $10,000 from a "double-dipping" fraud scheme at HPD.

Robles still holds his seat as a Democratic legislator and Democratic Town Committee member from the 6th Legislative District, representing the southend of Hartford

Jon Lender of the Courant apparently did some more digging on the matter and found more interesting information. You can read Jon Lender's article here

Will this ever end? Maybe it is time for the Office of the Chief State's Attorney to set up a satellite office in Hartford for the Public Integrity Unit. Eddie Perez may have just been the tip of the iceberg.

ANOTHER NOLAN UPDATE, CITY GRASPING AT STRAWS?

Even though Dan Nolan is currently serving our country in Afghanistan, his wrongful termination case is still winding through the courts, and at the very least I think we owe it to him to keep it in the public eye while he is away.

At a hearing on the wrongful termination matter, the parties met in a hearing at Hartford Superior Court. The complete transcripts of that hearing are below. The reason I ask if the City is grasping at straws to sustain their reasons for Nolan's termination should be clear after you read the transcripts.

The interesting argument is over the whole issue of the "quid-pro-quo" and the allegations that Nolan used his position for personal gain by encouraging Fire Department recruits to raise items and participate in charity events. Although the City seems to agree that there was no financial gain for Nolan, they apparently claim that the boost he received to his reputation in the community was enough reason to terminate him.

That is an interesting argument since City Treasurer Adam Cloud has apparently just done the same thing. Will Cloud now face the same fate as Nolan? To read more about Clouds actions, click here

The other interesting argument that seemed to pique the Judge's interest was the City's comparison of Nolan to criminals and felons.Read the transcripts and feel free to comment


Nolan Transcript 9 7 11

HECTOR LANDS A JOB

After being arrested and terminated from the Hartford Police Department on Larceny charges, former Hartford Police Officer and current 6th District State Representative Hector Robles has apparently landed a new job. According to sources, Robles is the new Security Director for Ticket Network of South Windsor. Calls to Ticket Network for comment were met with a "no comment". The only response was that Hector Robles was "unavailable".

Ticket Network was the second company to receive millions in State of Connecticut dollars as part of Governor Malloy's "First Five" business development plan. Robles was a member of the Legislature while the loans to Ticket Network were being approved.


Ticket Network also lists Hartford Democratic Town Committee Treasurer Jay Mullarkey as its "Vice President-Community Relations". A request for a comment from Mullarkey was rebuffed by his staff at Ticket Network, Mullarkey, like Robles was "unavailable".

Robles's larceny charges are still pending in Hartford Superior Court, he recently entered a plea of "not guilty".

DON'T "OCCUPY HARTFORD", DUMP BANK OF AMERICA INSTEAD

Just a suggestion, but all of this talk about "Occupy Hartford" doesn't really seem to be bringing any of our "horrible" corporations to their knees. In fact, I doubt they even notice.

Some of the points are somewhat valid, even though I will be the first to admit I am really not following the whole non-event. I think there was probably more coverage when Bank of America announced last week that it was going to begin charging a $5.00 monthly fee for using their debit card to spend your money.

If the "Occupy Hartford" people really want to make a difference, pack up the camping equipment and do something that will send a real message. Stop by your local Bank of America branch and close your accounts. Then go to your local Credit Union and open an account. Credit Unions are almost entirely run locally, are much more customer service oriented and don't charge the outrageous fees that the mega banks charge.

In fact, use of ATM cards in most credit union networks is free.

In a city like Hartford, as well as most urban areas, Bank of America has definitely taken their toll through foreclosures, lending practices and what some might call predatory mortgages. I think hitting them where it counts would say much more than any protest or camp outs could ever accomplish.

I wonder how many of the "occupiers" actually have a Bank of America or Citicorp card in their pockets,or how many gladly accept their Aetna or Traveler's benefits when they need them. Dissension is important, but is definitely more effective when it has a real impact

ARE ETHICS OVERRATED IN HARTFORD POLITICS?

Actually, the better question is "are there any ethics in Hartford politics?". Is any one's word worth anything in Hartford's political arena? Just ask Shawn Wooden his opinion on that, he might have some interesting thoughts, as someone who has experienced that first hand the last couple of months.

You would think that after just coming through a Grand Jury investigation, the arrest and conviction of Eddie Perez, the arrest of Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson and others, that people in Hartford city government and politics would be walking on eggshells and paying attention to ethical and legal behavior.

Apparently that is not the case. One person that seems to be pushing the limit is Hartford City Treasurer Adam Cloud. Jeff Cohen from WNPR had an interesting story today regarding Cloud's shakedown of City of Hartford vendors to raise money for one of Cloud's political operatives, Andrew Wood. You can read Jeff's story here.

