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Friday, August 22, 2014

THE MEANING OF INSANITY -SEGARRA STYLE

The Rock Cats Crew
 
I am paraphrasing here, but I think many have said the definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing while expecting a different result.

Maybe there might just be a touch of insanity in the Segarra Administration.

After being widely criticized for 18 months of secret negotiations to lure the Rock Cat's away from New Britain. apparently the secrecy continues. Yesterday a "secret group" met out of the public eye to look at the proposals submitted for the develo0pment. According to the Hartford Courant, the public was not permitted to sit in on the meeting Thursday.

I have to ask why?  If you as Mayor were widely criticized for the secrecy that was a major part of sinking the deal in the first place, wouldn't you want to go in a different direction if you wanted the public acceptance. The deadline for submissions has already passed, so nothing can change now. Reviewing the proposals in a public discussion will not cause any issues as far as confidentiality . The public does not need to speak or even be heard, but they do have the right to know that everything is being done aboveboard and be given the option to observe the process.

When it comes to trust in Segarra and his administration, that seems to be eroding every day. A little common sense might start turning that around and he needs to throw the windows open to every aspect of business at Hartford City Hall. The good , the bad and the ugly.

This is the public business and tax money and they have every right to know what's going on before it is too late. A group of bureaucrats making decisions behind closed doors will not move this project forward one inch and will not win any support from residents. And yes, with the exception of one business person on the panel, they are all bureaucrats .

The secret meetings may also be a violation of the FOI Laws as they apply to Executive Session or "meetings from which the public is not permitted"

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

ROCK CATS PAY UP, HARTFORD DOES NOT

News this afternoon is that the Rock Cat's delivered their past due property tax check to the City of New Britain. They may still be going to court to try to get a Judge to reopen negotiations  for their tax deal, but they might want to try repairing the bridges to New Britain that they destroyed based on false assurances of a "Done Deal" with Mayor Segarra.

This deal apparently may be causing more problems for Segarra , according to City Hall sources. There have apparently been questions circulating as to where the  money has been coming from to fund the attorneys fees and consultant's fees associated with the 18 month secret deal and planning sessions. Since the Hartford City Council never voted on or appropriated  the estimated half a million dolllars  and no where does it show in the current budget.

So the question arises, how is Segarra doing this legally? The answer now may be that he wasn't and instead may have tapped into School Construction Building money, essentially creating his own "Rock Cats " slush fund and attempting to maintain the secrecy without anyone noticing where the money was being spent.

According to a source familiar with finance and payment processes at City Hall said that this week City Treasurer Adam Cloud has refused to sign a check for over $76,000 cut for payment to the law firm of Updike , Kelly and  Spellacy. According to the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Cloud questioned the expenditure when presented with the check to sign and where the money was coming from and which account.

 It was apparently found to be drawn from an account for Architectural and Engineering Design work on School Building projects. According to the source, both Federal law and State Statutes are clear on using grant or bond money for purposes other than which they are authorized. Criminal charges could potentially apply to any misuse. A proper investigation by appropriate authorities would be needed to determine if that line has been crossed.

The source stated that the City Council would need to pass a new bond resolution for a substantial re-use of any bond dollars. No record of that being done can be found at this time. Re-purposing school dollars for use on a baseball stadium would be considered a substantial change requiring Council approval.

A clause in state statute also holds anyone releasing funds improperly can be held personally liable, which means Cloud could be on the hook for the $76,000 or possibly any other checks he signs and releases if the funds aren't being drawn down properly.

This deal stinks with every corner turned, and now it might be time for outside authorities to begin taking a closer look, especially if money intended for Hartford children and schools is being used to fund the Segarra Field of Dreams.

City Treasurer Adam Cloud was unavailable for comment at the time of posting.

IT STILL STINKS, THE COURANT WEIGHS IN ON THE WALLER SCANDAL

The Courant has just posted an editorial on the Assistant Chief posting at HFD and what has become the latest scandal for the Segarra  Adminstration to address

Here is the Courant's editorial .http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-fix-was-in-for-top-spot-in-fire-department-20140820,0,4519900.story

I have to ask the same question that many people calling me are asking. What does Saundra Kee-Borges have that she can hold over Segarra's head. It must be good to be be able to embarrass Segarra time  and time again and still survive.

Pedro, aren't you tired of looking like a fool at the hands of SKB yet? Clearly you can do it on your own without her help.

