A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION

 

Ghostbusters arriving for the corruption cleanse of Hartford City Hall

 

 

Most people talking to me about what is going on at City Hall keep asking me "What are they thinking?" I am not sure they are thinking, but how do I know.

Maybe Jared Kupiec was trying to re-enact the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere for July 4th, except in a 2010 Ford Explorer. The trip up I-95 to the birthplace of America and then the back road ride through Lexington and Concord could explain some of the 1200 miles Kupiec put on his stolen car to a Jury.

It makes about as much sense as anything else happening at City hall.

Fortunately for Mayor Segarra, Connecticon is being held this weekend at the Connecticut Convention Center. This readily has given Segarra and his staff (at least what is left of his staff) access to hundreds of "Ghost busters". It is the only possible  explanation, City Hall is possessed.

The ghost of Hartford's founder Thomas Hooker has been reported to have taken up residence inside City Hall and according to some in the building, if you listen close late at night he is saying he is not happy with what the City he founded has become

According to historic information found in the archives of the City Clerk's Office, Hooker may have actually passed away after  a severe reaction to a rare caviar allergy.

Mayor Segarra is also reported to be making his rounds of City Hall tonight  burning sage to rid the halls of  550 Main Street of evil spirits. I guess it is an old Native American cleansing process. Segarra is proving to be somewhat of a prophet himself. At a recent Faith Based Community Initiative meeting held at Hartford's Public Safety Complex, Segarra stated to everyone present "there is evil in this very room".

The sage burning tonight might help, I might even text him a couple of other addresses to consider visiting.

MURDER AT MILNER

Hartford Police Officer Theresa Velez joins those at the vigil at Milner School as Reverend AJ Johnson(back to the camera) and others join in prayer Saturday

The vigil for what had been Hartford's latest homicide was taking place on the grounds of the Thurman Milner School on  Vine Street while what is actually Hartford's latest homicide was being committed on Flatbush  Avenue.

The family of the young man who was murdered in the yard at Milner School was joined in prayer with the Reverend Henry Brown and the members of Mother's United Against Violence, most of them mothers who have had their own children killed on the streets of Hartford.

As the group were joining their hands in solidarity and prayer, they were unaware that a bullet was  tearing into the chest of another 25 year old young man a few miles away on Flatbush Avenue possibly, according to witnesses, over a gold chain around his neck that he refused to give up.

When is enough enough? As a side note, no assault weapons or multi round clips were used  in either killing

 

Flatbush Ave. homicide scene

I NEED SOLUTIONS

As the blog is quickly approaching its 1 millionth hit, and as I said yesterday it is an engine for change in Hartford, it can also serve as a valuable asset to serve as a spot for solutions. With over 5,000 page visits on some days, I know people are reading. Many of those readers are City employees and government professionals. Many are business people and educators. Many are Police Officers and firefighters and many politicians, even a few Judges have confided in me that hey are regular readers.

I know the media follows because many of them grab their stories from here, Some are good and acknowledge where they got it, others don't, but it is still flattering even if they don't.

With all those eyes on the blog, all of those eyes are also attached to functioning brains. Probably different degrees of functionality coming from those brains , but I'll stay away from that for now.

Bottom line is that there is a lot wrong with Hartford right now. But the fact that keeps me here , is that there is far more that is right with Hartford. The solution is here, if Mayor Segarra and others just take the time to listen.

It is easy to point out the wrong. Unfortunately it just seems to get easier and easier everyday with the poor judgment and crazy decision making by the Mayor and his people. At least a few times a day, callers to me start the conversation by saying "you can't make this stuff up". No you can't.

I am going to post a few of my thoughts and I guess pet peeves here, like I usually do. But I am asking my readers to put some thoughts into their comments and post ideas that will make Hartford a better place. Feel free to offer guidance to Mayor Segarra, whether he will admit it or not, him and his staff are faithful readers.

I am asking that you keep the comments civil and actually  provide ways and suggestions that you think might work.

1.) First on my list is to let the Hartford City Council know why they were actually elected. They are the policy body and the budgetary of Hartford City Government. The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer, he runs the day to day operation. The Council is not supposed to micro manage any City Department. They are not advisers to the White House, they are not meant to try to set or influence immigration Policy in Arizona through their resolutions. Quite frankly they should be focusing on anything that involves the people who put them in Office. Taxes, spending, fiscal matters, that's why they are there.

They are not there to question whether a police car has a corvette engine or does it a PPV or a passenger car. (PPV is a Police Pursuit Vehicle package that police cars come with, usually beefed up suspension, brakes, engine, transmission, everything to make sure the vehicles stay safe as they are used 24/7  usually under harsh conditions).

They shouldn't be questioning compensatory time or overtime The Council approves budgets. how those budgets are used is the reason we hire department heads and hold them responsible for their budgets. Furthermore, it is the Mayor's responsibility through his COO to make sure that works. Now I will give the Council a little bit of a pass here. If the Mayor has abdicated his responsibility and the COO is asleep at the switch, then hearings need to be held and the failings brought out in the open. The Council can not just step in and assume the Mayor's role and take over.

It is called checks and balances not divide and conquer.

