WHERE ARE THE "REFORMERS"

re·form
(r-fôrm)
v. re·formed, re·form·ing, re·forms
v.tr.
1. To improve by alteration, correction of error, or
removal of defects; put into a better form or condition.
2.
a. To abolish abuse or malpractice in: reform the government.
b. To put an end to (a wrong). See Synonyms at correct.
3. To cause (a person) to give up harmful or immoral
practices; persuade to adopt a better way of life.
v.intr.
To change for the better.
n.
1. A change for the better; an improvement.
2. Correction of evils, abuses, or errors.
3. Action to improve social or economic conditions
without radical or revolutionary change.

During the recent Hartford Democratic Town Committee citywide elections, it seemed as though everyone was suddenly a "reformer" with the intent of cleaning up Hartford's political process. Well... as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. And for those that claim to be reformers, look at the definition above if you don't understand what reform actually is.

When I think about the political process, I find the potential encouraging but the reality very disappointing. I read that former State Senator and convicted felon Ernie Newton was endorsed by the Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee to run to regain his seat that he gave up before his journey to a federal prison. I just wonder what runs through a convention delegates mind when they endorse someone that used his elected position, a position of trust, to solicit bribes to benefit himself?

The Hartford Courant posted an editorial this afternoon entitled "What Are Democrats Thinking Endorsing Ernie Newton?". You can read the full editorial here.

The Courant may be able to cut and paste that editorial Friday morning and substitute the word "Bridgeport" with Hartford. Hartford's Democratic convention for the position of State Representative's and Registrar of Voters will be held tomorrow night at Hartford City Hall.

The "reformers" may actually step up in the 6th District as they have to make a choice between the incumbent 6th District Representative Hector Robles or challenger Edwin Vargas. Robles who had promise as a State rep found himself embroiled in a scandal that resulted in his arrest and termination as a Hartford Police officer.

Robles's fellow Democratic legislators seemed to turn a blind eye to his arrest on felony charges and he remained in his seat at the Capitol. Luckily for Robles he wasn't a Republican otherwise he probably would have been forced to a quick exit like Senator DeLuca or John Rowland a few years ago. Robles's "dollar amount" for his alleged thefts was higher than Rowland's and DeLuca's charges were misdemeanors if I remember correctly.

To read more about the Robles investigation and subsequent arrest, click here, or here. Word is that the 6th District delegation is poised to actually bring about "reform" and usher Robles out as they endorse Vargas.

The Democratic Registrar of Voters endorsement will be a real test to see who the real reformers are and who is just putting up a smokescreen.

Hopefully the Hartford Courant's editorial title Friday morning won't be "What are Hartford's Democrats Thinking?".

Most people you speak with will readily agree that overall the top three choices for Democratic Registrar are far from desirable. All three are political, which is where there strength lies. It is not about who is capable, qualified or even who will do the best job. It is purely about who can leverage their political clout the best and garner their votes. It is not about past arrests for soliciting prostitutes, arrests for illegal drug possession or even the number of ethics violations, conflicts of interest or even the law suits filed over incompetence .

Like Ernie Newton in Bridgeport, I guess Hartford's Democrats have the potential to overlook a lot when it comes to returning political favors and payback. Why should anyone question a candidate for Registrar of Voters who was arrested while they were a City employee, soliciting a prostitute in a City vehicle on City time. The only problem was that the "prostitute" was actually an undercover police officer. The video recording of the event pretty much speaks for itself and the intent was pretty clear, it wasn't a case of mistaken intent.

But then again, if Robles, who is accused of stealing from the taxpayers is able to pull it off, why shouldn't others? What does it matter if our elected officials are able to violate the public trust placed in them as long as other politicos are willing to endorse them and the voters remain ignorant on election day.

I wonder if the Hartford Police Department would hire a potential police officer after they were arrested for soliciting a prostitute or Larceny 1st charges? I doubt they would, and the Office of Registrar of Voters requires as much integrity (if not more) than that of a police officer.

Tomorrow night the true "reformers" will be identified as the roll call vote is taken and they will go on the record as to whether they support reform or more political nonsense and patronage. In the meantime, will Hartford and Bridgeport continue to be political jokes or will the "reformers" actually come through on the promises they made to the voters who elected them in March.

IS THE BUDGET REALLY SETTLED?

