ENOUGH ALREADY, WHY CHIEF HUERTAS NEEDS TO RESIGN

 

I originally had high hopes for Hartford Fire Chief Carlos Huertas when he took over the helm of the Hartford Fire Department. His predecessor was a politician, not a Chief and played the game under a corrupt Mayor. The same issue that pushed Ed Casares out of office also ushered Carlos Huertas in as Chief.

According to several sources, the demise of Casares as Chief occurred the day he was called in to the office of acting COO Saundra Kee- Borges as Casares was getting ready to make Fire Department promotions. Saundra Kee-Borges was trying to secure a promotion for her boyfriend Terry Waller. Apparently the puppetmaster Kee-Borges asked Casares directly "you are going to make Terry a Deputy Chief, right?" Casares apparently gave her a blunt answer, "NO." That did not go over well and Casares announced his retirement shortly there after.

Luckily for Kee-Borges there was someone waiting in the wings willing to sell his soul to the devil to get those all important Chief's bugles for his collar. That person was Carlos Huertas, a veteran of the Hartford Fire Department. Huertas has not been shy about telling people about the deal he had to cut to get the Chief's job. It was a package deal, According to Huertas, he was told he would have to take Kee-Borges boyfriend Terry Waller as his Assistant Chief if he was to get the permanent Chief's position. Huertas claims the message was the same from Kee-Borges and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, the job was his if he took Waller.

Huertas wanted the job so desperately, he agreed to those terms and appointed Waller as  his "acting" Assistant Chief. The rest is history.

The last year of the Hartford Fire Department , under Huertas, has been a disaster. Numerous arrests of firefighters, on duty and off, and unfortunately the first on duty death in 40 years.

The most troubling part though is that a man I thought was honorable has proven himself to be quite the opposite. I personally have been lied to directly by Huertas on a couple occasions and his less than honest ways extend all the way to the Mayor's Office. As an example, I recently spoke to Huerta at an event and he unveiled his plan to me for a board of inquiry into the death of Firefighter Kevin Bell. Huertas surprised me by telling me he had appointed Deputy Chief Dan Nolan to head the inquiry.

 I think he noticed my surprise and he told me that he chose Nolan because he wanted to get to the truth. He told me that him and Nolan had "buried the hatchet" and it was all about getting to the truth of Bell's death. He even went so far as to tell me that they were having lunch that week to go over the inquiry. Nolan is not always known as a "team player" when it comes to the Administration, but if you want to get to the truth, there is no one better. Not surprisingly, the lunch never happened and later that week Huertas essentially shut down the inquiry , he claims on orders from City Hall.

Another Huertas glaring lie apparently occurred today. After the word of the McLoughlin incident surfaced today, apparently City Hall was caught off guard and somewhat embarrassed at the treatment of McLoughlin. Huertas apparently tried to explain his actions by saying that McLoughlin
refused to accept his phone calls as required on a paid suspension so he switched him to an unpaid suspension. Yet City Hall sources have stated that there is in fact an e-mail from McLoughlin to Huertas offering alternative phone numbers and contact information for use during his suspension.

I would think that at the very least, Segarra deserves honest answers from Huertas when questions are asked How can the Mayor have trust and confidence in any department head that doesn't

There is still a lot of information that has yet to come out regarding the Bell fatal fire , which will probably only further the lack of trust in the HFD administration.

This so called leadership or lack there of has only fostered the lack of accountability at HFD and has attributed to the tone of anything goes. This is a perfect example of what happens when you push politics  into promotions and force people who are less than qualified through the ranks for personal or political gain.

It needs to end and a competent Chief  needs to be found. The lives of our firefighters and our residents deserve it. A Chief needs to be identified and appointed immediately who isn't willing to sell his soul to the devil to get the position. Integrity matters and that needs to be the tone set through the entire Hartford Fire Department if these problems are going to be turned around and brought under control.

That change needs to begin at the top of HFD and the Huertas tenure needs to end immediately.

