SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR THE WEEKEND: HPD "STUFF A CRUISER WITH FOOTWEAR FOR THE HOMELESS"

A great effort by Officer Barrett and Officer Otero and all of those involved.


WEST HARTFORD, April 9-The goal Saturday is to stuff a Hartford Police cruiser with urgently needed shoes for homeless children and adults in Hartford. Taking place from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Fleet Feet, the event kicks off a new  program to bring  footwear and foot care to Hartford's homeless .

Called "Footwear with Care," it partners Fleet Feet of West Hartford http://www.fleetfeethartford.com/,  the nonprofit Community Partners in Action http://www.cpa-ct.org/, the Connecticut Podiatric Medical Association http://www.cpma.org/, and Hartford Police Department. Though decent clothing is often available through charitable organizations,
footwear is not.  And when it is, it's often in poor condition. Foot care, too is in short supply.  "Footwear with Care" is aiming to change all
that.

On Saturday, Fleet Feet is offering to donate a new pair of shoes for every $25 donated to the program. "Like new" donations of children and
adult shoes also will be accepted.

"Footwear with Care" was inspired by Hartford police officer, Jim Barrett, an Iraqi War veteran and advocate for the city's homeless. Moved by a homeless vet, whose only shoes were a pair of disintegrating flips-flops, Officer Barrett bought him some new sneakers. He will be at Saturday's event.


Homeless children and adults are referred by Hartford police officers, directors of homeless shelters, and Community Partners in Action through its work with individuals recently reintegrated into the community and the
Community Service Program that it operates at Hartford Community Court.
Community Partners in Action administers the program, getting and fitting donated shoes to children and adults. Though Saturday is the program's formal launch, it has been operating since February, putting 80 pairs of shoes and boots onto the feet of our most vulnerable population.

As part of the program, the Connecticut podiatry association is also holding foot screening clinics; its first is April 23 at Holy Trinity Church in Hartford. Participants also will receive new shoes, socks and personal  care items.

Others supporting the effort are  Footprints of Newington, Mickey Finn's, REI, RisCassi & Davis, PC, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Asics, the North Face, Saucony, and New Balance.

A PATTERN OF ABUSE, DECEPTION AND COVERUP AT HARTFORD SCHOOLS

My phone and e-mail has been very active the last day and a half. I have probably received over twenty calls from people giving me information, names , and documents depicting the pattern of behavior of Eduardo Genao. Most troubling though is the pattern of deception and cover-up depicted by the documents and the callers themselves.

Genao's predatory behavior was apparently well known to those in power at the Board of Education as well as his co-workers. Many of those co-workers were uncomfortable with Genao's behavior and were shut down whenever they tried to report his activity.

The activity was apparently evident as far back as 2006 at Sports Sciences Academy  when it was located on Asylum Street in Downtown Academy. Several female employees have told me they were uncomfortable with Genao's behavior and at least two of them left the Hartford Schools to seek other employment to get away from Genao.

Internal documents received today promise to only be the tip of the iceberg into Genao's predatory behavior. As you look at the documents below, it is not about transparency, it is more about continuing the cover up and deception to protect a predator. The extensive redactions serve no purpose under the law, and with the exception of information identifying a student, most of the redactions appear to be illegal with no basis in statutory exemptions outlined in the Freedom of Information Act.

As you read through , you will see that most of the redactions are blacked out to remove any identifiers that would allow for follow up for additional information  with those complaining.

I am not sure why the Hartford Board of Education would go out of their way to protect a sexual predator preying on a child. Isn't the Superintendent a parent also?

Pedro Zayas, the spokesperson for the Board of Education has not returned any of my calls to his office, cell phone or even text messages on this matter.  I guess maybe he was trained by Dr. Ngoudou on how not to return calls. I also find it hard to believe that there has been no strong response from either the Superintendents or the Mayor's Office  expressing their disgust with this matter and promising to get to the bottom of it.It is also interesting that Mr. Zayas and Kelvin Roldan apparently don't consider me legit, over 5,000 people have read my postings regarding Eduardo Genao in the last 36 hours.

In stark comparison, I have nothing but praise for the Hartford Police who launched an investigation immediately after learning of the matter Monday. HPD actually sent to detectives to New York in a snowstorm  Monday to interview the victim and her mother. Luckily HPD wasn't having a busy day and too hectic to get involved ,as was Dr. Ngoudou from the Superintendent's Office.

And to all of those people who have contacted me in the last day or so, my sincere heartfelt thanks. I understand your fears of potential harassment and retaliation that you have described, but sometimes you have to stand up and do the right thing Predators like Eduardo Genao can not be allowed to prey upon children in our schools. And for anyone wishing to provide additional information in confidence, I can be reached at 860-883-2297 or krbrookman@earthlink.net. This is far from over .