The wrangling over the budget may not actually be done yet. It seems that many still have something to say , one of them being Council Minority Leader Dr. Larry Deutsch.

The following statement was received from Dr. Deutsch today:

Letter to City employees, the public, and the press:

Many of us appreciate the Mayor's message to Council and the Public regarding approval of a budget, which for review I quote as follows: "I am pleased that, working with City Council
members and the City Treasurer, we were able to reach a budget agreement that
does exactly what residents and business owners have asked of their elected
officials: reduced spending,... I do, however, have a concern with the
resolutions that require progressive furlough days based on salary. While I
understand and appreciate the sentiment, I am troubled by the adverse impact
that this type of policy would have on our city management systems. Instead, I
intend to focus on payroll direct deposit and limit the impact of any and all
furlough days."We MUST note sharp difference with his final comment.
City Council passed by a good margin, very consciously and deliberately, the
resolution that any furlough days and savings for taxpayers be FAIRLY designed,
with smallest sacrifice from workers and families least able to afford
it.Council was well aware of calculations and consequences of this new
money-saving furlough policy, including how it impacts city management as well
as vital front-line workers and services. Like the public, Council is also aware
of out-of-proportion raises already given to top management, as in big
corporations, but now at taxpayers’ expense. In the past, Mr. Segarra
condemned a previous Chief of Staff for minimizing Council resolutions as only
"advisory". How do we now read a similar remark that "...instead, I intend to focus on..." that is
different from what Council
resolved?
So, since the
Mayor raised such concern, probably all workers, Hartford families, the press, and City website
should continue attention to these issues of fairness and
sacrifice.

Larry Deutsch,
Minority Leader, Hartford City
Council

THE RACE FOR REGISTRAR OF VOTERS

I want to start off this posting with a short disclaimer, these are my opinions and do not necessarily express the opinions of the 7th District Hartford Democratic Town Committee or the Hartford Democratic Town Committee overall. I say that to make it clear since I am also a member of the Democratic Town Committee. These opinions will not be news to anyone on the HDTC since I have already expressed them openly and publicly.

With that being said, the race for Registrar of Voters is a mess. At least three candidates have more baggage than an Amtrak station. At least one other newcomer has arrived on the scene and actually seems to be gaining some momentum.

The Registrar of Voters position is one that is mandated by State of Connecticut statutes. It is also probably the last position left for true political patronage. There are no requirements such as level of education, no background checks and really no day to day supervision of their operations. The Secretary of the State supervises their required filings and election results, but other than that the Registrars answer to no one, except in theory the voters.

Even though the Registrars are technically Department heads for the City, neither the Mayor nor the Council have any administrative control over their operations, with the exception of approving their budget. Complaints against the Registrar of Voters operations usually seem to land in the hands of the State Elections Enforcement Commission for review and action.The Mayor can not hire, fire or discipline them as he can any other Department head serving at the pleasure of the Mayor.

This year the Registrar of Voters Office has been highlighted in mismanagement as they exceeded their budget and had gone back to the Council and Mayor asking for almost a quarter of a million dollars in additional funding since they over spent their budget. The reason for that might have been quite obvious to those who attended recent interviews for Registrar of Voters held at the Annie Fisher School. All four candidates were asked the annual budget for the ROV office and not of them knew, including the current Democratic Registrar.

As a department head, it seems incomprehensible that the current Registrar would not know her annual budget as well as a pretty accurate number as to what has been spent and what remains to be spent . I'm also unable to give a free pass to the three challengers as I think that if you are really concerned about running for the office, it is incumbent upon you to know as much as possible about the operations, including an approximate budget number and staffing positions. That is all public information and readily available.

I had mentioned the three "baggage handlers" as well as the new comer. Just for clarification, the newcomer is Charmaine Waul. The other three are current Registrar of Voters Olga Vazquez, Kelley Kirkley-Bey and Ramon Arroyo.The major drawback to Waul is her lack of experience in politics in Hartford. When you look how political the Registrar's Office is when it is actually supposed to be non partisan, that might actually be a benefit rather than a drawback.

At this point, from everything I have been able to find, Waul may be the only one in the race able to enter the Registrar's Office with what they call " clean hands". No Elections Enforcement complaints or lawsuits against her and no solid ties to anyone politically that might try to "own" her, no criminal arrests for prostitution charges or drug arrests no claims of "losing" or altering election documents to favor one slate over another, no appeals or court cases pending questioning her integrity.

