HPD SERGEANT REASSIGNED OVER ALLEGED RACIAL COMMENTS

This is one of those postings that needs to go into the "Really? What were you thinking?" file.

A Hartford police department Sergeant, Stephen Kessler, who had recently been assigned to the North District as the Administrative Sergeant supervising Community Service Officers and interacting with Community members and organizations, has been removed from that position and reassigned to the booking area at Headquarters.

The reassignment took place after comments came to light that Kessler had apparently made over a recorded radio channel. Kessler apparently referred to loiterers on Barbour Street as looking like "Gorilla's in the mist" on HPD's Tactical Radio Channel,  according to several police sources. Additional allegations into specific comments allegedly made by Kessler referring to African-Americans are also being investigated by the HPD Internal Affair's Division. Officers that may have been present when the comments were made are being interviewed.

Chief James Rovella immediately initiated an internal investigation when the claims were brought to his attention and Kessler was removed from his position as of Wednesday.

Sources also informed me that the Hartford Guardians, a fraternal police organization inside HPD , were planning a special executive committee meeting to address the issue and possibly call for an investigation by an outside agency into the matter..

HPD INVESTIGATING SEXUAL ASSAULT OF WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT

Hartford Police spokesperson Lt Brian Foley has confirmed that the Departments Special Investigations Division (SID) is investigating the reported sexual assault of a West Middle School student.

The assault of the male student is reported to have occurred on or near the grounds of the Asylum Avenue School. The assault was also apparently recorded on video by the perpetrators. HPD is apparently also in possession of that video.

The investigation is ongoing at this time

IS HARTFORD REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT CRIME?

Word is that as the Hartford City Council tries to deliver its budget package, they may be considering up to a three million dollar cut to the Hartford Police Department budget.

At last Monday nights homicide scene on Blue Hills Avenue, I spoke with Councilwoman Cynthia Jennings and she asked me what it was going to take to stop these senseless killings. My answer was simple, properly fund the police Department to be able to do the work that needs to be done.

The problem is that most Concilmembers don't really understand what policing a City like Hartford really entails. Sure they go out for a few hours to ride around, but they get the VIP tour where the reality is the furthest thing from what is actually happening.

They have the misunderstanding that pensions are driven by overtime. They aren't. Pensions are driven by "PJ's" , private duty jobs that are essentially the money officers make working at construction sites, concerts, XL center events and so on. Those used to be very lucrative in determining pension payouts, but as of the latest HPD Union Contract they play a much smaller role in the calculation.

I also explained to Councilwoman Jennings that the thugs on our streets have as good, if not better , intelligence networks when it comes to policing Hartford. They know that the shooting task force is probably half of what it was at this time last year. I'm not giving away any secret information here, it is a reality. Remember this time last year , it seemed as though the Task Force was in the news almost every day for gun seizures and arrests. They just don't have the bodies out there that they had last year.

And keep in mind that Mayor Caviar and his reckless financial spending have made it almost impossible for anyone on the state level to take us seriously if we ask for financial help for police spending or additional resources.

I had a conversation with Mayor Segarra several months ago and I told him he needed to keep in mind that the reduction in violent crime he loves talking about didn't happen by luck. It came about as a result of manpower and dollars directed at a serious problem. It didn't happen by luck.

It just seems odd that we can keep taxing the resources of the police department budget and still consider cutting even more. A special events budget that is basically money just thrown out the window. We keep allowing events that haven't even paid their bills for the previous year, some of them such as the West Indian Day parade that cost upwards of $55,000 for a one day event. How much of that could be used for coverage of "hot spot" areas that drive Hartford's crime.

The Council gave away a half a million dollar's in a land deal to benefit SAMA, a half a million dollars that probably would have been better allocated to the Police Department budget. But then again, SAMA delivers votes to our politicians, HPD doesn't.

The annual rent for the Pond House Cafe in Elizabeth Park is now paid to the Friends of Elizabeth  Park rahter than to the City of Hartford to be used as revenue to fund things like the Police Department budget. But then again the Mayor's partner is on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Elizabeth Park, not HPD, so clearly the Friends need to be properly funded.

Hartford needs to reassess its priorities and pay attention to what really matters, and there can be no greater priority than providing a safe city and a realistic approach to crime.

Cut the dollars for all City take home cars, eliminate travel and frivolous expenditures collect the revenue the City is entitled to, essentially pay attention to business and run this City like a business, not a free for all Charity operation.