Eduardo Genao HBOE

The only good thing to come out of this mess , so far, is Eduardo Genao's resignation letter below. Even his resignation letter shows his high level of professionalism. But I will give him the benefit of the doubt, the Police may have had already seized his computer for evidence, resulting in the handwritten scrawled note. It is also interesting someone took the time to stamp the letter "CONFIDENTIAL". I guess that is all part of their cover up mentality. The document is a public document and available to anyone who asks to see it.

E. Genao Resignation

THE PERSISTENCE OF CALLOUS LEADERSHIP

Even though Kelvin Roldan and Pedro Zayas from the Hartford Board of Education apparently don't consider me a real Journalist. Doctor Aaron Lewis does. Dr. Lewis runs the Scribe Institute in Hartford and was instrumental in working with me to bring forward the story of an alleged  pedophile and  sexual predator Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Hartford.

Doctor Lewis saw the power and potential of my blog, and last night he sat down and started his own blog posting to help get his message out.

Here is a link to his first posting on the Scribe Institute's website. In this posting he lays out the details that  led to the allegations against the predator Super, Eddie Genao.

http://thescribesinstitute.org/the-persistence-of-callous-leadership/

Take a few minutes to check out the website and learn more about the Scribe Institute when you check out Doctor Lewis's blog

MORE THOUGHTS ON THE PREDATOR SUPERINTENDENT

I tried to keep yesterdays posting regarding Eduardo Genao to the facts that were available. Now I am going to post some of my thoughts that I hope will display my strong sense of disgust with the Hartford Board of Education and their handling of this matter.

Where do I begin? In the words of one Hartford Board of Education official, they "dropped the ball" on this one. That is putting it lightly to say the least.

I can not think of any greater trust than that placed in those responsible for the care of children and the children they care for..

Hartford Assistant Superintendent of Schools Eduardo Genoa is innocent until proven guilty, but if our system  really works,  that Justice will come swiftly and be severe. My phone and e-mail have been swamped today with people that are claiming to be victims of Genao as well as others that have outlined a pattern of deception by those in power at the Board of Education that have been complicit in the cover-up of Genao's behavior.

At least two callers depicted a pattern of abuse that had allegedly begun when Genao was in the New York City Schools and apparently some in Hartford were aware of this when he departed NYC and landed in his new hunting ground of Hartford, Connecticut. According to sources that behavior continued in the Hartford Schools. and first manifested itself at the Sports Sciences Academy when it was on Asylum Street in downtown Hartford.  Genao's activities there  apparently continued and after a complaint by a student's parent he was taken away from Children and moved into the Adult Education program on Washington Street.

Similar to a heroin addict craving their next fix, Genao continued his behavior there and was accused of improper behavior with a staff person. He was then shuffled off to the Superintendents Office. Unfortunately, even being buried away in  the Super's Office did not curtail his activities. He still found a  way to continue his predatory behavior until that behavior was revealed publicly yesterday. Does any of this sound like another organization that had a history of shuffling their pedophiles around to avoid detection?

Why? Why is it so difficult to hold pedophiles accountable and bring them to justice. Is it because they are in positions of authority? Is it because they wear clerical garb and collars or hold the title of Superintendent of Schools ? Is it because we want to believe that they could never prey on the same children they are entrusted to protect and nurture?

I don't need to pat myself on the back here, but when I received the call last Monday about Genao's behavior, I dropped everything.  The sense of urgency to stop the potential abuse of a child was my first priority. My phone call to Deputy Chief Foley was made within minutes, if not seconds. Chief Foley's response was very similar I am sure. The wheels of Justice were set in motion immediately

I guess as I found out more facts my discomfort with the situation increased, as well as my disgust with the hierarchy of the Hartford Board of Education, specifically  the Superintendents Office.. I have said for a very long time that the Hartford Schools are not about educating children, it is clearly more about making very good salaries for the people at the top. This incident proves that.

Doctor Aaron Lewis , who first attempted to bring this situation to light, probably could have been more aggressive in his reporting attempts. Without making excuses for his actions, it is an are none of us have much experience in and hopefully never will have. How do you report and stop a predator.

My real disgust begins with Doctor Gislaine Ngounou a Hartford Assistant Superintendent of Schools who proves my earlier theory about the Hartford Schools being more about high salaries than about children and education. From a webpage on the University of Hartford website describing Dr .Ngounou, she is quoted as saying "Through her work with the Children’s Defense Fund’s Freedom Schools, she discovered her true calling: to dedicate her life’s work to improving opportunities and outcomes for young people and communities, especially those that have been marginalized and under served. Ngounou believes in the power of education, organizing, teamwork, narrative and self-empowerment—to help individuals and communities transform themselves, and to bring about a more socially just world.