Rumors were swirling that since the 4th District Democratic Town Committee was the first district to interview her, then she must be put up by the DiBella's as their candidate. Several districts were uncomfortable with that and the rumor continued to swirl that last week Hartford Democratic Town Chair Marc DiBella actually sent out an e-mail claiming that there were no ties and he only just met her at the request of one of his members.

The interesting part is that no one seems to have the required 51% of the overall Town Committee votes to prevail in the nomination. That might change though between now and the HDTC Convention for the Registrar of Voters nominations. It seems as though it is imperative that members of the HDTC ask some tough questions between now and that convention. The Registrar's Office should be beyond reproach and in this case integrity really does matter.

When it comes to voter's rights and the need for elections to remain 100% above any question or suspicion, the choice for the next person to fill that office should not be made based upon political favors or allegiances when those decisions are potentially rewarding past criminal behavior, malfeasance and incompetence.

Hartford has a unique situation where we are the only municipality in the State to have a third Registrar. Urania Petit and the Working Families Party were able to research Connecticut Laws and found in 2007 that they could run a candidate for the position and the only statutory requirement was that she get one more ballot cast for her than the votes of the low vote getting major party also running. That would be the Republican Registrar, and WFP did it and Petit was added to the Office of the Registrar of Voters.

The Republican Registrar of Voters position is also up fro grabs this year and Hartford resident Nyesha McCauley has announced her intention to run as a challenger for that position. Word for months has been that Republican Registrar Sal Bramante is considering retiring, but was possibly going to do that after the election so he could name his successor. This might be the time for Republicans to come together, show some leadership, avoid the cost of a primary battle and let some new ideas from McCauley rebuild the Republican side of the Registrar's Office. More on this scenario in another posting soon

Word has also been for years that the Registrar of Voters Office was prime real estate because of the salaries. There aren't too many positions that pay $85,000 for political hacks, I mean elected officials, with little or no education required above high school, and I don't even think that is a requirement. That might be changing now though as I am being told by sources that the annual salary may actually be reduced through budget cuts to something closer to $55,000 a year and the position of the Deputy Registrar may actually be no salary or reduced to a part time position.

State law requires a Deputy registrar position for each party but no salary is mandated. The Deputy Registrar is only in place to serve as the replacement for the Registrar if they need to be replaced through death, retirement or some other removal.

It would be nice to see the Registrar's Office actually run as a professional operation and see the taxpayers get their money's worth out of this office. That includes greater voter involvement and participation, more voter education and empowerment and a real level of "customer service" for those using the office.

In this case , integrity really does matter and those endorsing the candidates need to do what they were elected to do and endorse the best possible candidates, not the candidates best at cutting dirty deals and overlooking their past.

And like I stated in the beginning, none of this information comes from any "inside" information from the Town Committee. This is all public information for anyone to find on their own whether it is the SEEC website, Judicial records or other means.

And by the way, the question that even the current Democratic Registrar of Voters couldn't answer, the annual budget for the ROV office is roughly $760,000 , unless of course when they overspend by almost a quarter of a million dollars like the Republican and Democratic Registrar's did this year.

MAPLE AVENUE REVITILAZATION GROUP TO MEET TONIGHT

The Maple Avenue Revitilization Group, MARG, will meet tonight at 6:00PM in the basement of St. Augustine Church at 10 Campfield Avenue.

Tonight's special guest will be Hartford Police Chief James Rovella. If you haven't had the opportunity to meet Chief Rovella or if you would like to hear his plans for the Hartford Police Department, feel free to stop by. The meeting is open to the public

A MUCH GREATER PROBLEM FOR HARTFORD

There was a lot of finger pointing going on at the Capitol the last few days, much of it coming from Mayor Segarra and his dynamic duo.

In a statement released this morning, Segarra , who happens to be in San Francisco , said “The result tonight is a reckless disregard for the residents and business owners of the City of Hartford. After months of meetings, proposals and conversations – and six days of continuous discussions with all stakeholders – the entire legislative delegation finally came together to support House Bill 5156 (LCO Amendment 5565). It was not a perfect bill, but it would have made essential technical corrections to Public Act 11-212 and allowed the City the ability to generate the additional revenue that was assured 3 weeks ago when a previous compromise was struck and my recommended budget was due. The continual back-and-forth, the brinksmanship, the willingness by some to kill a bill or concept simply because it wasn’t 100% of what they desired will only end up hurting residents and business owners."

