The Hartford City Council needs to step up and show that they are capable of leadership and putting Hartford back on the right track, despite a delusional Mayor that has no concept of fiscal responsibility
For any Mayor that advocates for increased taxes in the City with the highest mill rate in the state just tells me that he is out of touch with the majority of residents and business owners who will be burdened with the tax increases. I think it also shows he is out of touch with Hartford's corporate world who won't necessarily be willing to shoulder his reckless spending much longer.
The Mayor made it a point recently to let me know I was wrong about my opposition to his hiring a scheduler. Yes, you read that right, his scheduler. The man that follows him everywhere he goes at a salary of $65,000 a year. Not bad work if you can get it.
Segarra became indignant and said I didn't know what I was talking about, his scheduler was so much more and besides "he has a masters degree" .I don't care if he can spit Gold, it is a position we can't afford, no more than we can afford Segarra's "Secret Service" style protection detail . I am sure you have seen them with Segarra, complete with dark sunglasses and their earpieces.
Ads I said at the Budget hearing, if I have a choice between a scheduler walking behind the Mayor or a police officer walking a beat, I will choose the police officer all the time.
The Council needs to show leadership. The Hartford City Charter is very specific about the positions to be authorized for the Mayor's Office, and nowhere i the Charter can I find a $65,000 a year scheduler.
311 also needs to go, I honestly don't think I have met anyone that can recite a 311 success story, plenty of failures, but I would really like to hear a success story. I recently called for over 3 months to get burned out bulbs replaced on three downtown street lamps on a busy street. I still think they are out. Technology needs to be used and advanced as City Hall needs to be more efficient. the "SEE,CLICK,FIX" App is something that should be used to faze out 311
Similar apps should also be used for Public Safety and many other City Hall functions. Twitter and other social media sites have proven a great resource for the City to get information out and should be used in the opposite direction to make Hartford more efficient.
A couple other necessary cuts need to be made. Council President Shawn Wooden last year tried to move a plan through that would have cut the Council staff in half. We can no longer afford to be so top heavy. Each Council person does not need their own Administrative Assistant. I might question why a couple of them even need an assistant based on their work product.
Several years ago the State legislature went to a system that assigned one Assistant to every 3 legislators. It seems to have worked there without any undue harm and it should be the same at City Hall.
One of the largest draws on City revenue is the money dumped into Hartford's Schools. I think with the money allotted, we should be able to demand better results than a 71% graduation rate, but more on that at another time.
One of the first things a new superintendent should look at is how much of that money goes to educating children and how much is wasted on just making adults wealthier. Do the Hartford Schools really need a spokesperson to address media inquiries once or twice a month? Is that the best use for $120,000 a year plus maybe another 30% additional for benefits. Eliminate the position .
Do we really need all the Assistant Superintendent's and Special Assistant's for this or that. And if we are paying all these assistants for who knows what, shouldn't at least one of them have been groomed to fill in when the next Superintendent skips town to escape the heat instead of paying a fill in $900.00 a day to keep a seat warm
There is plenty of wasted money flowing through City Hall, but we need a Council that can cut reckless spending and look Segarra in the eye and say "enough is enough" no more Empire building...deal with it. Cut the Mayor's budget to what the Charter allows, eliminate the scheduler, and cut the fat out of the City budget. It is a matter of survival for the City of Hartford
While the city is hurting,our clueless mayor caviar is thriving.mayor caviar has been making extra money officiating at weddings held at city hall where he charges a fee for officiating the wedding. He recently bumped off the city hall memorial for the woman who officiated at his marriage to charley,in order to preside at a wedding where he is getting a fee for doing the service.
ReplyDeleteCity Council should not of hired a Legal advisor @ 140K when we have an office of attorneys in Corp Council, and now City Council Leadership is advocating that ALL assistance to Councilperson get a raise for the next fiscal year...bad timing i would say when taxes are going up and council is talking about cutting police and fire. Don't forget the Mayors office has a 100K extra for position upgrades in his office(AKA raises).
ReplyDeleteCity Council should not of hired a Legal advisor @ 140K when we have an office of attorneys in Corp Council, and now City Council Leadership is advocating that ALL assistance to Councilperson get a raise for the next fiscal year...bad timing i would say when taxes are going up and council is talking about cutting police and fire. Don't forget the Mayors office has a 100K extra for position upgrades in his office(AKA raises).
ReplyDeleteCan someone confirm what anonymous @ 8:38 AM said. Council Pres Wooden made a big deal of saying he took the money for one position from the coporation counsel office to pay for that legal consultant. A city lawyer salary is not 140K.
ReplyDeleteThis council is no better than the Mayor. We are so broke in Hartford that we need to raise taxes but the council can hire a full time lawyer, internal audit wants their own lawyers, and I just read council hired back former coo Panagore as a consultant to help them figure out this mess. I find it completely laughable as Panagore couldn't do anything to help when he worked as the coo but he now quoted as someone with financial acumen that can help. Seriously?!!! He was part of the problem. Perhaps if he used his brain back then, just maybe the hole wouldn't be so big now. Maybe we sould bring back kupiec too to help this council do its job. All this spending tells me the city ain't broke, just the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteCity Council has been forced to hire outside Counsel because the coruption of this Mayor and his Corp Counsel, no one can trust this administration to have an ounce of integrity!
ReplyDeleteAs stated in previous stories Corporation. Counsel and Internal Audit are to work for the city not the Mayor in order to be transparent and integrity. These two work an report directly to the Mayor, heck Kee Borges is this corput Mayor's advisor and cabinent member, so no we don't have the funds for Council to hire outside counsel, we need to for some objectivity. If these two offices continue to be a threat to identify and fight coruption, then we need to fund outside Counsel for both, Internal Audit needs to utalize the outside counsel also.
Hey brookman, panagore is back. I told u so. That bloated batman will sent the city into a nose dive .
ReplyDeleteIt's time for council to show some real budget leadership starting in their own house. Surely as full time political appt known as an administrative asst is not necessary. health insurance alone is $25k apiece x 9 = $225,000. Then cut the $5000 budget consultant (although clearly this expense indicates lack of skill set to be a council person). Finally a lawyer / legislative liaison for $140k? Seems like a luxury and I'd check that guys are time sheet to make sure he's not on our dime when doing SBOE work. And when I say show leadership I don't mean the paper shuffle of pushing the expense onto another department ala Mr & Mrs cloud. BTW where is that missing $670,000?
ReplyDeleteKevin: The Adam Cloud matter - the largest known missing funds in the city government and you won't lift a finger...why not?
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ReplyDeletePlease enlighten me, what is the actual dollar amount the Ciry is "out" and how are they "out " that amount, I am flattered you think I have more power than attorney general Jepsen or a Federal judge, but I think this matter is probaly well under way already, let me know what else you think I should be doing, enough has been posted here to get information out and nothing has been hidden
To the point of the council's lack of fiscal responsibility as it rekates to the 9 assistants, and Woodens proposal to decrease assistants... kevin you do realize and perhaps the taxpayers don't know there are actually 10, you recall Councilman De jesus brought GiGi back who retired and then removed her and brought in his now assistant, but the Council kept GiGi on, so she is getting a pension, a paycheck and works for who? Then you Councilman Anderson's assistant whom everyone knows doesn't every come to work and Ckuncilman Deutsch's azsistant who hears things in the walls, is it any wonder wjy they can't enforce ordiances.
ReplyDeleteThe BOE has more "doctors" on the center office staff than some small hospitals. Also, the benefits for the "communications" person is close to 60% of his salary.
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