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