Yesterday I posted that Mayor Segarra had just announced the permanent Human Resources Director. I got that information from a news article someone had sent to me and I mistakenly thought it was from yesterday, not checking out the date. She was apparently appointed in February of 2012.
Everything else in the posting I stand by. The vindictiveness , the witchhunt, misuse of city credit cards, massages...all of it.
We will see if the City Council steps up and exercises the authority given to them by the Charter and actually looks into her egregious behavior.
As of yesterday, my understanding is that the employee being singled out has retained legal counsel. Let the battle begin
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I used to get extremely aggravated in the beginning days of the blog when I would develop sources, work hard verifying and investigating the facts, post the story and then see it a few days later in the "mainstream" media.
Most often, with the exception of WFSB and Jeff Cohen at WNPR, the media cut and paste reporters don't give credit to the blog. It has now become flattering to me that I have sources and can gather information when the people who are supposed "professionals" and actually get paid to do it are days behind me and usually start investigating after they read it here.
In the latest story regarding the Jamaican Fire truck, a lot of work went into that tracking people down and getting the information. When I realized the scope I went to WFSB Len Besthoff for help. He is a master at finding information and has definitely taught me a lot.Right from the start, Len insisted that "We the People" would be mentioned in his story, since that is where the story came from. Anytime Jeff Cohen has used information from me, he has said so and linked back to the blog..
Jeff was the first to break the Perez corruption story when he was still at the Hartford Courant. His efforts lead to the creation of a grand jury investigation into Perez's Administration and Perez's eventual conviction and prison sentence on corruption charges
Jeff and Len, without question, are two of the best Investigative reporters by far in the Hartford area, and their professionalism and ethics show it. Most of the information posted here are original pieces, not something I rip from a wire service or copy from other blogs, and in the rare occasion I do, I say it.
I no longer get aggravated by the "rip and read" reporters because I love the calls and e-mails when people tell me they know where they read it first. And I do it all for free.
Mayor Segarra today announced the appointment of Valda Washington as the permanent head of Hartford's Human Resources Department. This couldn't have come at a more opportune time.
Quite frankly, the HR Department at City Hall is a mess under her leadership or lack thereof.
But now she must face the Hartford City Council to answer questions before she is approved by them. Where should I start the list of questions that hopefully we can have asked?
What experience does she have negotiating Union contracts, it would appear little or none if what Union reps are telling me is true. Why are people in her department going out on Medical leave due to stress? Why is she so concerned about the media reviewing her City credit card expenses that she would actually put her fears in writing through e-mails? And what's up with the West Hartford Massages?
And does she understand progressive discipline? How do you place an employee on paid Administrative leave and charge her with Gross Insubordination just because Washington believes she leaked e-mails to me? I can't wait to see that one before the Labor Board. How will you document what she did wrong, if anything at all.A clerical error on a payroll report? Clearly a mistake and far from anything warranting termination. It happens all the time .
The hearing officer should love that one. "Sir I believe she leaked my e-mails about the abuse of my City Credit card, she had to go". Immediately on to Superior court for award of damages I would imagine
And who sends out"2 hour early dismissal vouchers" as a Christmas present to City employees, another unwarranted expense on the City's dime. And if you want to present employees with a gift, pull out your own credit card and buy them something.
The treatment of the employees under Washington, is the exact reason I have asked members of our legislative delegation to look into a bill that would provide "whistle blower" protection to Municipal employees.
Employees wishing to point out malfeasance by municipal officials should not have to be in fear of their jobs for doing the right thing. Hopefully the Hartford City Council will ask the important questions before another hiring mistake is approved by an outsider who sees Hartford as a good paycheck and the next step on the career ladder
Hopefully Valda Washington will realize I will go to the mat for something I believe in. And that includes exposing a witchhunt to terrorize employees into keeping their mouths shut and trying to terminate someone for doing the right thing. I realize she is new to Hartford, but she may want to go through the archives here to read about some of the fights and the outcome.
Dan Nolan is back, Neville Brooks is now a Deputy Chief and Darryl Roberts abruptly "retired" as a result of the Rudewicz report which came about because of the blog. Female employees in MHIS are no longer the victims of Sexual Harassment and a change in leadership occurred there when the Director was shown the door.And don't forget a lot of the information that was provided regarding our former Mayor Eddie A. Perez, who is now a convicted felon. The list could go on and on, I don't even know the identity of my source from HR, but I am more than willing to fight for anyone that is wronged when they try to do the right thing.
That is how corruption flourishes, when good people with a conscience are threatened to keep quiet. Like the television ad says " If you see something, say something", and Ms. Washington, people are saying a lot, with or without your threats.
pictured above, 130 New Britian Avenue, site of the new Hartford Police at Trinity College substation
When you look at Hartford's crime statistics and the decrease over the last two years, you have to realize that it isn't happening by luck.
Much of the decrease can be gauged by the calendar and the arrival of James Rovella in Hartford and his support and leadership of the Shooting Task Force. His eventual appointment as Hartford's Police Chief also has brought about much change.
Rovella is becoming extremely well respected by both Hartford's residents and the Corporate Community of Hartford. I know the Chief understands that the success or failure of HPD does not lie entirely in his hands. It is all about partnerships and relationships to continue his successes.
Whether it is Insurance Companies providing meals for PAL participants, the Faith based community being asked to step up and do their part to control violence or just asking for everyone to help make Hartford safer. Rovella isn't afraid to knock on doors or pick up the phone and ask for help.
One of the most visible partners will soon be Trinity College. Trinity has committed to the renovation of a building on the outskirts of the Trinity Campus at 130 New Britain Avenue. The building , which is slated for opening April 1, 2013 will be known as the Hartford Police Substation at Trinity College.