This is the same person who was having a "hectic" day and was too busy to act when confronted by the allegations of improper contact with a student that Dr. Lewis tried to inform her of on March 22, 2016. To see more of Dr. Ngounou's profile, click here

Even more troubling is the fact that Ngounou also functions as the Chief of Staff for Hartford's Superintendent of Schools Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez Apparently Ngounou never notified Narvaez of the allegations against Genao. That seems to be the height of irresponsible behavior and makes me wonder why Ngounou is even there. Clearly it is not to protect the children and definitely not to assist the Superintendent. There is a $180,000 budget cut I could recommend immediately and Ngounou should do the right thing and resign today and join Eddie Genao in the unemployment line and quite possibly in court as a defendant for their behavior.

There needs to be a wholesale investigation as to what happened and who swept what under the rug and a complete housecleaning of the people at 960 Main Street that need to understand that they are there for the children, not the salaries.

And it appears that the arrest of Eddie is imminent. Justice for the child victims.

WHAT IS A MANDATED REPORTER?

This is direct  from the Department of Children and Families website. Note that there is no exemption for a mandated reporter claiming to be busy or having a bad day. No excuse at all. For more on the importance of this mandated reporting check out the "Predator Superintendent" at  http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-sexual-predator-school.html

Mandated Reporters - What they need to know

Summary of Connecticut's Child Abuse Reporting Laws
The following is an outline of the legal requirements of "mandated reporters," those professionals who, because their work involves regular contact with children, are mandated by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect. For a complete copy of the law, refer to Sections 17a-101 through 17a-103a, inclusive of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Model Policy for Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect

Who Must Report
The following is an outline of the legal requirements of "mandated reporters," those professionals who, because their work involves regular contact with children, are mandated by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect. For a complete copy of the law, refer to Sections 17a-101 through 17a-103a, inclusive of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Connecticut law requires certain citizens to report suspected child abuse and neglect. These mandated reporters are people in professions or occupations that have contact with children or whose primary focus is children. The law requires that they report suspected child abuse or neglect.

In reporting in good faith, they are immune from civil and criminal liability. However, failure to report could result in fines up to $500.

Under Connecticut General Statute, Section 17a-101, the following are considered mandated reporters:

Any person paid to care for a child in any public or private facility, child day care center, group day care home or family day care home which is licensed by the State.

• Battered Women’s Counselors
• Chiropractors
• Child Advocate and any employee of the Office of the Child Advocate
• Dental Hygienists
• Dentists
• Department of Children and Families Employees
• Department of Public Health employees responsible for the licensing of child day care centers, group day care homes, family day care homes or youth camps.
• Family Rel. Counselor Trainees (Judicial Dept..)
• Family Relations Counselors (Judicial Dept..)
• Family Services Supervisors (Judicial Dept..)
• Foster Parents 
• Judicial Department Employees (Family Relations Counselors, Family Counselor Trainees, Family Services Supervisors *as of 10-01-2010)
• Licensed/Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors
• Licensed/Certified Emergency Medical Services Providers
• Licensed Foster Parents
• Licensed Marital and Family Therapists
• Licensed or Unlicensed  Interns at Any Hospital
• Licensed or Unlicensed Resident Interns
• Licensed or Unlicensed Resident Physicians
• Licensed Physicians
• Licensed Practical Nurses
• Licensed Professional Counselors
• Licensed Surgeons
• Medical Examiners
• Members of the Clergy
• Mental Health Professionals
• Optometrists
• Parole Officers (Juvenile or Adult)
• Persons Paid to Care for Children
• Persons who Provide Services to and have Regular Contact with Students
• Pharmacists
• Physical Therapists
• Physician Assistants
• Podiatrists
• Police Officers
• Probation Officers (Juvenile or Adult)
• Psychologists
• Registered Nurses
• School Administrators
• School Coaches
• School Guidance Counselors
• School Paraprofessionals
• School Superintendents
• School Teachers
• Sexual Assault Counselors
• Social Workers
• Substitute Teachers
• Sexual Assault Counselors
• Social Workers
• School Coaches or Coaches of Intramural or Interscholastic Athletics

What Must Be Reported
Mandated reporters are required to report or cause a report to be made when, in the ordinary course of their employment or profession, they have reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a child under the age of 18 has been abused, neglected or is placed in imminent risk of serious harm. (Connecticut General Statutes §17a-101a)

