Friday, October 25, 2013

WHO IS EARL O'GARRO? ENTREPENEUR OR CON MAN

A few weeks ago, most people in Hartford had never heard the name Earl O"Garro. Now it is the name that is sending shock waves through Hartford City Hall as FBI agents have descended with Federal Grand Jury subpoenas looking into the dealings of Hartford's City Treasurer Adam Cloud and others with O'Garro's company Hybrid Insurance.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are now unaccounted for as O'Garros' dealings with the City of Hartford and others begin to unravel. This appears to be the beginning of the end for O'Garro's quick rise in the Insurance and business community

As you watch the video, I think you might agree, he would have been better served if he actually took his mothers advice.

Click here to watch directly on you tube if the embed below doesn't work



FEDERAL GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE HYBRID PAYMENT

According to sources , the City of Hartford has been served with subpoenas requesting documents related to payments to Hybrid Insurance and dealings with Earl O'Garro. Numerous City Departments, including the Treasurer were apparently requested to provide documents ordered by the Federal subpoenas.The letter to City Departments was distributed by the Corporation Counsel, according to sources. More on this as information is made available

Thursday, October 24, 2013

DEMOCRATIC REGISTRAR VAZQUEZ SETTLES ELECTIONS COMPLAINT FOR $3000.00 PENALTY

An Elections Enforcement complaint filed against Hartford's Democratic Registrar of Voters, Olga Vazquez has been settled after a lengthy investigation. Vazquez was fined $3000.00 for her involvement in the scheme.

The allegations surrounded Vazquez illegally signing petitions that were improperly filed with Vazquez in her capacity as Registrar of Voters. According to the complaint Vazquez and her Deputy Registrar Garry Coleman had signed off the improperly filed petitions to apparently keep the petitions from being thrown out as not being filed properly under Connecticut law.

For me this raises several questions that have to challenge the integrity of the Registrar of Voters Office. In a democracy, voters need to know that the system is beyond reproach. In this case it is not. We wonder why Hartford suffers from such low voter turnout and voter involvement in the system. Might it be because they just don't trust the process and have no confidence that it is above board?

Any one that reads this decision would have to agree with that mistrust. In an office that has three Registrar's , why was Vazquez and her assistant anywhere near these petitions in the first place . Vazquez was actually a candidate on the same petitions she was illegally signing and should have been smart enough to stay away from them to avoid any sign of impropriety or tampering. Clearly she was not.

For another story on Registrars behaving badly, click here

It is time for the Secretary of the State and the legislature to overhaul this system.