2.) An immediate review of all non-union salaries both at the Board of Education and City hall needs to take place. I say non-union because most other salaries are set by collective bargaining agreements and aren't touchable until the next round of contract negotiations. Any regular reader knows my feelings already about the $120,000 plus salary being paid to the spokesperson for the Board of Education. I feel the same way for the Mayor's spokesperson ( although I think right now and for the immediate future she will be earning every penny of it)

 It is just inconceivable to me that the Mayor's spokesperson makes almost double what many media professionals in this market, some with over 25 years experience. These salaries need to be brought in line with something close to those being paid in the private sector. It is called public service for a reason and was never meant as a way to get rich

3.) Analyze and make sure that every revenue stream available to the City is being pursued to the maximum. It boggles my mind that rent payments from the use of the Pond House Building in Elizabeth Park are being paid to the Friends of Elizabeth Park, rather than the City of Hartford. Numerous politicos and nonprofits such as the Spanish American Merchants Association, a condo building on Woodland Street, home to a few politicians and at least the address for one Department head ( notice I didn't say home, because it is just a sham address for him to say he has a Hartford address)

But anyways over 15 of these locations have been getting totally free trash pickup from the City of Hartford for years. While most others have to contract with a private hauler, these addresses have been living on easy street when it comes to trash. Not only do they get the service for free, the City also has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in tipping fees for the weight of the trash picked up.
Between the Pond House rent and the trash fees, not to mention the $500,000 they gave away on the SAMA land deal, the Police Department would not be worrying about budget cuts, the money would be there to fund them fully.

4.) We have a suite full of lawyers in the Office of the Corporation Counsel yet we still contract out a major portion of the legal work to outside lawyers. Why? Some of the work contracted out is for work that a lawyer fresh out of law school should be able to do blindfolded. Real estate closings and FOI hearings just being a few examples

Reports are that several hundred thousand dollars of hardwood trees, large red oak and others were cut down and sold by the vendor entrusted with managing Hartford's two golf courses, At the same time the vendor, MDM Golf, is in default of their lease agreement, not paying their rent, not carrying the required insurance, but yet being allowed to still collect the green's fees every days as most golfers are telling me the courses are in deplorable condition.

I am unable to find any lawsuits that have been filed against MDM by the City to protect from or collect these losses. Isn't that what lawyers should be doing to protect the City's interests?

5.) City cars. No ,I do not support vehicles for ERT. City cars have been abused for years.  I have seen the trunks of City vehicles used for hauling mulch from Home Depot like a delivery truck and City cars used to haul the family around for dinner out in replacement of the family having a car. It is time to change and revamp the policy.

 One of the most egregious examples was a former Assistant Police Chief who commuted to Stamford everyday in a City car, fueled by the taxpayers gas pumps. And not to mention his occasional romps into Manhattan on weekends  for dinner when he would run the tolls on the way back and the toll booth cameras would click his license plate and send the tickets to City Hall to be paid by the taxpayers of Hartford.

The occasional accidents and towing fees back to Hartford for repairs were just an added benefit of his car use.

The first step will be the creation of an inventory system for the vehicles and accurate tracking, because as we saw with the Kupiec joy ride, no one even knows who has the cars.

6.) The internal Audit department's recent reports regarding the poor cash handling procedures and the use of City credit cards is just clearly mismanagement and screams out for a change in leadership in the Finance Department
.
Receipts stored in a shoebox on a shelf and almost a half a million dollars in bounced checks sitting around without any collection efforts. Give those checks to HPD and tell them whatever they collect will be put back in their budget. That number will be cleaned up real quick.

7.) And finally for tonight, Councilman Kennedy's Special Events ordinance needs to be rescinded. A few years ago, the Council capped all of the fees for special events at a maximum of $10,000. This means that any group who has a parade or an event will only be billed up to a maximum of $10,000, no matter what the cost to the City/ Some Hartford parades run up a tab of $70,000 to $80,000 per event and they are billed $10.000. The taxpayers, or more specifically the HPD Special Events Budget eats the rest of those costs. And in many cases the initial $10,000 is never paid either.

This was done not out of any fiscal responsibility for the City, but purely to keep groups with political clout happy and not making them raise the funds to conduct their events. It needs to end.

I am sure there are many readers that have their own special insight or ideas to help Pedro and the City Council out and maybe help him see something they aren't t seeing. Only time will tell if they are listening, but then again, that is what elections are for.

Please keep your comments civil, constructive and on point. Thanks

OUCH

For the tongue in cheek version of Jared's Joy Ride, check out Colin McEnroe's column here. Can the music video be far off ?

WE AREN'T THIS BAD ....YET

As bad as things sometimes look in Hartford, I guess they could always be worse.

http://www.nancyonnorwalk.com/2013/07/norwalk-dems-battle-in-city-hall-parking-lot/

YOU'RE FIRED

 

 

This graphic apparently appeared today on television station KTVU in Oakland ,California regarding the Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco.

I can only think it was some producer trying to play a poorly thought out prank on their last day of work at KTVU, if not I am pretty sure today will be their last day.

This is the statement from the station:

EARLIER IN THE NEWSCAST WE GAVE SOME NAMES OF PILOTS INVOLVED IN THE ASIANA AIRLINES CRASH. THESE NAMES WERE NOT ACCURATE DESPITE AN N-T-S-B OFFICIAL IN WASHINGTON CONFIRMING THEM LATE THIS MORNING. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THIS ERROR.

UPDATE:

NTSB statement on erroneous confirmation of crew names

July 12

The National Transportation Safety Board apologizes for inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6.

Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.

The NTSB does not release or confirm the names of crewmembers or people involved in transportation accidents to the media. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today's incident.

Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated.

Office of Public Affairs
490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20594
(202) 314-6100
Kelly Nantel
kelly.nantel@ntsb.gov

WHY?

I try not to take the blog too seriously, most times, at least. I am starting to realize what people have been telling me for a while. "We the People" has definitely become an engine for change in Hartford.

As much as I appreciate that though, I really do have to ask...Why?

I have some excellent partners and sources that make it all possible, but it would be so much easier if the City was just run right.

With the number of high priced, most of them in the six figure salary, so called managers, it seems as though  very little managing is taking place.Whether it is the p-card abuse or Kupiec's joy ride, why does it come out here first. Shouldn't our managers and our double dipping COO have a handle on the operation first?

I just wonder what the outcome would have been if I didn't develop the information regarding the former Chief of Staff and his apparent theft of a City vehicle. Would anyone have even known?
And when would the vehicle he took without permission have been noticed as missing? Maybe when the dust on it from the parking garage got too thick that it bothered some city Hall manager with allergies?

As the incident unfolded Monday morning it was amazing that no one, not even the HPD Fleet manager knew who the vehicle was issued to. Cops were saying the registration cam back to HPD but apparently no one had a record of who the vehicle had been issued to.. That is just amazing that there is no vehicle data base that should show any City vehicle at a moments notice. If people are being paid to manage a fleet, then damn it, manage the fleet.

That would also require though that those in power play by the rules and allow the people being paid to do their jobs. You can't bypass the rules and hand out vehicles or cellphones or I-pads like candy without following a process in place. To the best of my knowledge there is no small asset inventory in place for the City of Hartford. I have asked for it and no one has provided it.

That means if you are a City of Hartford employee and are issued an I-pad or a cellphone or in the Case of Jared Kupiec, a car. No one even knows you have it, so there is no procedure to protect the city's assets to make sure that property eventually makes it back to City Hall, unless someone remembers to ask for it back.

This just crazy that we run a half a billion dollar corporation like this, if you can even call it "running". It is a free for all allowed to flail out of control because of misplaced loyalties to law school study buddies and chronies rather than qualified professionals.

Council President Shawn Wooden today requested an Audit into City Vehicles based on the Kupiec incident. An incident that was revealed through a blog posting, not an observant City employee or even a highly paid Department head doing their job.

Even more troubling though is the comment in Wooden's letter that " I understand that an audit of this scope will likely be a labor intensive one, so I am asking that it be completed by September 30, 2013". This report would most likely be a few key strokes on a computer to generate for management at any properly operated business.

The report would probably also tell you the last time it was serviced, the mileage etc, etc. And if it was a really well run business, the entire fleet would be tracked by GPS and able to tell you where that vehicle was at that exact moment and how fast it was travelling.

It is definitely time to start reviewing the City Vehicle policy. There should be three people with City take home privileges, the mayor, the police Chief and the Fire Chief, period. In addition all other City vehicles should be clearly marked  with city seals and markings. What is the need for stealth by the Fire Chief or the Fire Department. no HFD markings and in most cases  not even municipal plates. Why?

In a City struggling with the need for additional police presence and visibility , other than detective's vehicles, every other vehicle should be clearly and very visibly marked a s a police vehicle. If you don't want a marked police vehicle in your driveway, don't take it home.

And as far as DPW, no one is owed a ride back and forth to work by the taxpayers. Follow the Weather Channel, if a blizzard is predicted, either stay local or take an SUV home for the night, but there is no need for vehicles to go home on a daily basis.

There is  no reason for the Chief of Staff , the COO or even Department heads to have take home cars

The City of Hartford residents deserve so much more from those who are supposed to be running the operation. Allowing the direction and management of the city to be dictated by a blog is wrong.

Wooden Vehicle Audit Request0001

GET OUT THOSE LEISURE SUITS AND PARACHUTE PANTS TONIGHT

I don't post commercial events here too often, but I think this one is worth it. When many business owners are bailing on Hartford, at least one continues to invest in Hartford and grow while also creating new jobs for people, many of whom are Hartford residents. Jerry Fornacelli, owner of Hartford's Russian Lady, the Tavern Downtown and the newest addition the Rocking Horse Café.

Although the Tavern Downtown has been a staple of the Union place dining establishments for some time, Jerry recently relocated to the former Coach's space directly next to the Russian Lady Café and expanded the restaurant . Just south of the Russian lady, Jerry renovated a vacant store front and created the Rocking horse Café. The atmosphere makes you think you are in the old west  with the pine barn board siding, saddles and country Western music.

The latest addition to the Ann Street triple crown this summer are the weekly block parties, complete with the mechanical bull in the middle of the street, free for anyone brave enough to jump on and trust Pat at the controls. He hasn't launched anyone off yet, but then again I haven't climbed on .

The block parties are events that usually draw over a thousand people to celebrate Hartford in the block of Ann Uccello Street between Asylum Street and Allyn Place.. It is great to see people out enjoying Hartford and patronizing the other restaurants and bars around the are being drawn in by the block party.

These events are a gamble for the owner because they require a rather large police presence, street closures , porta-potties and fencing and all the logistics, none of this is cheap, the Police coverage alone is a few thousand every week, even if it gets rained out. All that can change on a moments notice with the weather, but Jerry is an entertainer and I think he thrives on the crowds and seeing people enjoying all that Hartford has to offer.