Under Cheif Rovella, it seems pretty clear that he is squeezing every budget dollar for maximum impact, realigning positions to be able to use officers for the maximum benefit to HPD and just being very budget conscious. Yes , a novel idea for a Department Head to actually pay attention to his budget, but any further cuts would be crippling.

To Councilwoman Jennings and the rest of the Hartford City Council , the first step in answering how do we stop the senseless violence, the answer is no more cuts to HPD.

THIS MUST BE A JOKE

I just finished reading the latest post on Courant.com's Cityline. I think it has to be a joke by Councilman Ken Kennedy. It has to be a joke because no one could possibly take his comments seriously.

Check out the posting here

Kennedy's allegiances to the Abe Giles family are no secret.The Democratic Registrar,Olga Iris Vazquez is the daughter in-law of the late Abe Giles

Kennedy is definitely out of touch if he can honestly say".“She’s the one who does the most work,” Kennedy said.

The fact of the matter is that Vazquez has cot the City tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees for poor decision making and violations of State law that landed the City of Hartford in Court on several occasions. She has also proven herself to be one of the most incompetent Department heads in Hartford City Hall, and that is saying a lot when you consider the operations of City Hall. The Registars Office has shown itself to be unable to operate within its allotted budget and has had to go back to the Council for additional appropriations to cover their overspending.

Kennedy's attempt to protect the last bastion of Democratic patronage in City Hall I guess should be expected, but as an attorney he should think this out a little more. The Republican Registrar position is required by State statute and the Working Family Registrar obtained her position through a loophole in State law. None the lesss, they are both legally filled and to attempt to protect one party at the detriment of others is discriminatory and would surely put the City in a courtroom defending Kennedy's actions.

In addition, I think Councilman Kennedy might want to reconsider his quote"“She’s the one who does the most work,”. I think if Mr. Kennedy actually looked at the number of new registered voters, he would find that the Working Families Registrar Urania Petit is leading the pack when it comes to outreach and registration. Petit routinely runs training classes for immigrants attempting to become US Citizens and getting them to be able to register as voters.

Kennedy's recommendations are poorly thought out and probably not even legal. The registrars Office has been a financial black hole when it comes to the City budget and needs some revamping, especially the salaries paid for the three  deputy registrars, not to mention the salaries for "consultants" that are doled out every year at primary time and election time.

Make the cuts that truly will benefit the taxpayers and not those that will get us sued in Court

SPECIAL TREATMENT ?

 

If nothing else, you have to give Mayor Segarra's Chief of Staff   Jared Kupiec credit, he is a survivor. Most people would be on the unemployment line by now with this many stunts to their credit. The big question on the minds of many is why.

 

Most people would be gone after one or two questionable incidents, but with Kupiec the hits keep coming and he still has a job. For someone as Segarra once told me "has his back" he sure seems to be drawing much attention to.Segarra.

 

The  caviar, the p-card abuse, the HPD gym power grab, and the list goes on.

 

Now one of the regions best investigative reporters, Jeff Cohen of WNPR seems to be digging his teeth into something that has been buzzing around City Hall for months.It seems that the Mayor's Chief of Staff  was involved in an accident that resulted in personal injury at the intersection of High and Allyn Street on January 20, 2013.

 

Many questions had arisen as to how the accident was handled, who was actually driving, Kupiec or the operator listed on the accident report and was alcohol involved. Now Cohen has verified at least one item  that was in question, was the right person found responsible for the accident.

 

You can read Jeff Cohen's Report on WNPR here

 

.  It seems that after reviewing the accident report, HPD has reversed itself and found Kupiec's passenger, I mean operator number 2 at fault for causing the accident pictured above.

 

Even more interesting is the company Mr. Kupiec keeps. Apparently the person listed as operator 2 may have actually been a fugitive from justice at the time. Records indicate that there was a warrant for Nicole M. Pattavina for failure to appear related to charges from a DUI Accident in Palm Beach County Florida. It is unclear whether that warrant was still in effect at the time of the crash or if it had already been served

 

The DUI accident the charges related to had also caused personal injury as a result of Pattavina allegedly driving drunk.

 

More on Pattavina here

 

The HPD Accident Report

 

Pattavina Accident Report0001

DEJA VU

It looks like City Hall workers should get used to the familiar faces of Siate Inspectors at City Hall once again. After the Perez Grand Jury, many at 550 Main were on a first name basis with the friendly guys from Rocky Hill.(Hopefully the questions they are asking don't relate to you )

But what has been referred to as a "distraction" by the Mayor's Office, may actually be referred to soon as a criminal investigation if the Hartford City Council has their way.