I guess I have to ask who was actually responsible for "the reckless disregard" as Segarra states? It seems that much of the proposed Segarra budget is based on phony revenue projections and non-existent dollars he used to balance the budget. In the private sector I think it would be called fraud, and I think more than a few corporate people have gone to prison for similar actions.

The real facts are that Segarra and his budget team used  projected revenue that  the failed legislation would have raised to balance his budget. There was no firm commitment that the legislation was going to pass and it seems both reckless and irresponsible, and possibly fraudulent, to count on those numbers. It feels the same that if I purchase a lotto ticket, I may actually win so I am going to go spend that money before I even have it. In this case, Segarra's bid for the lotto win failed and we are left with a $9 million budget hole that now needs to be filled.

It may actually be worse than the $9 million hole though. Segarra's budget also seems to be counting on more "funny money" , including $1 million dollars in Union concessions. As of today I don't believe that there is a single penny being given back yet by any of Hartford's unions. It may actually be a tough sell to union leadership to get any voluntary givebacks considering that Segarra handed out large raises to his inner circle while many lower paid employees haven't received raises since 2007.

Then there was the $45 million Segarra and Chief Operating Officer David Panagore claim the State of Connecticut owes Hartford for school building projects dating back over 8 years. As you might expect, Governor Malloy and the State of Connecticut have a different take on that. Even though both Segarra and Panagore claim they are using that money to close budget gaps over the next five years, there is no commitment that the money even exists or is owed to Hartford.

The failure of the bills to pass may just be a blessing in disguise though. First of it is going to make the Council take a long hard look at the budget and actually force them to cut City spending. The Charter requires a balanced budget and the Council needs to make that happen. Council President Shawn Wooden told me last night that the Council was well underway in making substantial cuts to the Mayor's proposed budget to reduce spending.

The loss of Segarra's version of "Monopoly" money now makes the council's job even more difficult. This action is long overdue though as Hartford has relied on the annual "band-aid" fixes from the Legislature to address budget and revenue issues rather than take the hard look at it's spending. Hartford's annual budget spending has increased over $130 million a year since 2001. Most people would also say that the budgetary increases have not corresponded to an increased delivery of city services.

In Segarra's press release today he stated that the bills failed "because of disingenuous motives and an inexplicable unwillingness to compromise". Hopefully he wrote that comment while looking in a mirror with his Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec and COO David Panagore behind him. If nothing else, Segarra may be forced to realize now that his tactics aren't working. How much more can his crew embarrass him before he realizes that he is being made a fool of and it is time for change?

For anyone that reads this blog regularly, you already know I am not a fan of Senator John Fonfara. But I can give credit when it is due. Fonfara stood his ground on these bills right up until the final minutes. Much of that was due to pressure from Metro Hartford Alliance President Oz Griebel, but he still held his ground. I think in this case his constituents are actually going to benefit from his actions.

I had a long conversation with Griebel at the Capitol Wednesday night, and he clearly understands what it is going to take to start turning Hartford around. It is not going to be a higher mill rate or higher taxes on a City that is already the highest taxed in the state. It is going to take a common sense  business approach, not poorly conceived political solutions.

Although Segarra claimed that the bill would have been the right thing to do, nothing could have been further from the truth. What it would have done was bail him out from his fraud budget, but at what cost?

The proposed legislation would have directly put a $ 9 million burden on the backs of Hartford residents who are renters. The proposal would have upped the assessment percentage on rental properties and most property owners and investors would not absorb the additional tax costs, they would pass it on to their tenants. How does that benefit Hartford's residents who are renters, many of them already living on the financial edge?

These failures by the Segarra administration need to lead to a few very important conversations. First off needs to be with the Council, and they should be very upset with the precarious position Segarra has placed them in with the phony money budget. The second conversation needs to lead to some deep soul searching by Segarra. How much more can he allow Panagore and Kupiec to conduct business in this manner.

It seems like this "Cabinet" and Segarra's management team should be compared to the gang who couldn't shoot straight. They have alienated just about everyone who is in a position to help Hartford, but if you read the press releases and letters, it is everyone elses fault except theirs. When is Pedro going to realize this isn't working.