Tonight is the flashback to the 80's Blockparty and should be a great night. It will probably bring back memories to many of us to the first time we sat in the Barber Chair by the front entrance drinking your first , now famous, Russian Lady Long Island Ice Tea and then keeping the hurricane glass. Some of those memories I am sure many of us would like to forget, like the shots of Peach tree schnapps when that was first introduced

Luckily most of us have grown up, or at least grown older, but tonight should be a good night, just seeing crowds downtown is a good thing.

And again, in full disclosure, I do have a business relationship with Jerry but I still love the place, business or not. Say hello if you stop by

IS IT TIME FOR ANOTHER GRAND JURY APPLICATION?

The plot thickens on this one. I have some great readers that follow this blog, some with a keen sense of observation. I can't believe I missed this one, but after the "Pigs at the Trough" posting I received an e-mail telling me I should look into the listed owner of the property that the Chief Operating Officers fiancee' purchased during the tax lien auction. I did, and then I slapped myself in the head for missing this.

Taxserve Waller Doc0001 by kevinhfd

The property at that the COO's fiancée 's purchased was owned by ATFH Real Property , LLC. The delinquent taxes on the property listed were $105,413.29.

The initials ATFH jumped out at me. "ATF", not the Federal agency  but for American Tax Funding, the same company that the City of Hartford sells it delinquent tax liens to. Interesting that the fiancee' of the COO just happened to buy a lien from the same company that the City of Hartford sold it to.

To be sure I looked up ATFH REAL Property , LLC on the Secretary of the States website. BINGO!

Concord Atfh Real Holdings0001

Next I looked up American Tax Funding, the company that the COO  and the City of Hartford sell the delinquent tax liens to.

Concord Atf0001

Coincidence that the two corporations share the same address in Jupiter Florida or are you starting to see the connection here.

So a quick recap here, The fiancee of the acting COO purchases a Tax Lien at the auction run by the City . The tax Lien that he purchased was in the sale because the Company that the City sold the liens to defaulted on their taxes and became a tax delinquent after foreclosing on the previous property owner and taking the property. Apparently after foreclosing and obtaining the property ATF Real property stopped paying the taxes due to the City of Hartford.

The company that is contracted to help the City of Hartford collect on delinquent taxes , then became a tax delinquent themselves while running up a delinquent tax bill of over $100,000. This is not the only property that ATFH owns in the City..

  Now also keep in mind that Saundra Kee-Borges currently wears several hats at City Hall. Two of those hats being those of Chief Operating Officer as well as Corporation Counsel, the attorney for the City of Hartford.

Even though they set up separate corporations, ATF and ATFH are clearly linked, even listing the ATFH properties for sale on the ATF website

One of the responsibilities of the Corporation Counsel is to monitor City contracts and to adhere to and enforce Hartford's municipal code. Section 2-571 of the Municipal Code requires the following 

Sec. 2-571. - Obligations of Persons or Candidates seeking a contract or purchase order with the City.

(A)

No Contract or purchase order, regardless of how procured, shall be awarded by the City to any Person or Candidate until it is determined that such Person, Candidate or affiliated entity has no delinquent taxes or other financial obligation owed to the City.

 

 If  Kee-Borges was paying attention to the code, ATF should have not been allowed to conduct business with the City of Hartford until their  property tax obligations were paid.

 

Who made the decision to ignore Hartford's Municipal code, might it have been either the Chief Operating Officer or the Corporation Counsel? And does it seem to be suspicious that  those decisions are now potentially benefiting  the decision makers  fiancee'?

 

I think there are some questions here that need to be addressed and answered, probably by an authority outside of and not related to Hartford City Hall.

 

This doesn't seem to reflect well on that Mayoral makeover.

 

And just to keep you coming back, this is not the end of the questionable real estate that the COO and her fiancee are being linked to. Keep reading

DISGRACEFUL

HEADSTONE AT A VETERANS GRAVE SITE IN HARTFORD SOLDIER'S FIELD PROPPED UP WITH 2X4'S

 

 

 It seems pretty obvious that very little supervision or accountability is going on in Hartford City government. Most of it we have just become accustomed to and seem to accept, but one thing that is inexcusable and I can't tolerate or accept is disrespecting our veteran's who have served and some have actually died for us.

 

I have received several calls about the condition of Hartford's cemeteries ,Northwood's and Soldiers Field in particular . Gravestones falling over. some, like the one above propped up with lumber, lawns not mowed, weeds overgrown. Totally disrespectful to the deceased buried there as well as their families and loved ones.

 

The veterans headstones don't look like they have been cleaned in ages and are filthy. It just disgusts me that no City official can drive through and find this unacceptable.

HARTFORD'S  SOLDIER'S FIELD

 

The sad part though is that if you drive three or four miles up I-91 to the Windsor veterans cemetery, the cemetery is maintained almost like Arlington National Cemetery. MY  father is buried there and I appreciate the condition. The lawns are always mowed , the monuments are upright and they are regularly pressure washed why does Hartford deserve or tolerate such disrespect. It is just not right and we deserve so much better for our veterans.

 

Something is seriously wrong when we maintain  rose gardens better than the final resting place for our veterans that have served our country

ABOVE-WINDSOR VETERANS CEMETERY, IN CASE ANYONE NEEDS TO KNOW HOW IT SHOULD LOOK, NOTICE THE LACK OF 2 X 4'S HOLDING THE MARKERS UP

KEE-BORGES:"DID I DO SOMETHNG WRONG?"

