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