Councilman David McDonald has introduced a resolution which has been placed on Monday's Agenda for consideration calling for the recent Audit report into City Credit Card use to be referred to the Office of the Chief State's Attorney for investigation.

Here is the resolution below:

Audit Referral Resolution[1]

GOING DOWNHILL FAST

This has been building to become a bad situation for the Segarra Administration. It shouldn't be surprising to anyone how poor choices seem to define the "legacy" for many politicians. In this case though the poor choices seem to continue everyday.

It wasn't just the choice to whip out the old city credit card to pay for the caviar on the City dime. It goes much beyond that to a pattern of bad choices. Most people wondered how Segarra's Chief of Staff was issued a City vehicle after his personal vehicle sat behind City hall for weeks on a couple flat tires , until it was finally towed away.

Once he was issued a City car by Segarra, his behavior with it became an issue. The vehicle, former Chief Daryl K. Roberts SUV that he turned in when he retired, was spotted by police officers zipping around the City "Code 3", lights and siren blaring, reportedly to get to Happy Hour on time. Segarra actually stepped up that time and the car was taken away, only to be replaced a short time later by a new SUV.

Kupiec is the first Chief of Staff that I can recall that has been issued a City Vehicle. I know John Bazzano and it pains me to say, Matt Hennessey never had one either

The fact that the Connecticut State Capitol almost goes to Defcon 4 when Kupiec enters the building should have been another red flag for Segarra. Nonetheless, he still appointed Kupiec as his Chief of Staff. It's never a good thing when your hand picked Chief of Staff had previously jumped ship as a trusted worker on Governor Malloy's campaign to go to his opponent Ned Lamonts camp. Not everyone has a short memory in the political game. Relationships matter.

The culmination of the road to disaster was the New Years Eve Dinner charges,.It was hardly the first indicator that poor judgement was an issue. The decision to accept a $20,000 raise when the City was , and is, heading for financial meltdown should have raised red flags. It wasn't going to go unnoticed and that raise alone is more than what many Hartford residents take home in a year.

The sense of entitlement by all of those close to Segarra is clearly evident. It is ironic that a short time ago at election time Segarra made a huge point that he was leaving his Mercedes at home and driving a Prius since Hartford was moving toward being a green city in everything from its cleaning supplies to the vehicle its Mayor was driving. Surprise, surprise, shortly after the election the Mayor went back to a brand new SUV and his entire "Cabinet" are now driving new SUV's. So much for election year examples.

Although much has been made about the New Years Eve Dinner, it is most likely the tip of the iceberg. Numerous charges for food and beverages on Kupiec's card are still undocumented as far as whether they were legit City business or frat boy wannabe social favors. The latter appears more likely due to the lack of documentation.

Also not a lot is being said about the $30,000 dollars that is unallocated or unsubstantiated from last years close of business according to the audit report. The fact that virtually all of the City travel was essentially unverified is a problem also. And sadly, if Segarra's chief of Staff and COO were minding the store, accountability would have been an every day thing, not a rush to provide documentation when the auditors came knocking.

The "slippery nipple" COO should have known better after her 2000 hit from the Courant for the exact same behavior. I guess we can give the Chief of Staff a little pass because he has never had a real job and this can be chalked up to on the job training. But maybe it is time that they look elsewhere besides Hartford City Hall for their OJT.Read more on the "slippery nipple" COO here

Pedro, how much more are you going to allow? Really, I think we all would like to know what your plan is to stop the bleeding. Did it really need to come to this?

THE HARTFORD COURANT WEIGHS IN ON CAVALIER CAVIAR

READ THE COURANT'S EDITORIAL HERE

NEXT GUN BUYBACK MAY, 18, 2013

Gun Buyback

A BAD WEEK FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF

Mayoral Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec, left

 

(sorry Dave, I know you hate this picture, but I don't know how many more opportunities I will get to use it)

 

First his sterling silver caviar spoon was yanked away and now his key fob for the HPD Gym is being taken back. It is turning out to be a bad week for Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra's Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec. Hartford's Internal Audit Commission today requested HPD's Chief James Rovella to recover Kupiec's key fob which allows him unrestricted access to the Public Safety Building as well as end his access privileges for the Hartford Police Gym and Exercise facility stating that "it raises the issue of fairness" granting access to Kupiec while excluding other employees.