Remember the posting last night quoting Richard Wareing ""We need to be less reactive and more proactive".

Well apparently today after the horse left the barn, Hartford's Acting Chief Operating Officer Saundra Kee-Borges reacted and decided to ask for an opinion from her Deputy L. John Van Norden. I am quite sure the opinion will be unbiased  and based in law.

At least one burning question has been answered in the request for the ethical opinion, Waller is her fiancee'. Maybe she might have wanted to ask if it was ethical to purchase rack of lamb and caviar at the taxpayers expense also.

From: Kee Borges, Saundra
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2013 3:00 PM
To: Van Norden, John L.
Subject: FW: Request for opinion

 

 

 

John, questions have been raised concerning the appropriateness of my fiancée Terry Waller bidding at the most recent tax deed sale. Specifically, Terry was the successful bidder on 2 pieces of property at that sale. In one case there others who also bid before it was determined that his bid was the highest. In the other, he was the only bidder after the property was made available for sale again in round two of the auction. There were no bidders for either property in round one of the auction.  An opinion by the Ethics Commission on whether it was a conflict or gave the appearance of a conflict for Terry to bid at that public auction given his relationship to me is requested. According to the tax Collector, the whole procedure was overseen and conducted by an outside entity named Taxserv. Thank you

 

Saundra Kee Borges

 

Why wasn't this asked before the bids were made. I guess that would just make too much sense. But before you say this sounds legit and are ready to giver her a pass, wait until you read tomorrow's posting and the follow-up on this.

 

Earlier toady, Mayor Segarra issued the following statement  regarding Kee-Borges and Waller's actions:

 

"Tax deed sales are public auctions marketed heavily by the City to encourage community investment and to return properties to the active tax rolls when collection efforts fail. The Mayor does not monitor the public auction process, city employees are not prohibited from bidding at these auctions, and anyone can bid or outbid each other for the purchase of the property. All details about the properties are public information, and made available on-line."

RESPONSIBILITY

I have thought about this posting for some time now and it may force me to consider how the blog continues to operate, but I am going to say some these that need to be said and try to explain a couple things.

As I approach almost a million hits on the blog, I continue to think back on why I started it in the first place. The preliminary reason was that it was eventually started as a clearing house of sorts for bad information coming out of City Hall. It was during the Eddie Perez investigation and the eventual Grand Jusy that I guess I started to gain a reputation as the "go to guy" if you wanted to get information out without putting your own neck on the line.

A local reporter, Len Besthoff, knew of my concerns to make sure I was protecting my sources. Len attended a seminar where they were told that Bloggers have apparently been determined to be legitimate journalist and come under shield laws. I still laugh every time someone considers me a journalist, but I do have my days. As far as protecting my sources, if Eddie Perez ever knew where much of the information was coming from, Hartford's unemployment rate would have jumped a couple of percentage points.

As the blog has grown, I can't help but realize that it has an impact. That is where the responsibility part comes in all the time. One of the tings Len , and others, taught me very early was to check and double check information an never trust anything from a single source. I think I have higher standards than many journalists who jump to take what they hear off a scanner or in line at Dunkin Donuts and run with it, only to be proven wrong later.

This blog has cost people their jobs, some have been arrested in part or totally because of information developed here .Some  careers have ended because of the blog,  and on the positive side, some careers have been enhanced or  saved because of it.

I have been threatened with law suits to remove postings, but if I know I am able to verify what I post, the truth would mean nothing if I caved in when someone  felt the heat.

The difficult part has been the comments, and I guess this is the main reason for this posting. Most people like reading my posts, but I know just as many people come here to read the comments. I think in some cases it is a form of therapy for some to post and take their shots. Sometimes those shots are at me, sometimes at their co-workers and in some cases it is almost the modern day version of the office suggestion box.

 You have something to say about HPD or City hall but you don't want the possible retaliation so throw it up on the blog as a comment and you know the word will get around. Whether it is junk cars behind the old Police Station or the need for an Internal Affairs investigation, commenter's know that if it posted here in the comment section, it will get noticed and something will most likely happen. The junk cars were removed within a day, and IAD investigations have been launched within minutes of being received recently.

The tough part is where to draw the line and be responsible. Believe it or not, some comments, such as those about HPD midnight shift supervisors are deleted more than they are put through. What's the point, after the first few, I am pretty confident  that the message is out to the Administration that there is a possible problem. If there is an issue there, constant jabs on a blog aren't going to correct it. It is out of my hands. It might be therapy for the co-workers, but there is some responsibility.

I was talking  to a frequent commenter today and we were discussing Mondays deal with the Kupiec  SUV deal. The  caller threw out a name of another HPD member who has had more than his fair share of negative comments on the blog. Some deserved, most probably not. I will be cryptic here, but anyone in the know will read between the lines.

So he threw out the name saying so and so "had to be involved". Wrong, or at least I feel comfortable saying wrong . "So and so" has I think become used to the backlash, but isn't shy about calling me when he thinks the comments are unfair, some have been removed to be fair, some have not.

Anyway, when he threw out the name, I asked him if he would be surprised  to know that Sgt ."so and so" had actually called me regarding a comment posted about Kupiec.  I.asked him if he would be surprised to know that phone records and text messages had already been voluntarily forwarded to me to prove that Sgt "so and so" was not involved and made no calls or notifications before, during or after the incident.. It was all voluntary and I told him it was not necessary, but he felt that it was important to prove his point.