And as a sidenote, here we are over 24 hours later and Mayor Segarra's Lack of Communication Director Maribel LaLuz has not responded to requests for comment   I am not sure we really need it or that anyone would trust them with an explanation at this point

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

YOU CAN'T FIGHT CITY HALL

OH YES YOU CAN!!! And sometimes you may even win. After posting over a week ago about the tailor made job posting for Assistant Fire Chief. It appeared to be tailor made for the significant other/fiancee'/boyfriend of Hartford's Corporation Counsel Saundra Kee Borges.

Terry Waller was the heir apparent until about 5:00PM today when the heat in the kitchen must have gotten a little too hot for Mayor Caviar. Segarra suddenly reversed his position and ordered the position re-posted and open to all, minus the residency requirement.

We will see how this progresses but I am sure people still want to hear the truth as to how this happened and who orchestrated the original posting.

It will probably be blamed on some clerk who added the residency requirement in without any one reviewing it for accuracy. Although they did have plenty of time to fix the mistake since it was posted here over a week ago. I guess a threatened editorial from the Courant might have pushed Pedro over the edge.

Requests for comment from the Mayor's  spokeperson Maribel LaLuz were not returned

Let the comments begin!!

Monday, August 18, 2014

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY

Apparently the City of New Britain and their beloved  Rock Cats are headed to Court as detailed n the filing below. Their next court date is apparently  scheduled for 8/21/2014.  This apparently revolves around a dispute over delinquent tax payments due the City by the Rock Cats and their possible eviction from the New Britain Stadium

Let's roll out the red carpet and welcome them with open arms to Hartford. The Rock Cats motion for an injunction to hold off any eviction proceedings was denied by Judge Abrams on August 13, 2014

 Information Updated as of: 08/18/2014
Case Information
 Case Type:   M82 - MISC - HOUSING CIVIL MATTERS
 Court Location:   NEW BRITAIN
 List Type:   No List Type
 Trial List Claim:   
 Referral Judge or Magistrate:   
 Last Action Date:   08/15/2014  (The "last action date" is the date the information was entered in the system)
 
Disposition Information
 Disposition Date:  
 Disposition:  
Judge or Magistrate:  
 
Party & Appearance Information
Party No Fee Party
P-01
NEW BRITAIN DOUBLE PLAY, LLC
 Attorney:        WILLINGER WILLINGER & BUCCI PC (023585)
855 MAIN STREET
BRIDGEPORT, CT 06604
  File Date: 08/13/2014
D-01
CITY OF NEW BRITAIN
 Non-Appearing

Viewing Documents on Civil Cases:
  • Documents, court orders and judicial notices in 2014 and future civil cases are available publicly over the internet.*
  • For cases filed prior to 2014, documents, court orders and judicial notices that are electronic are available publicly over the internet and can be viewed by selecting the link to the document in the list below.*
  • If there is an e in front of the docket number at the top of this page, then the file is electronic.  Documents and court orders can be viewed at any judicial district courthouse and at some geographical area courthouses during normal business hours.*
  • You can view pleadings or other documents that are not electronic during normal business hours at the Clerk’s Office in the Judicial District where the case is located.*
  • Viewing of documents protected by law or court order may be limited.

  •                                                                                                                                                  * unless otherwise restricted
Motions / Pleadings / Documents / Case Status
Entry NoFile DateFiled ByDescriptionArguable
101.0008/13/2014     P MOTION FOR TEMPORARY INJUNCTION EXPARTE
  RESULT: Denied 8/13/2014 HON JAMES ABRAMS
No
102.0008/13/2014     C ORDER HEARING AND NOTICE
  RESULT: Order 8/13/2014 HON JAMES ABRAMS
No

Individually Scheduled Court Dates as of 08/18/2014
HHB-CV14-4035742-S - NEW BRITAIN DOUBLE PLAY, LLC v. CITY OF NEW BRITAIN
#DateTimeEvent DescriptionStatus
1 08/21/2014 2:00PMHearingProceeding

AN OPEN MEMO TO HARTFORD'S FIRE CHIEF HUERTAS

I first met Chief Huertas several years ago , and whether you agree with me of not, I found him to be an honorable man willing to stand his ground.

At the time Hartford Police were experiencing staffing issues and Huertas was on the road as a District Chief for HFD. A medical aid call had been dispatched , I believe it was a shooting after a robbery. Huertas and the Fire crew dispatched responded quickly but they couldn't enter the shooting scene until HPD was dispatched  and determined the scene was safe. Knowing that the victim was laying only a few hundred feet away from help, yet HFD was helpless to potentially save the life of a victim who may be bleeding to death

Huertas repeatedly called the Police dispatcher asking for a cop so they could enter the scene .Several times he was told no officer was available. Huertas finally told the dispatcher that he didn't care what they had to do, get mutual aid from another Police Department or request a Trooper to respond, but he needed a cop, and he needed them now.