Several Police Officers have contacted me regarding this stating that the workout area is where they go to "blow off steam" after their shifts and they felt uncomfortable talking freely with the Mayor's Chief of Staff listening to their conversations. I can't say I disagree. I might direct Mr. Kupiec to the downtown YMCA, they sell memberships there and with his salary he can well afford it.

The added benefit is that it is a half block from Max Downtown. There is nothing like a filet and a belly full of caviar after a good workout, except now he will have to pay for it himself

Below is the Auditors e-mail to Chief Rovella requesting his action:.

Subj: Access to the Public Safety Complex and Gymnasium

Chief Rovella:

This is to follow-up on our previous correspondence regarding the matter of Jared Kupiec’s access to the Public Safety Complex (PSC

1. Providing Mr. Kupiec access to the PSC gymnasium raises the issue of fairness in that it is granting this privilege to one, albeit high level City of Hartford employee, while excluding others. It was also brought to our attention, through the tip, that certain officers are concerned about discussing potentially sensitive case information and other Police matters in Mr. Kupiec’s presence.

2. There is also a question as to the need for Mr. Kupiec to have a separate key card to access the PSC. We understand that the front desk of the PSC is manned on a 24 hour, seven day a week, 365 day a year, basis. As a result, Mr. Kupiec could reasonably be granted access to the PSC on an as needed basis by the officers at the front desk.

In light of the above, we recommend that you discontinue granting gymnasium privileges to Mr. Kupiec. In addition, unless there are reasons that we are unaware of for Mr. Kupiec needing his own access card to the PSC, we recommend that you deactivate his access capabilities and recover his card.

Please let us know your plans and timeframe for addressing this matter. If you have any questions regarding this request or the above please let me know. Thank you.

Patrick Campbell

PRICELESS

You knew it was inevitavble, "Mayor Caviar the Cartoon" and yes. it is priceless. Click on the picture above to get the full view if the right column cuts it off

 Read Bob Englehart from the Courant's take on this here

DANCING IN THE STREETS

For the next 16 weeks, Ann Uccello Street in Downtown Hartford is the place to be for Friday Happy Hour ( as well as the rest of the night).

The owner of the Russian Lady, as well as the Tavern and the Rocking Horse Cafe, has acquired the permits to shut down Ann Uccello Street from Asylum Street to Allyn Street. A large stage is set up in the street  for the various bands performing and a DJ  entertains when the bands aren't playing.

An almost carnival like side show atmosphere exists with the mechanical bull and games as well as frozen drink stations.

Check it out  and see what Hartford has to offer Downtown

HARTFORD.GOV DOWN AGAIN

Hartford.gov appears to be down once again.

Hopefully credit card purchases can still be processed

try it yourself and see what happens

HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

Some people can plead ignorance once, but twice for almost the same thing is beyond ignorant.

A source I spoke with this afternoon, said that Hartford's Acting COO Saundra Kee-Borges had gone through a very similar scandal as to the caviar soiree during Mayor Mike Peter's term when she was the City Manager. The source said it was over shots known as "slippery nipples" and other items ordered and paid for by Hartford's taxpayers in 2000.

After getting off the phone I "Googled" Saundra Kee Borges Slippery Nipples the following article came up. you could almost replace Carbone's with Max Downtown and Slippery Nipples with Caviar

Her is the Courant's story from 2001. I guess some people never learn. I guess some things never change

Where's The Accountability?

January 28, 2001

Last fall, Hartford Mayor Michael P. Peters, City Manager Saundra Kee Borges and several city council Democrats had a ``council meeting'' at Carbone's Ristorante in the South End. While deliberating, they ordered fancy appetizers and a bunch of drinks including 14 glasses of wine, some beers, brandy, a highball and an exotic concoction called a Slippery Nipple. They had the gall to stick the taxpayers with the tab, almost $300.
City hall denizens like to pass off such ethical lapses by officials as isolated events that the news media and residents shouldn't get worked up about. But they're wrong. As other recent incidents show, key city officials have a blind eye when it comes to ethics and the need to enforce high standards of conduct. They -- the mayor, the manager and council members -- just don't get it.