But in all candor, I told Sgt. "so and so" that he created a lot of his own problems by his associations and that sometimes the perception of impropriety was almost as bad as the actual impropriety itself and it might make sense  to reconsider putting yourself in the situation  where the perception could be allowed to exist or form in the first place.

It is not always what it seems, and after I explained Sgt "so and so" actions, he said "you need to put that on the blog". I agree. It's called responsibility.

AS REQUESTED FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE

Earlier today a tough guy under the name of "anonymous" was willing to put his neck on the line and post a comment

 

"Kevin,
You're full of it. I've known Vinny for years. He would never screw a fellow union member. He's a man of integrity. If you have this "supposed" email that Vinny sent, let's see it. "

 

Ok, since I'll even try to convince a coward posting as "Anonymous" taking shots at me, here are the documents you requested.

 

If there are any big words that you don't understand, please let me know because I really hope you will consider that "man of integrity" comment and realize who actually does have the integrity.

 

As you start from the top document, you will see  from the Hand written memo entitled "Fire Complaint", pay close attention to the light pencil marks already determining the "possible charges before an Investigation was even started. Second item typed page of March 18,2008 anonymous complaint from "wife of fire applicant"

 

3rd Document , letter from the "man of integrity" on April 7, 2008 requesting the investigation into "serious allegation" against Deputy Chief Dan Nolan. I believe the letter is signed by your "man of integrity" Vincent Fusco , President Local 760. I will give you one point, I made a mistake, it wasn't an e-mail, it was a fax sent from the Hartford Firefighters Local 760 Union Office.

 

As I strive to keep my readers happy, as you asked "lets see it" so here it is, but I doubt it will make you happy..

 

 Anything else , coward?

 

Nolan Erdmann Memo by kevinhfd

Nolan Union Complaint by kevinhfd

INFORMATION IS KNOWLEDGE

I decided to start posting the recaps of Council Meetings as well as the Council Agendas when I have them.

You might find it interesting to see what the Council actually does and might notice some trends as to their personal agendas. Feel free to comment

7.8.13- Council Action Review

CEILING REPAIRS AT MCDONOUGH SCHOOL TO COST $80,000

According to a report in the Hartford Courant, ceiling repairs At Hartford's McDonough School are  estimated to cost  $80,000. To make it easier in Budget terms that those at City hall can understand, that is 320 ounces of Beluga Caviar at $250 an ounce or 1000 gas tank fillups in a stolen SUV.

A quote in the article from Board of Education member Rich Wareing needs to be etched into the stone walls of the atrium of Hartford City Hall for every City employee to see daily as they enter the building "We need to be less reactive and more proactive,"

Here is the Courant's article

DAN NOLAN SUING HARTFORD FIREFIGHTERS UNION

Dan Nolan serving in Afghanistan

 

 

I had thought that once Dan Nolan won his job back through a Judges order , that would be the end of  this nonsense. Apparently not. 

Nolan is now being forced to sue the same Union that is supposed to represent his employee rights.The lawsuit has been filed and is posted below, it is pretty much self explanatory. It should have every Hartford firefighter questioning why they are paying Union dues. If they would treat Nolan like this after his court decision, do the members really feel confident they would be represented fully?

Might be time to put those dues into an escrow account until their brother firefighter receives his just representation.

A Labor Relations Complaint has also been filed with the State of Connecticut, that can also be viewed below

NOLAN Complaint Union

NOLAN Labor Relations Complaint

IT MIGHT WORK FOR ELLIOTT BUT APPARENTLY NOT FOR RAMON

Former New York Governor Elliott Spitzer is attempting a political comeback after he was forced out of office after his dalliances with prostitutes was revealed publicly. Spitzer is currently a candidate for Comptroller of New York City.

Hartford politico Ramon Arroyo, husband of 3rd District State Representative Minnie Gonzalez, apparently isn't as lucky. Arroyo had been arrested years ago for soliciting a prostitute, who was actually an undercover cop, while he was working as an employee of the City of Hartford in his City vehicle.

Although Spitzer must hope that the voters of New York have short memories and don't place much weight on character or integrity, Democratic Town Committee members from the southern part of Hartford and the northern portion of Wethersfield apparently do.

Last night ,Arroyo was soundly defeated by political newcomer Albi Sako in his run for a coveted Democratic State Central seat. Sako defeated Arroyo 33-10 in a very decisive vote.

Sako in his short time on Hartford's Democratic Town Committee has brought a breath of fresh air to Hartford politics and is hopefully beginning to usher in a new era of leadership for our City.

Arroyo is also apparently a Commissioner with the Connecticut Puerto Rican and Latino Affairs Commission

To read more about Arroyo and his political ventures, click here  or here

PIGS AT THE TROUGH

I know the title of this posting is harsh, but I think it needs to be. Like the saying goes, "it is what it is". Earlier today when I posted about the Segarra makeover I mentioned that I am tired of the people at City hall that see public service as a means to a large salary and a great pension without much regard for the people they serve.

Here is a perfect example of what I mean. I think the floodgates have started opening of people more than willing to expose what is going on in this City. Mayor Segarra can not continue to run around the city playing the role of humanitarian and saying he cares about the people of Hartford if he allows this behavior to continue.