Somehow , once Huertas reached his frustration level, he made sure the right thing was done, a  police officer was found to respond and most likely the victim's life was saved. Later that evening I found Chief Huertas at the former Fire Headquarters building on Pearl Street and thanked him for what he did and for standing up for a Hartford resident  and potentially saving the victims life by standing his ground.

He was surprised that anyone was even aware what he had did, but that left an impression with me that Huertas wasn't into the image games, but was  willing to do what was right when it was needed.

I thought it was important to tell that story to emphasize  why I think Chief Huertas has integrity and character.

Now once again I am calling on Chief Huertas to do the right thing and set an example by doing what he knows is right when he is pushed to his frustration level. I have heard all of the stories of how Terry Waller was promoted to Deputy Chief. As the story has been retold to me by numerous people, Former Chief Casares  was called into the office of at the time Acting COO SKB and asked right out "you are going to make Terry a Deputy Chief, right ?" to which Casares apparently replied "NO". That sealed Casares's fate and he was forced into retirement almost immediately.

Then comes along Casares replacement, Chief Huertas. According to numerous sources familiar with HFD and Chief Huertas, the Chief was told that his appointment was contingent on his Assistant Chief choice. Chief Shapiro, who was more than competent as Acting Assistant  Chief, was returned back to the streets of Hartford as a District Chief and Waller ascended to his throne , apparently courtesy of SKB.

Now apparently the fix is in courtesy of a corrupt administration  led by Mayor Caviar and his rack of lamb crew. Surprise, surprise Terry Waller is the only capable, qualified candidate. No testing, no training assessment, not even management experience requirements. Terry is the guy because he is Sandy's guy.

It is demoralizing for anyone who wishes to move up through the ranks based on merit and not based upon sleeping with a political hack. I know that is a crude assessment, but it is the reality.

Chief Huertas, we all know how the game is played. The choice is now yours. Play the game and potentially endanger the lives of the men and women you have worked with all your career, or say hell no to the little Gigolo and stand up for what you know is the right choice. If they force you out you can at least leave with your head held right , knowing you did what is right for the men and women of the Hartford Fire Department and the people of Hartford.

No job is worth selling your soul, especially to this group. Although I doubt that they have the guts to force you out if you do the right thing. The Hartford Courant is now digging into this, and if the calls I'm getting are on the mark, calls are being made to numerous outside agencies requesting a full review of how the Caviar crew are using the City of Hartford for their own game. I think it is hard to get the attention of  the US Attorney's Office, but when you do...watch out.

When it comes to low hanging fruit of corruption, it doesn't get much easier than Hartford City Hall.

Chief Huertas do what you know is right and stand your ground, for your own reputation and the legacy of your time as the Chief of HFD and for your fellow firefighters. Read some of the comments... we will have your back and support you for doing the right thing

To read the Courant's article ,click here

Thursday, August 14, 2014

MORE PREPARATION FOR HARTFORD ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF PROMOTION

Although the process for selecting  Hartford's next selection for Assistant Chief is still underway, little indications are slipping out of the Mayor's Office as to who the choice may be. The selection is expected to be fully above board without any outside  influence from political operatives tied to Mayor Segarra or any potential candidates.

But in the last few days small indicators are showing that the selection may have been made before the posting  was ever even issued by HR.

The exclusive video of vehicle testing was the first sign, you can view that on the previous posting.

Today exclusive  photos were obtained by "We the People" of new HFD Command Staff turnout gear being modeled for the Mayor and Corporation Counsel as well as HFD Chief Huertas and the Firefighters Union President on the second floor of City Hall.

Here is one of the photos of the exclusive modeling session.

CITY TEST DRIVING NEW VEHICLES FOR ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF AND CORP COUNSEL

Apparently after the sham job posting was released for the position of Hartford Fire Assistant Chief, the City's Fleet Manager began test driving  vehicles to assign as "HFD  Car 2"  ." We the People" cameras were able to capture exclusive video of those tests. Look closely  and you can observe the vehicles outfitted with booster seats and Jay's Crabshack leftover containers


Monday, August 11, 2014

IMAGINE THIS


I know this is going to be one of those lightning rod posts, but all I can hope for is that it makes people open their minds and think.