And finally the real discussion needs to be how are we going to reduce spending and start living within our means as a City. All the band aids don't matter one bit if we can't realize we have a real problem with revenue vs. spending

In the meantime we need a Mayor who can put the social worker mentality aside and start making the tough decisions he was elected to make and stop listening to those who have no clue what Hartford needs or even how to get there.

Hopefully Mayor Segarra is enjoying his trip to San Francisco, some real work needs to be done when he returns

DEAD AGAIN

Word from the Capitol is that the budget closing deal for Mayor Segarra that was killed then resuscitated has once again died.

I have to really ask why Segarra would build a budget around money he never had and then wait until the final hours of the Legislative session to try to get a commitment for the funds? It sounds both reckless and deceptive

PLEASE , STOP LAUGHING , IT'S NOT FUNNY

This is what is running our City.

I posted a comment earlier that I wish I had Adobe Photoshop when someone came up with the caped crusader and his "boy blunder" to describe Hartford's Chief Operating Officer David Panagore and his loyal sidekick, Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec.

 Within minutes this picture appeared in my e-mail.

Thank you to my faithful readers

WHO MAKES THESE DECISIONS ?

I just watched the breaking news on Channel 3 that the University of Connecticut Women's basketball program has ended their relationship with CPTV to televise the women's games. This is wrong on so many levels. Let's start off that the company chosen, SNY isn't even Connecticut based, it is in New York. Hopefully Governor Malloy might have something to say about this as we look at more jobs being lost in Connecticut by the people that produced the UConn games. According to Uconn, the winning bid for SNY was $20,000 more than the CPTV bid which was somewhere in the $4 million range over the next four years. UConn needs to realize why they are the popular program they are today. It's the loyalty of their fans and the people who have supported them over the years. CPTV was airing their games back when no one was watching women's basketball. The success of Uconn can be tied largely to the fan base built by CPTV. Should the UConn program be driven entirely by dollars or should they also consider their fans, many or them who are senior citizens who don't have cable or satellite packages. It just seems like a state university should be about pride and support from their local fans who also support the college through taxes paid and not so much "broadening the UConn appeal" as the media reports stated. Maybe it is time for a boycott of the UConn Women to remind them what is important and who supports them.

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T"

Respect, it goes a long way, especially when you are looking for $9 million dollars from the State of Connecticut.

Over the last week I have spent some time at the Capitol observing the inner workings while the Legislature is in session and I can't help but thinking Democracy shouldn't be this difficult. Yesterday was a perfect example.

Apparently last Friday an amendment to a bill was moving forward that would essentially giver Hartford $9million dollars from the State to help Mayor Segarra close his budget gap. Maybe not a gap, more like a canyon that will only get wider in the next few years under the reckless budget plan of the City of Hartford.

The deal was set except for one detail. Representative Doug McCrory was apparently trying to get a commitment from Mayor Segarra and his Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec for the use of a city field for the midget football program. You are probably asking what one thing has to do with the other. Spend any time at the Capitol and you will quickly learn that it is not about right and wrong and what benefits a community, it is about old fashioned horse trading. If you need something to benefit your constituents, you have to cut a deal when someone else needs your support.

In the end it wasn't McCrory's request that put the bill in jeopardy, it was one local business leader who put pressure on State Senator John Fonfara and later Saturday evening the bill was "killed" . (it is campaign time and those business contributions weigh more heavily than constituent's needs).

Monday was a new day and the horse trading began once again. Segarra and his Chief of Staff were scampering around the Capitol all day wheeling and dealing, from caucus rooms to the private office of Fonfara and everywhere in between. In order to be "deal makers" though, I think you need to come from a position of respect and be willing to compromise , not just make demands. At this point I think Segarra needs the help of the legislature more than the legislature needs him.

It just boggles my mind that a $9million dollar deal bailout for Hartford came down to arrogance and refusing to work with McCrory for his football field. All he needed was a commitment for a flat space for Hartford's kids to practice. If it was my call, I would have told McCrory the bulldozer was on the way to level a field and I was headed to Home Depot to buy the grass seed, and when could I pick up the check for the $9million.

It seems like a no brainer, but there is a flip side to the coin also. Hartford doesn't have the best track record when it comes to using the State of Connecticut's funds wisely. You might remember a couple years ago when Hartford was at the Capitol crying poverty and they needed $3million for school tranportation. The legislature found the money for Hartford only to be surprised a few weeks later when the Board of education gave out $2.8million in bonuses.