The location is a strategic one for several reasons. it sits right in a neighborhood that drives much of the Part 1 (most serious crime) in the area. The building sits at an intersection that has had more than its fair share of carjacking, shootings and other serious crime. Similar to the drastic reduction in crime on Edwards Street when the Shooting Task Force set up shop in that neighborhood, it is expected the new sub-station will offer the same degree or greater level of stability to the Trinity neighborhood.
The renovations, being orchestrated by Lieutenant Robert Allan, commander of the southeast zone, has been a great partnership between HPD and Trinity. In a cash strapped City with limited funding, according to LT Allan, the effort would have never happened without Trinity stepping up.
The efforts will also provide Trinity with a much more visible police presence around the Campus.
The substation will have a large Community Room for the use of the public and neighborhood groups. It will feature much needed office space for burglary and auto theft detectives who have recently been moved out into the "field" rather than centralized at the Police Department. Robbery detectives may also eventually be moved out into the field as well.
A large area with 3 workstations will be available for police officers assigned to the area around Trinity to do their paperwork and reports, which will keep the officers in their respective areas , rather than going to headquarters to do their reports, which is not only time consuming but reduces police presence in the neighborhoods where they are needed.
Administrative offices will also be available for police supervisors to maintain a presence and be available in the community for the public to meet with them.
In an effort of full disclosure, I have had a business relationship with Trinity College for over 20 years and I will be donating a video surveillance to HPD for the building also.
I have tried to convince Chief Rovella to conduct a fund raising drive to have a bronze statue of him made so that we could place at the intersection waving to everyone as they go by, he hasn't committed to the idea yet.
Thank you to Trinity and all of the other partners, corporate, religious and neighborhood groups working hard everyday to make Chief Rovella's vision a reality.
When State Rep. Doug McCrory called me yesterday to get out information about his forum tonight , he also said that he had an unusual request to ask of me. He said that he wanted to praise a couple of Hartford police Officers publicly for ma job well done.
The request came at a good time because I also got another call yesterday telling me that a Hartford Police Officer had been bad mouthing me and the blog yesterday during roll call, upset that I had made HPD look bad when I post about wrongdoing by HPD officers. The downtown officer, who shall remain nameless, was upset by the Jamaican Fire Truck story and the possible involvement of an HPD Sergeant .
I asked the caller if maybe the unnamed Officer had gone to the subject of the posting and asked why he would put himself in a position, allegedly. to embarrass HPD. I guess it is a case of "kill the messenger" don't question the one who committed the action, allegedly.
Anyway, I think I do praise HPD and their positive actions as well as report on the negatives when they are justified to be out in the public. I often get accused of being the PR agent for Chief Rovella and HPD. I guess it is what it is.
So to satisfy the request of my State Rep, here is his message of appreciation. Apparently Monday night, McCrory's I-phone was stolen. He reported the theft to HPD. Officer's Jeff Morrison and Johnathan Carroll responded and according to McCrory did an outstanding job locating the phone through GPS. The phone was located and recovered for Representative McCrory.
Hartford State Representatives Doug McCrory and Brandon McGhee will be holding a community forum on gun violence tonight.
The town hall-style meeting is set for 6 p.m. tonight at the Faith Congregational Church at 2030 Main Street in Hartford. According to Rep. Mccrory, Governor Malloy, Hartford county States Attorney Gail Hardy and Hartford Police Chief James Rovella all are expected to attend the discussion which is open to the public.
It is anticipated that the discussion will focus on urban violence in Connecticut's capitol city. Over 300 people have been murdered in Hartford in the last decade, most by handguns, and very few by assault style weapons.
According to Rep McCrory, this is a discussion that most likely should have been held years ago.
The Suthpen Telescopic Aerial Platform (ladder truck) sent to Morant Bay , Jamaica by the Hartford City Council. Hartford Police Sergeant Andrew Lawrence of the Caribbean Trade Council, 2nd from Left.
The equipment above, including turnout gear, Hurst Tool, 3000 feet of hose, 15 Air packs and 30 spare air bottles, amongst other items, were part of the missing shipment that never made it to our Sister City of Morant Bay Jamaica as per the Council's resolution
In July of 2008, at the request of Hartford's Mayor at the time, Eddie A. Perez, The Hartford City Council passed a resolution to donate a surplus fire truck, pictured above, to Hartford's sister city of Morant Bay, Jamaica. The council resolution is below.
Through e-mails obtained by "We The People" it appears that the truck and the associated equipment was shipped to Jamaica, apparently under the supervision of Andrew Lawrence of The Caribbean Trade Council. Lawrence is also a Hartford Police Sergeant assigned to the Internal Affairs Division currently.
According to an e-mail obtained by "We the People" sent from Hartford Fire Department Equipment Superintendent Michael Smith to , at the time Assistant Chief Edward Casares, the need to send the truck to Jamaica was questioned by Smith. He stated that "(former Chief) Teale got us into this" and states "this will cost you...I told him(Teale)the truck was to be junked". Smith further states that "this was all to make Andrew(Lawrence) look good to his peeps".
Smith also apparently expressed frustation with the demands to refurbish the truck for shipping. In the e-mail he state " I don't want to start repairing a truck we junked.He( Lawrence) thinks I can just walk away from my job and go do what I want, like he does
In other e-mails it appears that Casares tells smith to make the truck "safe" so that Hartford is not embarrassed. Eventually, it appears that the truck was shipped to a dock in Philadelphia at a cost of $3,000 to be put on a boat and shipped to Jamaica.
In addition, according to various e-mails, it appears that both Lawrence and Walter Benjamin of Caribbean Travel Agency were instrumental in getting the necessary paperwork to ship the truck to Jamaica.