DESPICABLE, TRULY DESPICABLE

Usually I like to get stories out, but a couple weeks ago, I as made aware of a story, and the subject of the story asked not to have the information put out. Normally I go with stories once I am able to confirm them, but in this case I was asked to hold off. Due to the nature of the story, I reluctantly agreed. This will start making sense shortly as I go on.

Apparently, on or about December 10, 2014, Hartford Fire Department Acting Assistant Chief Terry Waller voiced his concerns to Chief Carlos Huertas that he had reason to believe that newly promoted District Chief James McLoughlin may be suicidal. Other sources claim that the accusations may have also initially come form the Hartford Fire Union an "anonymous" sources, no substantiation has been obtained to these claims. According to sources, it is unknown how Waller arrived at that conclusion. There apparently are no other witnesses other than Waller and there was apparently no suicidal behavior or threats by McLoughlin.

It is also important  to note that McLoughlin and Waller both may play a role in the investigation of the October death of Firefighter Kevin Bell and the injury of other HFD members. Waller was, according to sources, the highest ranking Hartford Fire officer at the fatal fire, even though he never took command of the scene. This could play a key role as to who was responsible for critical decision making during the fire and whether those decisions could have played a role in Bell's death Under normal  protocol's and the HFD chain of command, Waller would have been at the top of that chain once her arrived on scene.

That could potentially be to avoid putting responsibility on Waller, but rather shift the responsibility for decision making to Mcloughlin, HFD's most junior Chief, having been recently promoted to the District  Chief position.

Regardless, on the morning of December 10, McLoughlin was called into Fire Headquarters and Waller expressed his concerns.According to sources, Huertas, Waller and Union President Fusco were also in  that meeting No more action was taken and despite Waller's accusations of the suicidal behavior, McLoughlin was allowed to return to his position, commanding approximately 70 firefighters for at least another 10 hours before any action was taken. Apparently no possible concern for the firefighters under McLoughin's command, but there was a need to fill a shift so McLoughlin was sent  back out for the remainder of his shift. You can's make this stuff up.

A the end of the day when his shift was over, McLoughlin was once again called in, and after being allowed to work all day, he was now being told that he was being suspended on paid administrative leave pending a psychiatric  examination by a psychiatrist Saint Francis. Mcloughlin was forced into the exam based upon Waller's accusations.

I guess at that point the City has an obligation to look into the matter for the sake and well being of the City and its employees. No matter what Waller or any one's motivation might be. Right or wrong, once the accusation is made, for liability reasons it has to be dealt with one way or the other.

I am told that McLoughlin, during that time also requested to attend a retreat for Police and Fire Commanders who have had firefighters and police officers under their command die in the line of duty. Chief Huertas and the City of Hartford apparently rejected Mcloughlin's  request to attend. Mcloughlin apparently used his own time and paid his own expenses to attend the retreat.

To add insult to injury, this week McLoughlin didn't receive his regular payroll check, He called the City's payroll department and was told that they had received an e-mail from Chief Huertas changing McLoughlin's pay status from "Paid Administrative Suspension" to an "Unpaid Suspension", essentially meaning that McLoughlin is no longer a paid employee of the City of Hartford and not receiving any pay. This is at the same time that at least five others accused of criminal activity and wrongdoing and currently on paid suspension and  are still being paid by HFD. McLoughlin is not accused of any criminal  behavior nor any verified wrongdoing. Just Terry Waller's alleged fictitious rantings that are probably more about protecting himself and what he didn't do at a fatal fire scene than about anything else.

And just as a point of information Mcloughlin, did submit to the psychiatric  examination at the hospital and was apparently cleared of any potential concerns. Even after the psychiatrist advised Waller of their  findings, Waller still refused to allow McLoughlin to return to work, instead they eliminated his pay without  any due process or hearings. How is this legal?

I am confident SKB as the puppetmaster is pulling the strings behind the scenes to benefit her love interest Acting Assistant Chief and Part Time Psychiatrist Terry Waller. Can a similar exam for Waller be scheduled

There are so many conflicts of interest with this matter that SKB and Waller should be nowhere near this process. As with most things they are involved in, the result will be based on a strategy to benefit them and in the end cost the taxpayers of Hartford big time when settlements come about.