 

There has been a pattern of ethical misconduct at city hall for years -- maybe it could be called the Slippery Nipple Syndrome. But the incidents have become so common and the response from top officials so lenient that cutting corners has come to be seen as the way of doing business.
Ethics -- or the lack thereof -- ought to be an issue in this fall's municipal elections. The only question is, Have Hartford voters become so accustomed to shoddy ethics that they're beyond disappointment? We hope not. Here's more of city hall's pitiful record:
On Dec. 30, the city's public works director, Arthur Miller, attended a UConn women's basketball game at the Civic Center during a heavy snowstorm while ordering the rest of his employees to stay on duty. That absence of leadership was bad enough. Mr. Miller compounded his error by accepting a free ticket to the game from Connecticut Light & Power. So did a number of other city officials, including the mayor. The ticket taking was an apparent violation of the city's ethics code and gift ban, not that the ban is uniformly enforced.
And what did Mr. Miller's boss have to say about his decision to watch the Huskies rather than be on duty with his troops? ``It probably was not the best judgment'' was as stern a response as Ms. Kee Borges, the city manager, could muster.
No wonder officials keep crossing the line.
On Police Chief Bruce Marquis' first day on the job in December, some dissident officers egged his car. That's vandalism, and it would be investigated if a citizen complained that his or her car was the target. But Mr. Marquis decided not to investigate, saying he wanted to move forward. The city manager's office acquiesced.
In other words, the vandals got away with it. That's no way to impose discipline on an out-of-control department.
In November, acting Police Chief Robert Rudewicz was given only a two-week suspension without pay for lying on an accident report. Again, Ms. Kee Borges said she was ``disappointed at his poor judgment.'' What would happen to an average person who falsified an accident report?
Early last year, Fire Chief Robert Dobson resigned -- finally -- after a number of embarrassments, among them using a city car on city time to drive to Bloomfield to work at an art gallery and framing shop owned by him and his wife. Sometimes he failed to show up at fires because he was moonlighting.
In September, the city's enfeebled ethics commission took council members to task for accepting bathrobes as gifts from a group helping a local developer with a proposed downtown project. Judging by their comments, the council members thought they had done nothing wrong and resented being called to account. One called the ethics proceeding ``a sham and a farce,'' and another -- no longer on the council -- declared the hearing a ``kangaroo court.''

 

For years, Hartford firefighters used city property for private gain. They were paid by out-of-town fire departments, whose personnel received training in the city under the supervision of Hartford firefighters. The improper practice ended only in September after city officials were embarrassed by stories in The Courant.
Those comments typify the attitude of Hartford's elected officials toward ethical standards. It took the council more than three years to pass rules and procedures for the ethics commission. During the time the body lay dormant, never meeting, the term of one initial appointee came to an end and another resigned. The council breathed life into the commission in 1997 only because, said then-Majority Leader John Stewart, the mayor wants ``to get the press off our backs.'' And before jump-starting the commission, the council watered down its powers.
Let's face it. Mr. Peters, the city policy leader who could use the bully pulpit to demand high standards of conduct, has not done so. Neither has Ms. Kee Borges, who appears unable to lower the boom on offending department heads. Nor do council members leave the impression that they give two hoots about squeaky-clean government.
City voters should hold them accountable at the next election.

THE CAVIAR MAYOR AND HIS "LIQUOR CABINET"

 

photo-Capitiol Reprot 2013

 

 

Yesterday, Mayor Segarra's Chief of Staff issued a media statement claiming that the New years Eve dinner he paid for on his City Credit card had become a "distraction" so he was making the choice to reimburse the City for $457.21 for the apparent cost of the dinner.

A distraction? Lets call it what it really is, it was a criminal act, a theft from the taxpayers of Hartford by a group of pompous City officials who suffer from an extreme case of entitlement. A group of pompous officials who should know better.

Not to mention, where is the moral obligation to the people of Hartford? Mr Kupiec, who spends his fair share of his time in the "entertainment" district downtown, if his credit card receipts are any indication. must notice Hartford residents struggling to make ends meet. After Hartford's bars close and the streets clear, senior  citizens with shopping carts collecting bottles and cans pick up the recyclables trying to make ends meet, a nickel at a time, so they can survive.

Where is the moral obligation to their constituents? How do you dine on caviar and filet Mignon at the expense of the same people you are entrusted to serve.. The same people pushing the shopping carts in the streets.

How do you claim to not realize which credit card was used? It just seems that any thinking person would realize that they don't recall putting their signature on a paper slip and calculating a gratuity. So much of this just doesn't add up. And how do you not remember who else was sitting at the table?  It kind of sounds like a case of selective amnesia, to protect someone you don't want to publicly identify.