Now here is where the story takes a few unexpected turns.
In the fall of last year, Mayor Marsha Francis of Morant Bay, Jamaica was in Hartford at the invitation of Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra. During a dinner reception, sources overheard a conversation between Segarra and Francis in which the Jamaican Mayor, made a request of Segarra for a fire truck. The source, realizing we had already sent a fire truck per the 2008 Council resolution, questioned what happened to the original truck.
Again, according to sources, the response was that the truck had been sold in Jamaica and never made it to Morant Bay. It apparently did arrive at the dock in Saint Mary , Jamaica and then was diverted to a private entity.According to sources on the ground in Jamaica as well as newspaper accounts, the truck is most likely at Ian Fleming International Airport in Saint Mary Jamaica, not Morant bay , where it was supposed to end up.
In a phone conversation with Morant Bay Mayor, Marsha Francis by telephone, she confirmed that the truck never made it to Morant Bay, she had agreed to answer questions through e-mail regarding the vehicle. After sending the e-mails, I never received a response.
On January 15, 2013, the Hartford City Council passed another resolution to send another truck to Morant Bay. It appears that Mayor Segarra may have been made aware that the first vehicle never arrived, but that information apparently wasn't relayed to the current Council before they voted on the new resolution. Segarra was a member of the Council when the first truck resolution was approved. Councilman Ken Kennedy and Dr. Larry Deutsch were also on the Council at the time.
It appears that no one questioned the need for the second truck to Morant Bay, at least not publicly.
The second truck has not been shipped to Jamaica as of this date. According to Police sources. Lawrence is currently the subject of an Internal Affairs Investigation into the matter and other agencies may potentially be investigating the case.
When I realized the scope of the matter, WFSB Investigative reporter and Hartford Bureau Chief Len Besthoff worked on this also and his story can be seen on WFSB.com. Thank you Len for your help. Click here to view the I-Team Report
Through e-mails obtained by "We The People" it appears that the truck and the associated equipment was shipped to Jamaica, apparently under the supervision of Andrew Lawrence of The Caribbean Trade Council. Lawrence is also a Hartford Police Sergeant assigned to the Internal Affairs Division currently.
The weather forcasts for this weekend seem to be predicting mostly snow and according to WTIC radio "lot's of it". This could really be an opportunity for our Department of Publics Works Director to show that he can actually run his department.
Only time will tell , if the storm hits, we will see what our streets look like Monday morning. Will it confirm incompetence or was it really the result of a historic storm.
As I have posted here before the problem isn't with guns, the problem is the human hands these guns are getting into. Responsible gun owners who keep their guns secured and understand the responsibility of properly owning a weapon aren't the problem.
I was stunned when I heard Vice President Biden claiming to have told his wife to go out on the porch with a double barrel shotgun and jack a couple rounds into the air if she ever felt threatened. That is the furthest thing from what a responsible gun owner would or should do. Not to mention that it is most likely illegal in most locations.
This just goes to show the rhetoric that is being spouted by policiticans grandstanding as the result of a terrible tragedy. Gun violence has been escalating in our country for decades, but apparently it takes 20 dead first graders at the hands of a mentally ill gunman to start the debate. Pure politics at this point. It will hopefully produce results, but in the case of our Mayor, where has he been with all of the young people that have died on Hartford's streets over the last 10 or 15 years.
Mayor Segarra is in Danbury today , along with Wyatt Earp Biden, discussing gun control in response to Newtown. Mayor Segarra this morning explained his presence on twitter stating he was participating because he was afraid of guns after losing his own father to gun violence.
A gun by itself is nothing to be afraid of, it is the hands we put them in that creates the problem and that is where any solution needs to begin. It might make more sense to hold these discussions in our neighborhoods where gun violence is an every day reality. Hold the conversation away from the lights and the camera's and the few minutes in the national limelight to really make a change.
Let's also forget about the multi round clips and lets steer the discussion back to budget issues and the cuts in spending for those needing help due to mental illness. That is where the real gun problem lies because no sane person could walk into a classroom and execute 20 children, whether armed with an assault rifle or a handgun..
In the meantime, someone might want to educate our Vice President on what responsible gun ownership requires.
During the Grand Jury Investigation into the administration of Eddie Perez, it was found that former Perez Chief of Staff Susan McMullen and Perez crony Kelvin Roldan had concocted a phony e-mail name to apparently avoid detection of FOI requests. The phony name of "Willie Nunes" apparently became a Perez staffer who was used when no one wanted to lay claim to e-mail documents.
As much as I had hoped things would change and the transparency would become real, that apparently never became the case under the new Administration of Mayor Pedro Segarra. Making a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act is a cumbersome process. It could take months, if not more than a year to wind your way through the process. Typically in the end, even after repeated violations under the FOI laws. the punishment is usually a slap on the wrists and a stern"don't do this again"
One of the largest fines levied was after a complaint I made against Perez's former Corporation Counsel John Rose.. He claimed documents didn't exist during a hearing , and once I started producing the documents and laying them on the table, the hearing officer didn't appear too thrilled. I had already obtained the documents through another source, unbeknownst to Mr. Rose.
Although the hearing officer recommended the maximum fine of $1000.00 against Rose, the full FOI Commission eventually reduced it down to $250.00, which the City of Hartford paid. So where was the sting to Rose for breaking the law? It was the taxpayers of Hartford that paid for him.
The Segarra Administration seems to have a well orchestrated plan for controlling the message and information coming out of City Hall. It has nothing to do with providing information to the public, it is about portraying the Mayor in the best possible. The Mayor's media office is all about image. his spokespeople have been giving their marching orders , make the Mayor look good at all costs. It it is an interview about snow plowing or crime stats, it must be spun to make Mayor Segarra look good.