This was another story about Cloud written by Cohen in the last week. Although it has been common knowledge since he took office as Treasurer, Cloud's wife works directly under his supervision in the Treasurer's Office. That is something Cloud should have had the common sense to end immediately after taking office.

The fact that Cloud and his wife, from what I have been told, are the only two people in the Treasurer's Office able to transfer money electronically is troubling. His wife is also apparently responsible for cash reconciliations in the office. I have to ask why anyone would put themselves in a position where this would immediately be called into question at any time a potential problem arose.

It is poor judgement and definitely a poor business practice.

The actions of the Treasurer that Cohen reported on today raise even more questions about the Treasurer's judgement, or more appropriately his lack of judgement. It seems that the Treasurer has been putting the squeeze on various Hartford vendors, including financial institutions, to donate money to a buddy of the Treasurer. Depending on the terms and the content of the conversations, that could cross the threshold and rise to the level of extortion.

Andrew Wood, the Treasurer's buddy and a political operative, was on the dole most of the Perez Administration for years, being paid millions of dollars to operate various "non-profits". The track record of those "non-profits" seem to be a well kept secret though.

According to Cohen's article "Cloud said he decided to raise money for the program because he was inspired by its good work -- not because he was in the middle of a political primary and the organization's executive director, Andrew Woods, is a political supporter."

Mr. Cloud, name something Mr. Wood's has accomplished for the City of Hartford, and it better be good , really good, to account for all the taxpayers dollars he has received over the last ten years.

We really need to demand more from our elected officials he seem to gain some sort of "sense of entitlement" once they cross the threshold into City Hall. They seem to forget what is lawful and ethical and are willing to repay political debts at the taxpayers expense.

The last Treasurer we had seemed to stay so far under the political radar and to the best of my knowledge never had the slightest suggestion of scandal related to her job performance during her years in office. Treasurer Cloud seems to have a much different work ethic, opening himself up to questions of impropriety in less than 9 months on the job.

JUST IMAGINE.....

If the Hartford Insurance, Traveler's, Bank of America and all of our other major employers announced tomorrow that they were leaving Hartford. Is that the goal of Councilman Cotto and the "Occupy Hartford" organizers? Are they trying to send a message that their "greedy" excess types aren't welcome in Hartford?

In a City like Hartford where Councilman Cotto and his cohorts on the Council have placed an unfair burden on every person and company doing business in Hartford, what is the message they are trying to send? And what is the message being taken away by those same businesses? That they are not welcome here, leave and take your jobs with you?

Hartford and its "leaders" should be working together to strengthen the business climate and encourage job growth and development, not throwing rocks at the employers that employ a large part of the regions stakeholders. How about a business considering a move to Hartford? What kind of message does this send? We'll take your money through taxes, but other than that you aren't welcome?

I really wish the new Council, of which I am a candidate, will start focusing on making Hartford a better place and not use the people of Hartford as a means to grandstand. I use the word "leaders" lightly when I speak of leadership in relation to Hartford. It is something that is sadly lacking and we need to start using some common sense to once again build Hartford and actually create lasting sustainable jobs.

Spitting in the face of our corporate partners, whether you agree with their "profits" or not, does not make for a climate of commitment or future growth. There are plenty of other cities that would welcome some of our corporate neighbors with open arms, not protests.

SEGARRA TO REGISTRARS: GROW UP

With a little over a month to go until the municipal election, it seems like hostilities in the Registrar of Voter's Office may be close to the boiling point.

It is no secret that the three Registrars, a Democrat, a Republican and a Working Family Party member seem to have a problem working together. It apparently started when WFP Registrar of Voters Urania Petit successfully won election as the first third party registrar in the state.

The Republican and Democrat registrars had enjoyed the sole control of the Registrars Office for years, and the WFP upset the balance of power.Not just in Hartford, but in most towns the Registrar of Voters Office is considered the last bastion of political patronage.

Since being elected, Petit has considered herself an outsider in the office, and she testified to that at last years budget hearings before the Council. Although technically all three share equal responsibility in power, that is not the case in Hartford.

On several occasions lately the Democratic Registrar, Olga Vazquez, has resorted to calling the Hartford Police to complain about the actions of others in the office, and in most instances her complaints were against Petit. No criminal actions have been found though, and other than political babysitting, no other action has been taken by police in regards to the Democratic registrars complaints.

The Mayor's letter is below:

Mayor's Registrar Letter 0001