Ok, so lets get back to the criminal part. People make more choices everyday. Many of those people regret those decisions after they get arrested and charged with their crime. This was clearly a larceny from the people of Hartford. The fact that restitution was made several months later should mean nothing, other than to confirm they realized what they did was wrong and they got caught.

For the last few days I have used an example that seems to make sense when people say he paid the money back. Let's say you make a decision to rob a bank, that is called criminal intent. You do the deed, the teller hands you a bank bag full of cash. As you begin to exit the bank you notice police cruisers pulling up, so you throw the bank bag back to the teller.

Technically. you made restitution by giving the money back. I seriously doubt that you will not be leaving that bank in handcuffs, even though you gave the money back. The fact that Kupiec paid the money back does not make the original incident go away.

I think the fact that the Mayor and Kupiec readily paid the money back, looks worse for them because clearly they knew their actions were wrong, no one had to order or force them to reimburse the City.

There are plenty of other unsubstantiated liquor and restaurant charges on Kupiec's card that should prove troublesome for him, but just the caviar binge should be enough to get a criminal investigation rolling.

And the greater question for me is how is this tolerated, aside from the fact that the caviar Mayor and his Chief Operating Officer were all complicit in the act, why are heads not rolling? it appalls me that the same people that can so readily rip--off the people of Hartford are still occupying their positions of trust at City Hall to rob the taxpayers once again.

It is also interesting that the beluga swilling Segarra has decided to curtail all credit card users. The Audit report clearly shows that the majority of the offenders are under his direct control, the Office of the Mayor, the Chief Operating Officer,and Corporation Counsel.

And finally, should the Mayor's "Security Detail"  really be sitting  at the table eating with him?  I have never once seen Troopers assigned to the Governor's detail sitting eating with him. It is kind of hard to legitimately assess any security risk  while you are checking to see if your Filet Mignon was cooked correctly.  I know that the dignitary training program these officers go through is well respected and I doubt throwing back a spoonful of caviar is what is taught.

Apparently our Caviar Mayor developed his taste for the good life before he actually became Mayor, you can read more here

THE P-CARD AUDIT REPORT

FinalReport City PCard Audit April2013 #1314

SEGARRA, KEE-BORGES, KUPIEC DINE ON CAVIAR AT TAXPAYERS EXPENSE

More details are coming out on the Mayor's new Years eve Dinner billed to the taxpayers of Hartford. In a document received from the City of Hartford today pursuant to a request , the itemized bill shows that $110.00 in caviar was billed to the taxpayers of Hartford.

More on this later ,and my thoughts when I have time to write more.

Caviar, while many in Hartford are wondering where their next meal is coming from.

12 31+Segarra

IT MUST BE BAD

The Audit report that was requested by the Council in response to complaints about widespread Credit Card Abuse is apparently done, according to the City's Auditor, but the full court press is being put on to avoid releasing it. I can understand why, but according to FOI it isn't legal.

I spoke with the education Director as well as a staff attorney earlier today with my questions regarding the release of the report. Although Hartford's Auditor, Patrick Campbell  advised the Council, the requestor's of the audit at Tuesdays budget hearing that the audit was done and he hoped to distribute it the following day.

As you can see from the e-mail text below, he seems to be relying on semantics, repeatedly using the word "issue" to avoid the release.

Mr. Brookman:

I understand you are looking for a copy of the final issued report.  We are working on finalizing the report for issuance.  It has not been issued at this time.  Once the final report has been issued you will certainly be welcome to a copy.

Patrick Campbell

According to FOI, when Campbell said it was done, it was done, which means it is a public document at that point , whether the Audit Commission or the Council has reviewed it, it should be public. I am losing confidence in the performance of the Audit and why the Auditor would try to prevent the release of the document.

I fully expect that a finding will come forth that everything is fine, a little mismanagement and loose record keeping , but other than that all innocent mistakes.

The fact of the matter is that just the New Years Eve Dinner charged to the Mayor's Chief of Staff is enough to request a criminal investigation. They used City funds for their own personal gain and entertainment of their spouses and friends on the taxpayers dime. That is fraud and a larceny from the municipality Any one of us can drive to Rocky Hill and walk into the Office of the Chief States Attorney with documents in hand and request a review. Hell, I'd take the bus if I have to, and Rocky Hill is closer than the FBI Offices in Meriden.