I have two FOI requests pending with the City of Hartford through the acting Chief Operating Officer Saundra Kee-Borges for months now , and yet no response. You might ask why, and when I explain what I asked for, it will become clear why they are stalling. They will most likely be a black eye for Mayor Segarra and his operations, but the public still has the right to know. The first one, submitted on November 30, 2012 was as follows:
In accordance with the Freedom of information Act, I am requesting the following for review:
Any and all documents, letters ,and correspondence, including e-mails regarding the sale or transfer of property at or in the area of 95 Park Street from the City of Hartford to the Spanish American Merchant's Association. Please include documents or minutes of any meetings held to comply with Connecticut General Statutes 8-24 or any other required laws regarding the transfer of Municipally owned property. Also please include any record of payment received for the purchase of the property.
Also please include any correspondence regarding payment of delinquent property taxes owed by SAMA regarding their other properties to comply with City ordinances regarding the transfer of property with outstanding taxes.
Thank you. Please feel free to contact me for any clarifications needed.
The property in question is actually the site of the new Hartford Hospital Parking Garage. The City sold the parcel to SAMA for $1.00. Yes you read that right, $1.00, no typo. SAMA apparently then in turn sold the parcel to Hartford Hospital for a reported half a million dollars , Yes, you also read that right, $1.00 transformed into $500,000. Not a bad return on investment.
The problems that arise from the transfer are twofold. First , Hartford's Municipal code prevents the City of Hartford from doing business or transferring property to anyone that is delinquent on property taxes to the City. At the time of the sale , SAMA had delinquent taxes due to Hartford that should have prevented the transfer. In addition, section 8-24 of the Connecticut General statutes specifically outline the process for transferring and sale of municipally owned properties. It appears that none of the steps required by Connecticut law were followed.
I can see why the documents aren't forthcoming. Sweetheart deal or time for another Grand Jury?
The next FOI request was filed on December 11, 2012 as follows:
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, I am requesting the following
for review:
Any and all e-mails sent or received by Human Resources
Director Valda Washington for the period December 2, 2012, through December 7,
2012. Please provide these electronically where possible.
Please feel
free to contact me with any questions.
Thank you.
E-mails also come under the FOI Act as public documents. This request was made after a source advised me that the Human Resources Director Valda Washington had apparently been questioned through e-mails by the Finance Director regarding the use of her City Credit Card and unauthorized purchases. She was apparently askinb the finance department to remove descriptions of certain reimbursements because as she allegedly wrote in her e-mail "the press would eat that alive" if they got a hold of her spending records on the taxpayers dime.
Despite repeated requests, the requested documents have not been provided. Hartford's acting City Attorney, who apparently isn't even recognized as an attorney in Connecticut, recently sent me an e-mail trying to convince he believes in "open government writing" personally, I am a champion of open government"
This is a case where actions speak louder than words, open government means providing public documents without unnecessary delay. I am reasonable and understand the e-mails have to be reviewed for any exempt information, but over two months seems a little wrong. I'm also not sure I believe the volume of e-mails Mr. Van Norden quoted. 800 emails for a 5 day period? Someone should show the HR Director how to turn on her spam filters.
Below is the Governor's response to Connecticut's urban mayors as they prepare for their press conference to criticize his budget proposals. Word is that Hartford's Mayor Pedro Segarra reconsidered his involvement and backed out of the press conference and notified Governor Malloy in a letter late yesterday afternoon
According to the Courants' Capitol Watch, Democratic and Republican mayors from the state’s largest cities will hold a press conference Friday morning at the Capitol to blast Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget. click here to read that story.
Does any one realize that the money just isn't there?. Our big City Mayor's have lived fat and happy for far too long with no regard for reducing or controlling spending.
Rather than blast the Governor, maybe it is time to build some relationships, sit down, and deal with each other with respect and recommendations to deal with the problems.Our governor inherited a situation that I'm sure none of these Mayor's would envy.
Tough decisions need to be made and not everyone is going to be happy. I think there needs to be a lot of soul searching on the part of the Mayors for them to question whether they are going to continue to be part of the problem or are they ready to become partners in the solution.
Late word is that Hartford's Mayor Pedro Segarra has backed out of the slam session. Probably a wise choice when we realize that we need Governor Malloy more than he needs us. Malloy has been n0othing but a friend to Hartford since he was elected and moved here
And set thje politics aside, if that is even possible. At least two of the Mayor's probably see this as an opportunity to grind their political axes against Malloy
I'll be the first to admit that many times I accentuate the negative. That is what in many cases it takes to embarrass or stimulate action to correct problems. This post is going to be a combination of negative remarks as well as some strong praise.
The first comment is going to be the decision by Mayor Segarra's Communications Director, Maribel laLuz and her e-mail to the 5th and 7th Districts of the Hartford Democratic town committee. How could anyone that has any management sense not want a debriefing of the operations after the storm. Somethings seem to have gone well, but so much also seems to have gone wrong, a debriefing seems like it is extremely necessary to figure out what worked and what didn't.
To ignore that things went terribly wrong in some critical aspects only promises that we will repeat the same mistakes next time, probably with a couple of different key players missing though. You may not like the criticism, but it will hopefully avoid the same errors happening next time.
As far as the praise, in this storm the true praise needs to go to the Hartford Police Department. Last Friday afternoon as the storm began to build, at about 6:00PM I was at the Public Safety Complex and spoke with Chief Rovella. I invited him to come join me outside to build a snowman. He declined my offer. I keep hearing about a jacuzzi in his new office and he probably didn't want to come out into the cold. ( just kidding on that one taxpayers, there is no jacuzzi, at least not that I have seen)
During our conversation I told him how impressed I was with the snow plowing downtown, the streets looked great and there were plenty of trucks out. He agreed and told me that he was being told the entire City was in good shape. That all came to a screeching halt around 11:00PM as the storm intensified and DPW shut down.