Hartford can not continue to spend money they don't have and expect the legislature to continue to bail them out. Maybe some cuts in spending and a little belt tightening might go a long way to show that we realize we have a problem and we are working to solve it. To project a $128million dollar budget canyon 5 years from now, as Segarra has done, and do nothing to begin to address it, is nothing short of reckless and incompetence.

The Mayor also needs to begin asking who is behind these failures and constant embarrassment for him. Two names seem to be the ringleaders of almost all of the failures and missteps...Panagore and Kupiec. As I go around the City I have begun asking people to name one, just one, of their success stories for Hartford. No one has provided me with any , although they can rattle off the failures and times that they have both made Mayor Segarra look like an unprepared amateur.

The WFSB building, the market at Hartford 21, the $45million that the State owes us to close the budget gap that the State claims they don't owe, Occupy Hartford which cost the City tens of thousands of dollars at the same time the CEO was bringing them coffee and donuts, the Chief of Staff's City SUV and his love of the lights and siren, the pay raises , the bonuses, I think you get the point.

Again, it goes back to respect on both sides . The letter below was sent by Mayor Segarra to Hartford's delegation today. I kind of doubt Mayor Segarra wrote the letter, but by the tone I can almost tell you who did. The dynamic duo should have learned a few weeks ago that they aren't going to shame Governor Malloy into forking over $45 million dollars by embarrassing him. Trying to do the same thing to the Legislature probably won't work either.

It might be wise for Mayor Segarra to make the trips to the Capitol by himself and leave his baggage back at the office, unless he needs the lights and siren to get there.


5.8.12+Ltr+to+Legislative+Delegation+Re+Tax+Bill

HERE ARE THE GOP NUMBERS

Below are the actual numbers by district for votes cast in last weeks Republican primary. There has to be a better, and more cost effective way, to do this.

At least 3 District polling places had no one show up and 5 polling locations each had one person show up.

District 1   Liberty Christian Center        0 votes cast
District 2   Liberty Christian Center      34 votes cast
District 3   Grace Lutheran Church       17 votes cast
District 4   Hartford Seminary               28 votes cast
District 5   United Methodist Church    13 votes cast
District 6   Northend Senior Center        0 votes cast
District 7   Rawson School                     0 votes cast
District 8   Annie Fischer School            1  vote cast
District 9   YWCA                                  5 votes cast
District 10 House of Restoration            1  vote cast
District 11 United Way                           7 votes cast
District 12  Burns School                        5 votes cast
District 13  Parkville School                   5 votes cast
District 14  Mary Hooker School            6 votes cast
District 15  Batchelder School               13 votes cast
District 16  Kennelly School                  10 votes cast
District 17  Southend Wellness Center   9  votes cast
District 18  Metzner Center                   12 votes cast
District 19  Bulkeley High                      3  votes cast
District 20  Learning Corridor                3  votes cast
District 21  Dutch Point Comm. Room  4  votes cast
District 22  Hartford Public Library      10 votes cast
District 23  Mary Shepard Place             1  vote cast
District 24   Parker Memorial                 1  vote cast

All of these polling locations were staffed by paid workers from before 6:00am to after 8:00pm.

THIS IS GETTING AGGRAVATING

I'll be the first to admit that Hartford has its problems.

But I am getting tired of everyone that feels they can make claims using Hartford's problems to cover their own poor decisions or personal problems. You are probably asking yourself what the heck I am talking about. Bottom line is not everything is as it appears when people portray Hartford as a violent fearful place. That all goes to giving Hartford a public black eye, when in several high profile cases recently the stories are the furthest thing from the truth.

Whether they are claims of vicious attacks or broad daylight sexual assaults, people are quick to jump on the claims to make Hartford look like a city full of predators waiting to jump their next victim. The other problem is that the City doesn't come out swinging on these things to combat these false portrayals.

Today is a perfect example. On April 12, 2012 a woman made a claim that she  was "taken" off the street, apparently dragged behind  the Mark Twain House and was the victim of a sexual assault. The alleged incident immediately made the news, a sexual assault occurring in broad daylight behind one of Hartford's most notable landmarks and tourist spots.

Now it turns out that there were several inconsistencies. Surveillance cameras covering the grounds of the area showed no evidence of anyone being dragged anywhere. The alleged victim, a 19 year old student at the Lincoln Culinary Institute apparently showed no outward signs signs consistent with her claims. A victim being dragged across the lawn and into a secluded area should at least show some grass stains, dirt or other evidence on a white chef's uniform, none of that was apparently the case.

