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

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

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

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

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

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

Below are the bonus recipients in alphabetical order:

BONUS LIST- ABATE, ROBERT TO FAIR, LAURA

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

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

ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE FUNDRAISER TOMORROW

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

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

ROBLES ENDORSEMENT FIGURES PROMINENTLY IN HPD UNION ELECTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WOULD THIS HAPPEN IN WEST HARTFORD ?

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

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

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

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

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

SICK LEAVE IS OVER , ERIC JACKSON RESIGNS

Mayor Pedro Segarra issued the following statement tonight:

HARTFORD CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER RESIGNS

---NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---


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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WE ARE "FRUSTRATED AND FEEL HELPLESS"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HARTFORD MHIS DIRECTOR ERIC JACKSON UNDER INVESTIGATION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

HPD PROMOTIONS TO BE ANNOUNCED

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

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

THE COUNCIL OF FRAUDS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HARTFORD POLICE OFFICER "ACCIDENTALLY" SHOOTS HIMSELF

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

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

Hartford Police Internal Affairs and Major Crimes divisions are investigating.