The Hartford Police did not shut down, in fact they went into high gear for the next several days. While DPW trucks were headed for the garage in their vehicles that are intended to make it through the snowstorms, HPD was sending officers out into the storm in their 2 wheel drive vehicles , some equipped with tire chains. HPD never shut down and the calls for service continued to come in while the DPW trucks sat idle.
After the storm was done, HPD Officers in 4 wheel drive vehicles were pulling out stranded motorists as well as police vehicles that were stuck. They were even plowing streets to get EMS vehicles and fire vehicles into neighborhoods left impassable by the DPW hiatus. Yet no one at the Hartford Fire Department or the Dispatch Center sent their crews home because the weather was bad. They fulfilled their commitment to the people of Hartford while DPW did not.
For days after the storm, Hartford police Officers were trudging through feet of snow to make sure no one was trapped inside vehicles left abandoned on Hartford's street. Then the process of towing the vehicles to clear the streets of the igloos began. It was hard to find a plow truck to clear the streets after the cars were towed, But it seemed that HPD Officers stepped up and started taking charge of the snow removal operations.
That is not their job, but it was clear by this time that to get the City opened and alleviate the risk to Hartford residents by impassable streets, someone had to take charge. I spent a little time Sunday afternoon with Sergeant Bremser from the Traffic Division as they towed vehicles and coordinated efforts to get streets plowed. Bremser continued at what seemed almost around the clock Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday getting streets cleared one by one, calling for plows and loaders and keeping contractors moving to where they were needed most.
Bremser wasn't the only one though. HPD had almost 30 officers committed to snow plowing operations and as I travelled around the City and listened to radio communications, I kept wondering why Police Officers could figure out the priorities while those who should be doing it and managing the plows didn't seem as though they were.
One person who was in the EOC for most of the weekend told me that the decision to pull the plows off the road was a decision DPW realized was a critical mistake they could not recover from. I think there was also a lot of bad information that was being relied upon to make decisions in the EOC. Sunday afternoon I texted Mayor Segarra "where are our plows?". Within a few minutes he called me and told me "they are out there' we are making progress." I replied to him that they may be out there , but they sure weren't in the Asylum Hill area.
The Mayor said that he was told that almost every street in Asylum Hill had at least one path plowed through it. I told him I had just come back from checking for myself and he needed to go out and check for himself because most streets were still buried and hadn't been touched at all. To Pedro's credit, he called me about a half hour later and said I was correct. He had just driven through the Farmington Avenue area of Asylum Hill and agreed it was bad.
Whoever was giving the Mayor the inaccurate information hopefully won't be around the Mayor again anytime soon. Again to the Mayor's credit, he called me at about 11:00PM and said he had just driven through Asylum Hill again and the side streets were "sloppy" but passable. That's all I was asking for . If fire, police or EMS needed to get somewhere I wanted to know that they could.
Wednesday night I again travelled around the City just to see how the operations were going. The outside contractors and the large snow blowers brought in by the City were working like fiends. Farmington Avenue, Asylum Avenue, Park Street and the areas around Hartford Hospital were all being cleared by the crews. Again, it was interesting to me to note that these operations were being directed by HPD. I understand the police presence for traffic control and safety, but the police radio traffic channel was busy all night determining what crew would go where, where they would be dumping snow and determining where the crews would head next.
The efficiency of the operations were a credit to the police Supervisors and Police Officers working in the bitter cold to get our streets clear. One location , Asylum Avenue through Asylum Hill was being cleared curb to curb by the huge snow blower that made me cringe as I thought about the damage that thing could do. I don't think there would be any surviving a snowblower accident with that thing.
Not a DPW vehicle was in sight as I noticed Officer Mike Allen from HPD directing the movement of the trucks and loaders like General Patton during the War. The only thing missing were the pearl handled grips on his weapon like Patton had. I think they made record time outbound on Asylum, making the turn by Elizabeth Park and headed back toward downtown to clear the streets for the morning rush.
The same thing was going on all around critical traffic areas of the City, Lt. Mefferd, the Commander of the Traffic Division was doing a Mike Allen impression around Hartford Hospital and Washington Street and truckloads of snow were hauled away. Again no DPW supervisors anywhere in sight and I couldn't help but wonder why the Snow Removal Operations had suddenly become a Police Operation.
Mefferd, Allen and numerous other Police Officers were getting it done when DPW wasn't so , let it roll, Our streets are passable today.
Maribel, I know it is not your call , but please rethink that debriefing, this can't be allowed to happen again
Take a look at the picture below of several guns seized today by Hartford's Shooting Task Force and you can make a decision. These guns were seized today in Hartford's Asylum Hill, on Sigourney Street, just yards away from the Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club.
The STF has been a huge part of the successes under Chief Rovella to reduce violent crime in our City and I hope our Mayor and Governor Malloy are able to work together to continue the funding and fill openings on the STF to continue its work.The successes of the STF haven't happened by luck, it takes money and manpower to take these weapons out of the dangerous hands holding them.
Several openings on the STF are expected to be filled in the next few weeks as Hartford officers are moved to the STF. Under the direction of Lieutenant Lance Sigersmith and the partnership of numerous agencies Chief Rovella and others brought together, the Shooting task Force has had a huge impact on not just Hartford but the Capitol area overall.