Let's, for the sake of argument just say that in April 1999, you had no idea who Ken Kennedy was. You knew he was on the Hartford City Council, but that was it. Also for the sake of argument, let's say you picked up your newspaper that morning and saw that the Councilman was being accused of murdering a 14 year old on a street in Hartford.

 Of course you couldn't know the facts because the incident had just occurred and all you could possibly have known was that a 14 year old was dead.

Now lets put everything that you knew about the 14 year old aside , no prejudged conclusions, just base your decision and opinions  on Kennedy murdering a 14 year old. You may learn later that day through media accounts and talking to people that you know that Kennedy actually had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

 You also learn that Kennedy had been on a side street at 2 or 3 in the morning and saw one of his neighbors being approached by a couple of young men. Kennedy feared that his neighbor may have been about to become a victim of a car jacking. Although Kennedy was not a Police Officer, he felt he had the obligation to act to protect his neighbor.

Kennedy, who had been trained in the use of deadly force and the responsibility of using that force in order to obtain his pistol permit, realized the awesome responsibility he was about to face. As he stepped out of his car, Kennedy yelled for the young men to stop. One of the men pulled out an item that Kennedy believed to be a handgun. As the man pointed it at Kennedy, the Councilman was in fear of his own life. The young man turned and began to run away, still pointing the believed gun at  Kennedy. Kennedy opened fire and struck and killed the 14 year old.

From there Kennedy's life began to immediately unravel. The official investigation began, Hartford Police, State Police, Chief State's Attorney and eventually the FBI and Justice Department because of the outcry from the public. Kennedy knew from being a lawyer that justice would prevail, the same thing that the people in the streets now calling him a murderer were hoping for.

After hours and hours of investigation and testimony, the word started trickling in from every agency involved. Kennedy's taking of a human life was justified under the circumstances.

New London State's Attorney Kevin T. Kane, who was asked to investigate this racially charged case, announced on Wednesday that there are no grounds for prosecuting Mr.Kennedy. Mr. Kane's 201-page report contains testimony by several witnesses to the shooting as well as evidence gathered by state Public Safety Commissioner Henry C. Lee, a renowned forensic scientist.

Critical parts of Mr. Kennedy's story are corroborated by other witnesses.

This fictional story mirrors a sad chapter in Hartford's history. The shooting of a 14 year old by a police officer that sparked unrest in the community. For some reason, Mr. Kennedy who is also a lawyer ,is unwilling or unable to accept the decisions in the shooting case and continues to re-open the wound, even though every one involved agreed that the actions of the Officer were justified.

Kennedy never seems to report the factual evidence, just the part that keeps the community inflamed.
 The officer , as well as his fellow officers on the streets that night had been informed over the radio of a gang of young men that had attempted to pistol whip and car jack people in the Northend that night. A description of the car had been broadcast  and one officer spotted the vehicle . He chased what he believed was the suspect vehicle , the young men bailed and ran from the vehicle. One suspect turned and pointed what the officer believed was a gun at the officer.

The officer perceived a threat from the facsimile weapon and used deadly force. Only after the shooting was the look alike weapon found to be a cigarette lighter shaped like a silver handgun.What was the alternative? Should the officer have waited until he actually saw the flash of a bullet being fired before he reacted. I think most logical people would agree that it would be a little too late for the officer's safety at that point.

Here is a link to a Courant story after the incident

You might be asking why this fictional story and headline about Councilman Kennedy is important today. At tonight's City Council meeting , Kennedy was the author of a resolution trying to keep the Cintron Vaughn Federal Consent decree in place. Why I am not sure, other than to continues to racially divide the City. The decree came out of the 1960's and is extremely outdated. If HPD went by the letter of the decree, there would be no police K-9's...banned. HPD would still be using 38mm revolvers and many other outdated facets of modern day police.

The other issue is that the shooting detailed above came 30 years after the original consent decree. But true to form, Kennedy never misses an opportunity to drive the wedge between HPD and our neighbors or take an opportunity to show his hatred toward our Police Department. And yes I know hatred is a strong word, but in this case it fits..

In any urban City ,police/community relations are fragile at best, but leaders don't ignore what happens, rather they use it as tools to build links to the community and correct what is wrong. I am not aware of one policy that Councilman Kennedy or his Council colleagues have put forth to help with positive change at HPD. Oh yeah, he did question the size of the engines in new cruisers. I hear a lot of people in the community commenting that they trust our cops more now knowing they don't have corvette engines under the hood.