Today the "alleged" victim, a 19 year old female was arrested by the Hartford Police Department for Falsely Reporting an Incident 2nd degree. Unfortunately, in cases like this, the damage has already been done and the public corrections will probably not be forthcoming anytime soon.

MORE SMOKE AND MIRRORS FROM CITY HALL

Why the residents and business people of Hartford are not up in arms over Hartford's fictitious budget is beyond me. At least one local reporter though is doing more of the digging to expose this work of fiction. The claims of the $45 million the State of Connecticut owes us, the $1 million dollars in union concessions were both being used to prop up the claim to balance Hartford's budget gap, but it seems those dollars may potentially be nonexistent.

Jeff Cohen at WNPR now is looking into the claims that mayor Segarra made that he has cut $1 million dollars from the Mayor's Office budget. "Cut" might have been the wrong term, shuffling and hiding is probably a more accurate description.

Read Jeff's story here to see how creative budgeting and accounting actually works at Hartford City Hall.

I think I need to put a disclaimer here though..."DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, THESE ARE TRAINED PROFESSIONALS. USING THE SAME TECHNIQUES  IMPLEMENTED BY THE SEGARRA ADMINISTRATION FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL FINANCES MAY RESULT IN FORCED BANKRUPTCY, LOSS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE  AND MAY ACTUALLY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING"

Click here to read Jeff Cohen's report

TAKE THE POLL

In the top of the right column is a blogpoll related to Hartford's search for a permanent Police Chief. It is far from scientific, but I would like to know what you think. You can not post a comment on the poll, but feel free to post your thoughts here

THINGS THAT CONFUSE ME

I was searching the City of Hartford's website this afternoon , hartford.gov , looking for the job posting for the position of Police Chief. No, I am not applying, I just wanted to see what we paid $50,000 for, but that is for another posting .

On the same page that the job posting for the Chief was listed  a posting for summer lifeguards for Hartford's public pools was also listed. And no, I am not applying for that position either. What interested me though was the "City of Hartford Residency Affidavit". It seems like the requirements we place for residency are more restrictive for the position of a part-time lifeguard than they are for some of our more important positions.

The affidavit is below, but wouldn't it be nice if we applied those same requirements to MDC Chairpersons, State Representatives and even Emergency Telecommunications Directors and not just part-time lifeguards?
Residency Affadavit0001

NOW THIS IS TRANSPARENCY

Myself and my fellow members of the 7th District Hartford Democratic Town Committee campaigned recently promising transparency, openness and a desire to help educate voters to encourage greater voter involvement.

As they say, actions speak louder than words, so here goes.

On Friday evening, May 4, 2012 the members of "Team 7" will be hosting public interviews for the positions of Registrar of Voters and United States Senator as we decide our endorsements as delegates to both conventions. As I said, the interviews are open to the public, we encourage the public to attend and even submit questions you would like the candidates to answer.

This will not be a debate format but individual "job" style interviews to see where the candidates stand on issues facing our community.

The timetable for the event is outlined below:

Please note that the timetable may change slightly if any additional candidates register before Friday. Time slots were assigned alphabetically. Spread the word to anyone interested, we hope to see you there.

15 minutes per candidate in alphabetical order
5 minutes - Candidate Opening Remarks
5 minutes - Questions From Moderators
5 minutes - Questions From Audience


SCHEDULE: REGISTRAR OF VOTERS - Candidates will be interviewed in alphabetical order


6:00 to 6:15 p.m. Arroyo, Ramon
6:15 to 6:30 p.m. Kirkley-Bey, Kellie
6:30 to 6:45 p.m. Vazquez, Olga
6:45 to 7:00 p.m. Waul, Charmaine

15 MINUTE BREAK


SCHEDULE: U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE


7:15 to 7:30 p.m. Bysiewicz, Susan
7:30 to 7:45 p.m. Murphy, Chris
7:45 to 8:00 p.m. Oakes, Matthew
8:00 to 8:15 p.m. Whitnum, Lee


The event will be held at the Annie Fisher School at 280 Plainfield Street in Hartford. Please feel free to attend and hear what the candidates have to say.

Candidate+Interviews+Flyer+5.4.2012