The Shooting task Force is an asset that HPD can not and should not have to do without. The guns pictured above were taken from convicted felons today and it should make law abiding citizens shudder to think of the potential of these guns in the hands of convicted felons. Convicted felons lose their right to own guns, and no one can convince me that the shotgun and rifle are intended for personal protection ot any legitimate use.
I am going to try and follow this case to see if the courts do their part and take these criminals off our streets for a long time until they decide to live within society's rules
From today's Hartford Courant, Bob Englehart's cartoon
I get tired of our so called "City leaders" making our City a joke every step they take. Is there anyone in City hall that has the guts to step up and start determining accountability from our six figure sponges leeching off the people of Hartford, with very little in return except providing material for a comedy show?
In 2011 Hartford was a joke with its snow plow operations, now we are repeating the same actions with the same criticisms. Would we be unable to operate as a City if there was preparation and things went smooth, or do we thrive on the incompetence?
Let's start with a few questions. In a conference call last night between the 5th and 7th Districts of the Hartford Democratic Town Committee, many good questions were raised. You might ask why two Districts of the Town Committee are asking questions. The simple answer is because that is what we do. We were elected to represent our neighbors and these are our neighbors that can't get out of their homes. These are our neighbors that can't get ambulances and firetrucks to them.
More importantly, the elected officials that are failing our neighbors now are the same people that we endorsed for their respective offices to serve the people of Hartford. Hopefully we will remember these failures when we are asked for endorsements again and remember the angry phone calls all weekend from our neighbors .
The first question I have, and most of the callers on the conference call wanted to know is who made the decision to pull our plow trucks off the road? Governor Malloy made it quite clear he told his DOT Commissioner to keep state plows on the road for the duration of the storm. I think anyone that knows the Governor would agree that if his DOT Commissioner failed the people of Connecticut like Hartford's leaders failed us, there would be an immediate opening for a DOT Commissioner.
It is called leadership and with leadership comes accountability. A foreign concept to Hartford City Government. Why do we have a DPW Director if the Mayor's Chief of Staff is on the radio from the EOC barking orders directing snow removal operations. He probably has a hard time finding most streets in Hartford without GPS.Maybe they use the campaign donor lists to decide which streets to hit first, that might help explain the strategy. What is his experience with Snow Removal Operations and why weren't they being run by the people that are paid good salaries at DPW?
Another question the Town Committee members on the call had was if they could attend the debriefing held to discuss the storm response. The reply to our e-mail from Mayor Segarra's spokesperson was "We are not planning on having a blizzard debriefing event. " How do you not have a debriefing after an event like this to discuss what worked and what didn't and attempt to provide better service in the future? That is basic management, or do they not want to discuss their failures?
And the EOC, another joke and a colossal waste of space in the Public Safety Building. As of Thursday night, less than 12 hours before the Emergency Operations Center was ready to open, none of the brain trust we pay to deal with emergencies, not the Fire Chief who also loves the title of Emergency Operations Director or the Director of Emergency Telecommunications had bothered to do a dry run of the EOC before it was needed. Imagine the embarrassment at about 7:00pm Thursday when they suddenly realized there was no Wi-fi for internet connectivity and cellular coverage was sketchy at best in the room.
Luckily for Larry Bezel, a HPD employee who handles their network and computers was able to scramble into the night to get internet Wi-fi up and running for the opening of the EOC the next morning. Probably no one will be held accountable for this potential colossal failure.
And the technology that was built into the EOC also came in very handy. The front wall of the EOC is comprised of smaller flat screens for projecting television. It can be used to reproduce images on computer screens or any video that needs to be shared. Apparently it came in handy Saturday night for those being paid overtime in the EOC to watch a Hockey game on the wall in perfect living high tech color while the viewers dined on catered food from Salute Restaurant.
The EOC TV, better than any flat screen, great for watching Live with Kelly and Michael
That television wall also came in handy as freezing rain was blanketing the City and I-91 was being shut down due to numerous accidents Monday morning. A source in the room at the time said that those there, after they finished watching the Today Show, switched to LIVE with Kelly and Michael on the lifesize 10 x 12 wall.
Now I know you might think that maybe traffic cameras or maybe even the local radar might make sense for those managing our Emergency Operations to be viewing, but nope, Kelly Ripa and Micahel Strahan lifesize for the brain trust.
Now it gets even better, If you were digging out a City, what would your priorities be? Maybe heavily travelled routes around hospitals? Maybe routes in and out of the city that carry rush hour traffic? Maybe the area around Downtown that will host the sold out Uconn/Syracuse game tomorrow night?
Nope. I was incredulous when I got the phone call this afternoon that the huge "airport"type snowblower we had contracted to clear city streets was actually in the southend blowing snow on South Street. I had to see that for myself so I shot the video above because I didn't think anyone would believe me, a street that is not a major thoroughfare, is not an artery in or out of the City.
I asked how they decided what streets to clear and they told me DPW Director Kevin Burnham told them he wanted South Street cleared for the rush hour.WHAT? Had anyone heard of Farmington Avenue, Asylum Avenue, Capitol Avenue and rush hour? As I write this now, at 7:00PM,I look out my window at Asylum Hill and Farmington Avenue and Sigourney Street are still total gridlock.
A fire truck or ambulance would never get through even down the center because there is no room for anyone to yield. I do feel comfortable though knowing that South Street is moving smoothly during rush hour.
In the video above , I also took some shots of a few streets in Windsor Locks this afternoon. Notice the streets plowed curb to curb, the huge mounds at the intersections have been pushed back, and Rt 20 in front of Bradley Airport is pushed right back to the curb.Windsor Locks kept their trucks on the street throughout the storm and it shows.
Picture above from Courant.com, clearing snow on Park terrace. It might be easier blowing the snow into the park, but at what we are paying per hour for the rental, does it serve any purpose to ignore the major arteries and have the borders of the park clear?