Last week a sale was held by Taxserve, a vendor contracted by the City to sell liens on delinquent tax properties. Seven properties were sold. Two of those properties were purchased by Terry Waller, the husband/fiancée/partner, significant other, whatever the title is this week  of Hartford's acting Chief Operating Officer Saundra Kee-Borges.

In case you don't recall, Waller is the same Terry Waller that had an unbudgeted position specially created for him by his wife /fiancée/partner, significant other,  or whatever the title is this week  , Hartford's Acting Chief Operating Officer Saundra Kee-Borges. More on that here

The attached document shows the properties and Waller's bid.

This raises quite a few red flags for me. Was Waller given any special information or treatment related to his bidding on the properties. Might he have been given any inside information as to potential development projects or land deals on the table that the City may be working on.

And the biggest question is why? Between the two of them and their salaries and pensions they are coming in at close to a half a million dollars a year. Do they really need to make more off the backs of Hartford shareholders that are struggling to pay their taxes. Are the potential profits to Waller or Kee-Borges worth knowing that they may be forcing property owners out of their homes or businesses?

This is just another betrayal to Segarra by his close allies and it is not helping him at all if he really does want to rebuild his administration.

A request for comment was made to the Office of the Mayor, no response yet, but I will post it when  it is available

Perception is reality and the reality is that this deal stinks.

The document is below, ignore the highlighted line

Taxserve Waller Doc0001

MAYOR SEGARRA'S MAKEOVER

 

 

Last week Jenna Carlesso from the Courant wrote an article about Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra's attempt to restructure his administration. Here is the article in case you didn't read it.

For anyone who follows Hartford politics and the Mayor, it is pretty clear that a cosmetic makeover won't work. It is time for life saving emergency surgery if Segarra is going to have any chance of redeeming his leadership role as Hartford's Mayor.

Segarra's administration , it might be said, has its share of "nice people", Segarra being one of them. But nice doesn't cut it when you are entrusted to run a corporation with over a half a billion dollar annual budget. Nice doesn't come into play when you need to approach Department heads  and other highly paid employees and tell them "thanks for your service, but you just aren't cutting it". That is what leaders and managers do. You decide when to cut your losses, make the difficult decisions and move on.

Hartford needs to implement some sound business management practices and have people implementing them that actually know and understand what sound business practices are.
The Kupiec debacle is a perfect example. Who was responsible for exit interviews and making sure that all property and keys were accounted for on the day he left? This should have been done before his final paycheck was cut, but we now know it wasn't.

That is a basic management process, turn in your keys, turn in your ID card, return all company property, etc, etc. Even though the official line is that his cell phone was turned in and re-issued, that is untrue. I know for a fact that a City Hall staffer  called him on it Monday morning and woke him up and told him to look out his window, the cops were out front questioning why the car was there.

There has been more than enough information out there to show that City Hall is in a state of chaos , and Segarra continues to accept the betrayals by people that he has placed his trust in. If I rehashed everything here I could be typing for days but let me highlight a few.

Quality of life is not just clean parks and public safety, it also means that we get proper customer service for the things we expect from City hall. One of the biggest complaints I hear is the quality of the response residents get when they call the 911 Dispatch Center. It is clearly time for a change in the leadership there.

First off , Segarra is probably still stinging from the sense of betrayal  from his former Chief of Staff and the breech of trust Segarra placed in him. That same breech of trust exists with the Director of Emergency Telecommunications. He can pretend to be a Hartford resident as is required and essentially perpetrate the fraud every time he walks into Segarra's Office. It is time for the Mayor to stand up and say "I trusted you and you let me down, it is time to move on". That is what managers worth their weight do, it is about protecting the Corporation and your shareholders.

 And for anyone that doesn't get the concept of shareholders, that is everyone of us, City residents that hang in here everyday hoping that eventually we will see our City rise to its full potential once again. Hoping that someone will see City Government as more than just a paycheck and a pension  and realize the obligation they have to us, to actually affect or Quality of Life..

And going back to the 911 Center mismanagement. Why are we paying $120,000 a year for the Shotspotter System. A system that was sold to us as some high tech crime prevention tool. It is currently turned off because the fireworks being lit all over Hartford traumatized HPD with false activations and tied up huge amounts of police resources chasing every bottle rocket lit off on Vine Street.

Managers step up and say it is a waste of precious dollars , take it out. But not in Hartford. Someone probably gets a free shotspotter t-shirt or coffee mug and the annual Vegas Convention, so it must be a great system. This isn't monopoly money. This is hard earned money coming out of the pockets of some of the hardest working people in the state, Hartford residents. Many of them working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet and to be able to pay their taxes to fund this nonsense.

With all of Segarra's difficulties and missteps, there is no greater or more critical position to be filled right now than that of Chief Operating Officer. There is a huge vacuum in that office right now and every day without a permanent replacement drives us closer to the brink of doom. For Segarra it is time to step up and realize friendships are nice, loyalties are admirable, but you have to be able to confront a situation and say " this isn't your strong suit, thanks for your service but I need to make a change"

Everything that is happening right now in Segarra's Administration can't be discounted. The p-card audits and misuse, the audit detailing poor or nonexistent financial controls in the Finance Department. the lack of adherence to travel policies and reimbursement, these all have a common denominator. The Finance Director and the person he answers to, the Chief Operating Officer.

Clearly no one is paying attention, no one is managing anything other than the press conferences and the ribbon cuttings and the bloom is fading on that rose real quick. Mayor Segarra's office needs some real substance and management, the window dressing is wearing thin.