And the programs that would build better community relations, Kennedy and his colleagues do everything to kill them. The Faith Based Initiative which originally showed great promise under Chief Rovella, was kidnapped back by the Council, and is now on life support, if not already declared dead. The PAL program  is still moving forward, mostly because Rovella won't let City Hall grab it from him, and the private sector is making it happen with their funding and support.

And during Kennedy's tirade at the Council meeting tonight on why he still wants to crucify an officer that was cleared of any wrongdoing in the 1999 shooting, his explanation was ludicrous. Kennedy complains that the makeup of HPD still does not represent the demographics of Hartford.

Well who's fault is that? Even if HPD could identify 50 to 100 stellar candidates today, there is no money to hire them. I am told that there are over 400 decent applications at City Hall that are just sitting there, no action on them, because there is no money to hire officers.. Of those 400 applications, approximately 17% are Hartford residents and minorities.

 So where does the blame lie Councilman Kennedy? The Council tonight voted to spend several million dollars around the proposed Rock Cats stadium development area. Where is that money coming from in a broke City and if Kennedy and his colleagues weren't talking out of both sides of their mouths, a couple million dollars could hire quite a few police officers that look like their neighbors in the City

I can promise you that those same applications that you are letting age in the HR Department will be making great police officers in Avon , Glastonbury, South Windsor and other neighboring towns who will grab them up as we let them slip through our fingers because you want to relive the past and not move toward the future.

HARTFORD FIRE ASSISTANT CHIEF POSTING

NAP TIME FOR TERRY
Hartford Fire's Terry Waller Catching a few winks during a department meeting, probably a rough night shuttling the Corp Counsel around town
 
The posting has been out for a few days now for the position of Assistant Fire Chief at the Hartford Fire Department. It appears that it was written to accommodate only one person who may be qualified to apply. Well actually the word "qualified " is subjective in this case.
 
Will Chief Huertas stand up to having an Ass. Chief forced upon him or will he just say no?
 
The posting.
 
 

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

FELICIANO ARRESTED

Hartford Police officer Luis Feliciano had skated on an alleged homicide charge, skated on evidence of drug trafficking after his apartment was searched by Springfield PD during the investigation into his alleged involvement in a deadly stabbing that led to his arrest on murder charges.

 He even was able to get hired in Hartford despite concerns by Springfield officers over his alleged gang connections that resulted in him being turned down as a Springfield PD applicant.

But he couldn't skate from allegations turned over to HPD by FBI agents that detected his thefts from the Hartford Walmart during a parallel FBI investigation. It is unclear if the FBI uncovered the thefts and there may possibly already have been a current investigation underway by HPD Internal Affairs.

Chief Rovella issued an e-mail statement to all Department members late this afternoon advising them of Feliciano's arrest.

Another twist was uncovered tonight. After a short time as a Hartford Police Officer, Feliciano reported his department issued weapon had been stolen during a burglary of his Springfield apartment. The weapon was later recovered by Springfield PD during a drug raid, no further details were available at this time as to any circumstances of the theft or recovery .

According to sources, the second charge may have stemmed from Felciano's possession of what was called by one source "a magnetic key" a device used to remove anti-theft tags and devices from high value items

According to sources, it is believed that additional charges against Feliciano will be forthcoming as the investigation proceeds

Monday, August 4, 2014

BLUE HILLS DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FORUM -THE VIDEO

Her is what the three candidates for the 2nd Senatorial District Primary next week had to say at last weeks forum at Rawson School. The video is courtesy of J. Stan and Nyesha McCauley and their on-line programming which can be viewed at their website "accesstv.org". Take a look and see who you find more believable

PAINTED INTO A CORNER

Real or wax figure?
 
 
 Mayor  Segarra likes to quote one of Hartford's real leaders  frequently. He thought so much of one of Mark Twain's famous quotes that he had a copy of it framed to present to Hartford Police Chief James Rovella on the day he was officially sworn in as Chief.

Twain had said that "if you always tell the truth, you never have to remember the lies". That might prove true for Segarra quite soon as we see if the truth  or the lies are actually reality.

Segarra's credibility definitely took a hit as many residents were vocal about the less than transparent negotiations conducted on the Rock Cats deal. More than one person at community meetings stated publicly that they no longer trusted Segarra.

During those same meetings Segarra and his Development Director stated that the City Hall phones were apparently ringing off the hook with developers clamoring to be part of the deal. Segarra would state, with Deller's backup, that they were getting at least 10 to 12 calls a day from people wanting to be part of the deal. If that was actually true, and I will say I am skeptical, it is now time for Segarra to put up or shut up.