If the truth is, as Huertas himself has told   many people, that he(Chief Huertas) was forced by Segarra and Kee-Borges to take Terry Waller as his Assistantint  order to get the Chiefs job, that sure sounds like extortion and needs to be investigated fully by both the State and the Feds.

In the mean time it is time get Chief McLoughlin, an honorable and reputable man, back to work, Chief Huertas and his shameful leadership is the one  who needs to step aside. Threats of mental illness need to be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly, not used as a tool to remove your detractors

THE SEGARRA INSANITY

It is often said that a generic definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. Isn't that also the definition of the Segarra Administration. You need to look no further than his puppetmaster, Saundra Kee-Borges to realize why City Hall is a mess, but Segarra allows it to continue.

Now his panel to restructure Hartford Fire has  many wondering how his mind works and where his management style came from.Can you imagine any major corporation who is trying to struggle out of bankruptcy hiring their former CEO who forced them into bankruptcy to now lead them out?

That is essentially what Segarra has done. By inviting back the former Chief's who began the demise of HFD, Segarra is now allowing the decay to continue. A Chief who admitted, under oath, to accepting bribes. A Chief who told firefighters caught up in a drug scandal, resulting in arrests, he knew about addictions, including his own and he had their backs, after they were scooped up in an HPD sting for dealing drugs out of a firehouse on Park St. This is not the leadership HFD needs.

HFD needs a Chief that knows how to run a Fire Department. A Chief that knows right from wrong and is able to enforce it. A Chief that knows how to stand up to political forces that may not have the well being of his Department at heart. A Chief that knows how to say "no" when he needs to. If the Chief can't do that, then he needs to step aside and allow someone to come in that can and will.

Chief  Huertas needs to take a long look in the mirror and ask himself if a potential choice for Assistant Chief is the best possible candidate available. Chief Huertas needs to ask himself if his son was a firefighter, would he feel completely comfortable that he made the best possible choice in the promotion of an Assistant Chief. Would he feel comfortable that he put his son's life in responsible hands ? I know the answer to that because I have already spoken to Chief Huertas , and the answer I received wasn't reassuring. And just so you know, there was another party to the conversation who heard the answers.

I don't think there is a lot of hope for Segarra or the puppetmaster SKB, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to expose what we feel is wrong in our City

KEE-BORGES OUT

 

 

City Hall sources are confirming that Saundra Kee -Borges is out at Hartford City Hall. The conditions are not known or the reason behind her departure , but sources are confiring that SKB is done. It is unclear who the new puppet master pulling Segarra's strings will be.

MAYOR SEGARRA ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF CORPORATION COUNSEL SAUNDRA KEE BORGES
Deputy Henri Alexandre to Become Acting Corporation Counsel

--- NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---

(December 30, 2014) Today, Mayor Pedro E. Segarra announced that he has accepted the resignation of Saundra Kee Borges effective Friday, January 30, 2015. Kee Borges started her career in city government in the Office of Corporation Counsel after graduating UConn law. She served as deputy corporation counsel and later as the city manager under Mayor Mike Peters. She left in 2002 to open her own law firm, but returned in 2010 to serve as Corporation Counsel.

“Sandy’s commitment to the City of Hartford spans many years,” said Mayor Segarra, “She has been a valued member of my team and I wish her well in whatever she chooses next.”

“I want to personally thank the Mayor for having confidence in me and for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of Hartford,” added Kee Borges. “I’m pursuing several opportunities but first look forward to spending some much needed time with my family.”

Mayor Segarra is appointing Deputy Corporation Counsel Henri Alexandre to serve as Acting Corporation Counsel. Alexandre is a former legal director at the State Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and served as an assistant attorney general for over 15 years. By appointing Alexandre who has over 20 years of legal experience within a public agency, Mayor Segarra is confident the office will continue to operate efficiently during this transitional period.