So if the City's Auditor and the Audit Commission are suffering from a case of "Low T" myself and others will be glad to take care of business. If past practice is any indicator, the IAC and the Auditor's have been reluctant to refer anything for prosecution, even well documented thefts of large amounts of cash from the Tax Collector's Office, Seeing the behavior to keep this report from the public, I am not expecting too much.

ANOTHER ONE FOR THE "YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP" FILE

It is ironic that after Eddie Perez was convicted, I thought the blog would dry up because people would start doing the right thing.  Well, let me just say, the information is coming in faster now than it ever did when Perez was Mayor.

One television reporter told me that "Hartford was the gift that keeps on giving" when it comes to material for blog posts and news stories. Boy were they right.

Today when I got the call telling me about an someone who is apparently a vendor for the City of Hartford. They explained that the vendor, who apparently is hired by Development Services to clean up illegal dumping sites in the City, was himself arrested by the Hartford Police for illegal dumping behind the Comcast Theater.

The Police reports are below, but other tan the police reports, the City is being very tight lipped about the incident. I can understand why, how many embaraasing situations can you be expected to have to address at one time> PCards, retiree issues, phony budget numbers, New Year's Eve soiree's and now the illegal dumping by the same vendor apparently paid to clean the messes up.

And now another twist, the employee in Development Services who apparently is tasked with working withe the illegal dumping "cleaner upper" vendor, has now sent an e-mail to Deputy Chief Hightower stating that, from what sources are telling me, she gave him permission for the illegal dumping.

I know that there may be enough illegal activity in the halls of Hartford City Hall, but now employees are giving permission notes for corrupt behavior? I think it might be more of a last ditch effort to save someones contract, but time will tell.

Sources at DPW are telling me that they are in the process of preparing a bill for the cleanup that they will try to collect from the illegal dumper. Maybe they should take it as a payroll deduction from the employeee that thought she had the power to authorize illegal activity.

The vendor, according to sources, is also a vendor for Manafort Construction on the MDC Clean Water's Project. It is unclear if any of the materials dumped illegally were from that project. On the day that the vendor was confronted by Police on Holcomb Street, where he was working for Manafort, Joseph Gallo, an Inspector from DEEP, shut the work down because the illegal dumper was also working illegally at the time because no "Call Before You Dig" notifications were never made and no permit issued for the work being performed.

Where are our Inspectors? is anyone in the City paying attention?

Through a request to the Mayor's Office for comment on the incident, the following statement was e-mailed to me:

Maribel,

As I mentioned to the police when asked yesterday, Mark Swiatowiec is the owner of New England Construction. New England Construction is an on-call City contractor that performs property maintenance services for the City. Mark has been cited for allegedly dumping construction debris on a City-owned lot on New Road. I informed the officer that I find it quite unlikely that Mark would dump on such a high profile City lot, especially when he has dumpsters at his disposal around town.

Please let me know if you need any additional information. 

Truly,

Julianne

Julianne Avallone

Senior Project Manager

Housing and Property Management Division

Department of Development Services

City of Hartford

www.Hartford.gov

T: 860-757-9029

 

The incident is outlined in the attached Police reports. Apparently the police were led to the vendor through a piece of unopened mail found in with the debris that had been dumped. When confronted, the suspected illegal dumper told the investigators the mail must have blown out of his window as he drove by cComcast. Sure sounds legit to me.

 

I hope the City has begun the process of removing the illegal dumper from any City purchasing lists and also put a hold on any payments owed to him to pay for the DPW cleanups. I will atempt to obtain the e-mail from Ms. Avallone to Chief Hightower regarding this incident through FOI, it could prove interesting from what I am told.

 

In the mean time, maybe Mr. Swiatowiec should keep his windows up when he drives by Comcast to avoid future incidents.

Comcast Arerest 10001

SAMA, SHOW US THE MONEY

 

 

This posting might more accurately be titled "How many laws can you break before someone starts investigating"?

In what politicians are trying to defend as a wise decision to sell a piece of property to SAMA (Spanish American Merchants Association) for one dollar in return to see it resold for half a million, quite a few things just aren't adding up.

Monica Buchannan from NBC 30 recently did a story on the deal, you can view that here.

In that interview, Mayor Segarra's Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec said that the funds from the sale were "specifically designated for repairs on the building" yet according to SAMA"s lease with the city, SAMA was responsible for all repairs on the building, not the taxpayers of Hartford

Kupiec further went on to say in the interview that the $500,000 was used for "roof repairs, elevator repairs and electrical work". That would be hard to prove though because under Connecticut law, such repairs require permits and inspections before the work begins and inspections need to take place to verify the work is being done properly by City Inspectors.