Let's just say that in the first few days after the announcement that they were getting 10 to 12 calls a day, my math says that adds up to at least 50 to 60 calls in the first week alone. By the Mayor's own press release earlier, only four proposals were submitted by the Friday August1st deadline. And one of those four is for a separate parcel and not the baseball stadium per se. So again, by my math, that makes 3 legit proposals, and since we have no idea what they contain, we aren't even sure those are actually legit.

So now Pedro, it is time to "SHOW US THE MONEY". Were you actually getting the numerous calls you claim or was this just another adventure into Rock Cats fantasy land. Just 3 Proposals actually submitted with all those calls makes me have to question the effectiveness of your team. Or is it just that developers question your credibility as much as your own residents?

Could it be that private investors are as cautious about putting there own money on the line much more than our politicians when it comes to gambling with taxpayers dollars. If it is such a great idea, shouldn't there be a stack of proposals waiting to be reviewed for the resurrection of NoDo or DoNo or DoDo, whatever it is called today.

And after the dust settles, let's see if the truth comes out. Any good salesperson keeps detailed records of their leads and conversations and I would expect nothing less of Mr. Deller and his highly paid  staff. Let's see who actually called and when and see what that adds up to. My gut is saying a lot less than 10 or 12 calls a day.

If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember the lies.

BEING HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD?

A Hartford detective who pled guilty to stealing almost $30,000 in pistol permit related fees was sentenced  today.

Tishay Johnson was sentenced to 3years probation, 6 months of home confinement, 300 hours of community service and $100.00 in court fees. Who says crime doesn't pay? And no mention of touching his pension either.

Here's the original story first reported here

Friday, August 1, 2014

TIME FOR WOODEN TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR

 
 
 
Hartford City Council President Shawn Wooden, who is locked in a battle for the 2nd Senatorial Democratic nomination, today filed a State Elections Enforcement Complaint against his opponent, Senator Eric Coleman.

Wooden's complaint alleges that Coleman did not properly itemize his income on his filings.

Apparently Wooden's concerns only apply to his opponent , and not himself.

According to staff at the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Office, as outlined in CT General Statutes 9-608, all expenses and secondary expenses must be itemized on the filings. This would include payments to "field workers" and items such as office supplies, printer ink, and clipboards.

Connecticut General Statutes 9-608- (B) an itemized accounting of each expenditure, if any, including the full name and complete address of each payee, including secondary payees whenever the primary or principal payee is known to include charges which the primary payee has already paid or will pay directly to another person, vendor or entity, the amount and the purpose of the expenditure, the candidate supported or opposed by the expenditure, whether the expenditure is made independently of the candidate supported or is an in-kind contribution to the candidate, and a statement of the balance on hand or deficit, as the case may be; (C) an itemized accounting of each expense incurred but not paid, provided if the expense is incurred by use of a credit card, the accounting shall include secondary payees, and the amount owed to each such payee;

Although SEEC staff would not address specific campaigns or their actions, they did answer questions as to how things were supposed to be filed, and it would appear Wooden's campaign is not in compliance.

Wooden was quoted in todays article, and in his complaint apparently,  as saying that "This (Coleman's reporting) violates the transparency and integrity of the CEP system and gives him an unfair political advantage," Wooden wrote in the complaint. "It also violates the public trust. The public has a right to know how he is spending his publicly-financed campaign money and where the $83,550 grant he received from the public to run his campaign went.". Councilman, transparency is a two way street, whatever applies to Coleman applies to you as well

In the attached Wooden filing, you can see numerous payments to "the Vinci Group" many with notations for field staff. .Apparently the Legislature's intent with the reporting requirements for the Citizen's Election Program was to strive for transparency in the reporting and use of taxpayers funds. Anyone should be able to look at the forms or go on-line and see who is being paid to work on a campaign, not just see a blanket payment to the Vinci Group.

Are there any lobbyists, City Vendors, politicians or others making money off Wooden's or anyone elses campaigns? That's called transparency and if Wooden wants Coleman to be transparent he needs to hold himself to the same standard

SEEC also said that in addition to the specific statue, they spelled out the need to itemize in two other places in the manuals given to campaign treasurers, on pages 91 and 104 of the detailed handbook because they felt the transparency issue was important.

I guess the facts don't matter as much as the headlines obtained from frivolous complaints being filed.

And yes, I do support Coleman for re-election, just to be transparent about that

Wooden's campaign Treasurer is his former Executive Assistant at City Hall, Jim Sargent