Windsor Locks kept their trucks on the street throughout the storm and it shows.
Why do we settle for being a joke and when are we going to insist that those we endorse "have a set" and are willing to step up and hold people accountable when it becomes clear they are incompetent and not serving the people of Hartford? Maybe a debriefing and an honest assessment might begin to chnage hartford's course . Admitting you have a problem is the first step in correcting it.
Again, I know it was a historic storm, but it was just as historic in Windsor Locks, Windsor, Wethersfield and Plainfield as Stan McCauley reports and they all seemed to deal with it. Our failure to meet the challenges we need to plan for are also becoming just as historic, or is it tradition.
As if you haven't shoveled enough snow already,and may be shoveling later in the week again, please remember to shovel out fire hydrants near your property, even if it isn't directly in front of your property, having it cleared will save precious minutes if it is needed by the Fire Department
This may surprise you but this post is not going to be about snowplowing, even though I will be the first to say we deserve better in that regard.
No this is going to be about the people we hire to serve the residents of Hartford, and are they here to build their pensions and just collect a paycheck or are they truly public servants.
These thoughts started from a phone cal I received early this morning. It was from someone questioning why a Ford Crown Victoria Police Car with a City of Hartford "HFD" municipal plate was able to pass them every morning on I-91 south, using the HOV lane with only one person in the car. They recognized the driver of the car as Andrew Jaffee, Hartford's Emergency Teleommunications Department Head.. The caller said the vehicle routinely passes them almost every morning headed into Hartford.
I replied to the caller that the bigger question to me was why Jaffee would be on 91 Southbound every morning when as a Department Head, Jaffee, claims to be a Hartford resident as required by his contractand the City Charter. That Jaffee would ignore his contractual obligations to Hartford, especially while the City is under a State of Emergency, seems to be a matter that the Mayor needs to address immediately.
If Jaffee is not living in his Woodland Street Condo, as he has told community members when asked at numerous meetings, but instead goes home to his Suffield home every night, he is perpetrating a fraud on the taxpayers of Hartford and should be gone. The daily journey's in the HOV lane would seem to prove the latter.
Other questions arise also. Why does Jaffee feel he has the privledge to break Connecticuts's laws and drive in the HOV lane as a single passenger in a vehicle that looks like a police car, complete with red and blue lights and antenna. Jaffee is not a police officer now and does not have the legal right to abuse the privilege that most commuters would also like to use.
Jaffe and his Dispatch Center have also been a source of embarrassment for the Mayor and the City. We have a lot of good employees in the Dispatch Center and I am trying not to paint all of them with a wide brush, but since Jaffee took over , several high profile news stories have been embarrassing to Mayor Segarra and his administration, The woman who laid dead in her house for weeks rotting after a dispatcher mishandled a call made national news. Recently a home invasion Police response in the Southend of Hartford was delayed for hours when a dispatcher mishandled the call,
The call was actually deleted at one point from what high level sources at HPD have told me. The actual dispatch was only properly handled after a family member of the victim called Channel 3 out of frustration. Reporter Karen Lee actually arrived at the scene before police did.
Jaffee may very well be in over his head. As a sergeant at the Hartford Police Department, Jaffee was known as a "house mouse" , which is a term that means he was never on the streets as a supervisor but instead handled duties inside Police Headquatrters. Jaffe only supervised a handful of people, mostly handling cell phones, pagers and computers.
Once our felonius Mayor Eddie A. Perez hired Jaffee as the Director of the City's Dispatch Center, and Mayor Segarra kept him on after he took over the Mayor's Office,
he took over a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year operation managing approximately 60-70 employees. A monumental task for anyone, especially someone with very little management skills. Jaffee's predecessor, Gary Stango managed the Department for several years and I don't recall much turmoil under his leadership.
Stango was a retired Lieutenant from the Waterbury Police Department and was given the task of building the newly established Department of Emergency Service Telecommunications from the ground up.
Jaffee, who was also responsible for the creation of the new Emergency Operations Center in the Public Safety Complex. Sources are telling me that Thursday evening as the Center was preparing for its first use in advance of the Blizzard, there was a mad scramble for WI-FI, since no "dryruns" had been conducted to test the Center. Cell service from what I am told is almost non-existent in the EOC with poor reception.
Wouldn't a full scale test of the EOC had made sense long before it was needed ? That's what managers do, think ahead and have everything ready
For what Jaffee is making through his police pension that he is collecting and his six figure salary, we deserve better for our tax dollars. At least maybe if he lived in Hartford as he has promised us he might feel what we go through daily here as residents.
A full audit of all Department heads needs to be conducted, are they actually Hartford residents? Do they own vehicles and have them registered in Hartford paying taxes on them? Are they registered voters and voting in Hartford?
MISSING- CITY OF HARTFORD PLOW TRUCKS, ANYONE SEEING THEM PLEASE CALL THE MAYOR'S OFFICE SO THEY CAN BE DEPLOYED TO HARTFORD'S STREETS.
I don't want to sound like whining because I can look out my window and see we had a historic snowstorm. I can also look out my window and see that no City of Hartford plow truck has passed in over 24 hours. The few trucks I have seen while I am out have been driving with their plow blades up in the air.
Now I understand that the city is divided into specific plow routes, but even as those trucks go to their route, in this case those blades should be on the pavement pushing every flake of snow they can.
This is not just an inconvenience now, it is a public safety emergency when firefighters and EMT's are carrying people blocks in a stokes basket to the closest street that has been plowed. I am getting calls from across the City from residents telling me that their streets haven't even had one pass from a plow yet.