The proof should be obvious if Segarra is sincere about fixing his administration or if it is just more political posturing that we have become accustomed to. A quick indication will be how long the Chief operating officer position remains in the vacuum state. How long the Ford Explorer SUV continues to head north to Suffield every night driven by his 911 Director also will be telling.

Pedro, it is up to you, are you sincere or just another City hall insider taking us for a ride on fancy words. Time will tell, your choice.

In the meantime, work on those exit strategies, they might come in helpful

SABOTAGE?

THE KUPIEC COACH, PHOTO COURTESY OF ALTERNATIVE MEANS

 

 

I  don't want to start a conspiracy theory, but something stinks here.

Any attorney worth their weight knows that pursuing restitution from a a suspected criminal before the investigation is done can seriously hamper the potential for an arrest. yet Hartford City Hall and the Corporation Counsel today apparently announced, according to the Courant, that they were demanding $3,000 in restitution from Jared Kupiec for damages to the vehicle he may likely be charged with stealing from the City.

Several police sources confirmed that accepting or making any deal for restitution would make a successful criminal prosecution difficult.

This is quick action from a Corporation Counsel that is used to moving at a turtle's pace when it comes to protecting the interests of the City of Hartford. May it just be to influence a Judge's decision before any arrest warrant applications are submitted?

May it be that there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye at the present time? Or maybe the whole scenario just stinks and needs to continue to be examined  even closer.

In the words of Council President Wooden " It is just bizarre". Yes it is

AND STILL MORE ON HARTFORD'S DUMBEST CRIMINAL

Here is the Hartford Courant's take on the matter from reporter David Owens  http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-hartford-kupiec-0709-20130708,0,1728039.storywens

George Colli from Channel 30 also did a good story regarding this, you can watch it here

HARTFORD'S DUMBEST CRIMINAL :UPDATE

This is one of those postings that is generating quite a bit of interest, right from the start. It is also one of those the I think the general consensus is to ask" what was he thinking?". The answer is  that Mayor Segarra's former Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec clearly wasn't thinking.

Most of the people calling me also are voicing their sympathy for Mayor Segarra. I also agree with that. Segarra took a 20-something who was clearly immature for his job and slid him right into a position of trust in his administration.

That position of trust was betrayed on several occasions by Kupiec and unfortunately it took Segarra far too long to recognize it. Will it now be Segarra's legacy to be remembered as "Mayor Caviar" or will the Grand Theft Auto Chief of Staff eclipse that?

It is sad, but clearly there is no management taking place at City Hall. The acting Chief Operating Officer is proving everyday that the Council's vote of no confidence in her appointment as COO was well deserved. Commenter's on the blog as well as just about everyone that called me or spoke with me tonight asked "what is the exit process? no one got his keys back?" The answer most likely is that no one followed through.

Did anyone recover City property from Kupiec? I am anxious to see the accounting for his I-pads and the numerous purchases from the apple store on his City Credit Card. Who accounted for that equipment ?

I know that once the Police got involved this morning and Kupiec was called about the car, he was reached on his City cell phone. Why?  Is the City still paying his cell phone bill or did he have his number ported over to his own private account? I think we probably already know the answer to that question without even asking.

City Hall is currently a free for all being managed by a group that has become very good at that "deer in the head lights look" every time the latest crisis arises. It needs to stop. It is about time Hartford starts being run like a business. For what the City forks out in salaries, we should have one of the best management teams around. Instead, I think we like being the butt of every caviar joke possible.

Today's police report regarding the incident is below:

Hpd Incident Kupiec City Car0001

HARTFORD'S DUMBEST CRIMINAL

Some things just defy logic, and this is definitely one of them. This incident reconfirms my belief in karma though.

Early this morning my phone began ringing asking if I was aware of the latest antics of Mayor Segarra's former Chief of Staff, Jared Kupiec.It is one of those things I would have a hard time believing that someone was so stupid if I didn't have the utmost confidence in the source that was calling me.

Well here goes a crazy story. A Hartford police officer on routine patrol this morning observed several vehicles on Capitol Avenue near Main Street that had been broken into and windows smashed out. One of the vehicles was a 2010 Grey Ford Explorer, Ct registration 516XTU, which came back to the City of Hartford Police department, 50 Jennings Road, Hartford.

Neither the officer or HPD's fleet manager recognized the vehicle or the plate as one of their regular vehicles. Eventually another officer put two and two together and recognized the vehicle as the city car issued to Kupiec when he was Segarra's Chief of Staff..

Eventually Kupiec was apparently advised as to what was happening and he came out of the condo he rents , the same address where the vehicle was parked in front of. Kupiec apparently told the HPD officer that he had turned the vehicle in two weeks prior at City hall and he had no idea why it would be parked in front of his house.

Kupiec did volunteer to the officer that he did keep the spare key to the vehicle and had it in his possession.

Although Mayor Segarra , through his spokesperson, originally denied any knowledge of Kupiec's misuse of the car, Segarra later issued the following statement:""I was informed today that Jared Kupiec was using a City vehicle after the conclusion of his employment with the City of Hartford without authorization. I am deeply disturbed and disappointed by this news. We're getting all the facts and will act accordingly." Mayor Segarra.

HPD sources have confirmed that the arrest of Kupiec for taking the vehicle without the owners permission and interfering for lying to the officer is  in process. Apparently the Hartford Police Department Internal Affairs Division is currently handling the matter.

More to come on this.