Kupiec also stated during the interview "ultimately, that building was previuosly non tax paying is now a taxable property".  That statement is totally untrue, SAMA is a non-profit organization and as a result, the City of Hartford will not realize one cent in tax benefit from the property as long as they occupy the proerty.

A $25,000 building  permit was taken out through Hartford's License and Inspections department for the roof repair. It appears that on March 28, 2013 after the media and others began questioning the deal, another $25,000 was added to the value for that permit for a total of $50,000. Only 10% of the half a million dollars can be accounted for and verified through the permits.

If any other work was done, besides the roofing work, it would appear to have been done illegally and was never approved or inspected by the City of Hartford as required by law.

On April 29, 2013, Daniel Loos , Director of Licenses and Inspections sent a letter to SAMA
detailing the permit violations  and requesting that they account for any work that has been done. Any work done without permits is apparently subject to a double permit fee as a penalty.

Calls to Julio Mendoza for comment and an opportunity to provide documentation of any repairs have gone unanswered.

Here is the letter sent to SAMA from the City of Hartford

Dan Loos l&i Letter to Sama0001

HPD MAKES ARREST IN MARCH 28, 2013 SHOOTING

 

George Harris

 

Kevan Simmons

Simmons has 28 previous Hartford arrests

Harris has 24 previous Hartford arrests

 

 

FROM HPD MEDIA RELEASE

 

On March 28, 2013 Hartford Police officers were dispatched to Bedford St. on a report of shots fired. Two victims, who were shot multiple times, were located and immediately transported to St. Francis. The Hartford Police Department Major Crimes Division began an immediate investigation. Based on this investigation, arrest warrants were obtained for Kevan Simmons, 21 of Hartford and George Harris, 22 of Hartford.

Kevan Simmons was charged with: Criminal Attempt Murder 53a-49/53a-54a; Assault 1st 53a-59; Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm 53-203; Criminal Possession of a Firearm 53a-217c; Reckless Endangerment 1st 53a-63.

George Harris was charged with Hindering Prosecution 53a-166. Harris was one of the victims in the shooting. Investigators believe that Harris was a co-conspirator of Simmons, and was accidently shot by Simmons in the shooting.

Of note, Kevan Simmons is a person of interest in another recent violent shooting in the City of Hartford. Anyone with information about Kevan Simmons is asked to call Lieutenant Brian Foley at 860-757-4463 or Crime Stoppers at 860-722-TIPS (8477).

THE UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCE OF FEEL GOOD LEGISLATION

This is a hard one to understand, but when you rush forward I guess mistakes happen. Most legislators I have spoke with regarding Connecticut's recently passed gun bill agree, it wasn't a great bill, but it had to be done for the families of Newtown. My State Rep. , Doug McCrory actually had the backbone to stand and vote "no" for something he didn't believe in. But before I start going in another direction, back to my point.

Although much of the debate was about "mental illness", there is apparently one provision in the bill that would prevent many people from seeking help voluntarily if they realized they needed help for stress, anxiety or any form of mental illness and even if they voluntarily seek help at a hospital that deals with psychiatric issues ( most hospitals fall into that category). Under the statute, that information must be reported to the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

From what Law enforcement sources are explaining to me, even first responders from Newtown that may be seeking counseling and help for stress related to the Newtown response are in jeopardy of losing their firearms if the law is enforced as written.Once the information of their voluntay treatment for any mental health issue is reported, the Commissioner is supposed to revoke their gun ownership permits.

One police source stated to me that even a police officer seeking treatment for chest pains is in jeopardy if the chest pains are determined to be caused by anxiety, technically a mental health problem. In a recent training claas for police officers, it was apparently pointed out that when possible, they should seek treatment at out of state hospitals to avoid the reporting process mandated by the bill.

I'm serious, you can't make this stuff up.

The complete law can be read here:

This bill clearly needs to be reviewed and provide some support and protection for our urban areas and gun violence as well as protect police officers, state troopers and other first responders that encounter tragic situations and wish to voluntarily seek counseling without fear of losing their weapons.

I have to admit I haven't read the entire bill, but section 8 of the bill seems to apply to the mental health problem. I think you would probably be hard pressed to find many members of the State Legislature who read the entire bill also before they voted on it