Yesterday, a woman on South Marshall Street a woman went into labor. I happened to be in the neighborhood and heard the EMT's radio that they couldn't get to her because the street wasn't plowed. Everything was in place at the right time and I saw a large bucket loader coming down Farmington Avenue. I got out and stopped the loader and asked the operator if he would do me a favor.
I explained the situation and asked if he could make a pass down South Marshall Street to open it up for the ambulance. He quickly agreed and opened up the street and the Ambulance was on it's way to deliver a baby.
Sadly, the only plow truck doing anything was operated by two Hartford Police Officer's, Officer's Cavanna and Stackewitz, driving a City plow truck assisting stuck motorists and police cars.Maybe if I at least saw a DPW truck moving about I would feel better, but I don't see any.
Hartford always settles for less than stellar plowing operations. This storm is historic, but then again so is Hartford's response, it is what we have come to expect from the DPW, there is no excuse for it.
Former Hartford Assistant Police Chief John Horvath has filed a lawsuit against the City of Hartford in which he appears to claim that he was terminated from the city of Hartford by Chief James Rovella in retaliation for his pursuit of charges against , at the time, IAD commander Lt. Neville Brooks.
The lawsuit appears to be based on m mostly "he said , she said" allegations in which Horvath claims that as retaliation for him pursuing allegations against former Lt Brooks, Rovella essentially eliminated his position as Assistant Chief. Horvath claims that Rovella's actions were as retaliation due in part to Rovella's friendship and support of Brooks. Rovella promoted Brooks to the position of Deputy Chief recently along with four others. Rovella's promotions elevated 3 minority members into the previous exclusively white male Command Staff.
The timeline doesn't seem to add up for Horvath though. He states in the complaint that on or about September 10, 2012, Rovella became permanent chief of HPD and on September 21, 2012 "constructively discharged" Horvath from his position.
The fact of the matter is that Horvath had already planned on leaving and at least a month before Rovella became Chief, on August 14, 2012, or sometime thereabouts, Horvath had accepted the position of Chief of the UMass/Amherst police Department. Realistically, Horvath must have begun to pursue that position a substantial time earlier than Rovella's appointment considering the normal length of a selection process for a Chief.
In an article on masslive.com, Horvath was quoted as saying “I pursued this position because of the team approach at UMass Amherst and the sense of pride that is evident," Horvath said in a prepared statement. "As chief, I will seek to make us stronger in both of those areas, ensure that the police department works with university stakeholders in order to maintain a safe campus environment while at the same time, building relationships that will enhance the educational experience for all students.”
The fact of the matter is that any Assistant Chief knows when accepting the position, that he serves at the will of the current Chief and can be and most likely will be out when a new administration takes over. When building a Command Staff, an incoming Chief typically looks for loyalty and support from an Assistant Chief. Horvath fell short in that area.
Chief Rovella had the luxury of serving as Commander of the Shooting Task Force for an extended period of time before becoming the permanent Chief. During that time he was able to see first hand the workings of the Command Staff at the time . Sources have told me that Assistant Chief Horvath placed numerous roadblocks in front of Rovella and the operations of the Task Force.
Although he talks of the "team approach" at Umass, that apparently wasn't the case at HPD. Sources have told me that Rovella had initially requested the attendance of Vice and Narcotics Division officers at the daily briefings that the Shooting Task Force held to compare notes and strategy. It seems to make sense that vice and Narcotics would go hand in hand with guns, but Horvath vetoed that move and would allow the two Divisions to meet.
Prior to the establishment of the Shooting Task Force , when Hartford was experiencing a large and noticeable up tick in gun violence, a request was made to Horvath to conduct an operation related to the illegal guns in Hartford. Horvath again vetoed the request, claiming no money was available. When the request was revised to conduct the operation on "comp time", it was again a loud "no", desk pounding and all.
I am not speaking for Chief Rovella, but it would seem clear to most observers that Horvath was not a supporter of Rovella's initiatives, and most likely not a good fit to move Rovella's plan forward.
The Horvath lawsuit also seems to claim that the Rudewicz Report, which was conducted after the internal squabbling between Horvath and Brooks boiled over, seemed to vindicate Horvath and the HPD Command Staff at the time. The report, which can be read below seems to spread around enough blame for poor management by all involved. In fact, the Report is widely thought to have resulted in enough pressure to force the Chief at the time, Daryl K. Roberts into retirement.
The report specifically states "However, Command Staff personnel,particularly Assistant Chief Horvath and Deputy Chief Ciesinski, do not escape scrutiny and bear some of the responsibility for the effects of the decision." to remove Lt. Brooks as the IAD Commander. Ciesinski was demoted back to Captain by Chief Rovella.recently .
Deputy Chief Brooks is currently assigned as Commander of the Central District which encompasses the Downtown and Asylum Hill areas of the City .
Also as a sidenote, and I know it is a minor matter, it is interesting to me that Horvath was so concerned about Lt. Brooks' attendance and ethics. but thinks nothing of Umass resources and time to fax page 5 of the lawsuit below back to his attorney, clearly from the Umass Police fax machine. Ethics count at all times, not just when it fits your needs.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS BLOG ARE STRICTLY THAT, MY OPINIONS.After getting fed up with the lack of openness in Hartford City Hall, I decided to begin a program on Hartford Public Access Television called "WE THE PEOPLE". Through tips received we have been able to expose numerous issues that the Perez Administration would prefer to keep quiet.
Any information received is kept in strict confidence, feel free to e-mail me at krbrookman@earthlink.net or call me at 860-883-2297 with any information.
Yesterday I posted that Mayor Segarra had just announced the permanent Human Resources Director. I got that information from a news article someone had sent to me and I mistakenly thought it was from yesterday, not checking out the date. She was apparently appointed in February of 2012.
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