Child abuse occurs where a child has had physical injury inflicted upon him or her other than by accidental means, has injuries at variance with history given of them, or is in a condition resulting in maltreatment, such as, but not limited to, malnutrition, sexual molestation or exploitation, deprivation of necessities, emotional maltreatment or cruel punishment. (Connecticut General Statutes §46b-120)

Child neglect occurs where a child has been abandoned, is being denied proper care and attention physically, emotionally, or morally, or is being permitted to live under conditions, circumstances or associations injurious to his well-being. (Connecticut General Statutes §46b-120)

When making a report, a mandated reporter is required to provide the following information, if known:

1. The names and addresses of the child and his parents or other person responsible for his care;
2. The age of the child;
3. The gender of the child;
4. The nature and extent of the child's injury or injuries, maltreatment or neglect;
5. The approximate date and time the injury or injuries, maltreatment or neglect occurred;
6. Information concerning any previous injury or injuries to, or maltreatment or neglect of, the child or his siblings;
7. The circumstances in which the injury or injuries, maltreatment or neglect came to be known to the reporter;
8. The name of the person or persons suspected to be responsible for causing such injury or injuries, maltreatment or neglect;
9. The reasons such person or persons are suspected of causing such injury or injuries, maltreatment or neglect;
10.  Any information concerning any prior cases in which such person or persons have been suspected of causing an injury, maltreatment or neglect of a child;
11. Whatever action, if any, was taken to treat, provide shelter or otherwise assist the child (PA 11-93 §15).

How to Report
Mandated reporters must report orally to the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) Careline or a law enforcement agency within 12 hours of suspecting that a child has been abused or neglected and must submit a written report (DCF-136) to DCF within 48 hours of making the oral report.

When the Mandated reporter is a member of the staff of a public or private institution or facility that provides care for children or a member of a public or private school, they must also provide written notification to the head of the facility or institution where the alleged victim is enrolled or registered.  DCF is required to tape record all reports to the Careline.

Special reporting requirements may apply for staff members of a public or private institution or facility that cares for such child, or a public or private school. (See pages 4-5).

Police must report to DCF immediately upon receipt of any oral report of abuse or neglect.

Upon receipt of any oral report alleging sexual abuse or serious physical abuse or serious neglect, DCF must report to the appropriate state or local law enforcement agency within 12 hours.

Anonymity

Mandated reporters are required to give their name when they make a report to DCF, however, reporters may request anonymity to protect their privacy. This means that DCF would not disclose their name or identity unless mandated to do so by law (Connecticut General Statutes, Sections 17a-28 and 17a-101). Unless a reporter gives written consent, his or her name will not be disclosed except to:

• a DCF employee
• a law enforcement officer
• an appropriate state's attorney
• an appropriate assistant attorney general
• a judge and all necessary parties in a court proceeding
• a state child care licensing agency, executive director of any institution, school or facility or superintendent of schools

If DCF suspects or knows that the reporter knowingly makes a false report, his or her identity shall be disclosed to the appropriate law enforcement agency and the person may be subject to the penalty described in the next section.

Immunity and Penalty

Mandated reporters are required to make a referral to the DCF Hotline as soon as practical but no later than 12 hours after the mandated reporter becomes aware of or suspects abuse/neglect or imminent risk of serious harm to a child or children.  Any person required to report who fails to make such report or fails to make such report within the time period prescribed (in sections 17a-101b to 17a-101d), could be fined not less than five hundred dollars ant not more than two thousand five hundred dollars and could be required to participate in an educational and training program (pursuant to subsection (d) of section 17a-101).  The Department shall promptly notify the Chief State's Attorney when there is reason to believe that any such person has failed to make a report in accordance with this section.

Mandated reporters identified as a school employees (as defined in section 53a-65 (subsection 13) of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS), can be subject to an investigation and the penalties stated above if they fail to make a report (OR) if they fail to make a report within the 12 hour timeframe.  The Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, or the commissioner's designee, shall promptly notify the Chief State's Attorney when there is reason to believe that any such person has failed to make a report in accordance with this law.

Immunity from civil or criminal liability is granted to people who make required reports in good faith. Immunity is also granted to people who in good faith have not reported. 

Anyone who knowingly makes a false report of child abuse or neglect shall be fined up to $2,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. The identity of any such person shall be disclosed to the appropriate law enforcement agency and to the perpetrator of the alleged abuse.

Employers may not discharge, discriminate or retaliate against an employee for making a good faith report or testifying in an abuse or neglect proceeding. The Attorney General can bring a court action against any employer who violates this provision, and the court can assess a civil penalty of up to $2,500 plus other equitable relief.

Informing the Family

Mandated reporters are under no legal obligation to inform parents that they have made a report to DCF about their child. However, depending on the circumstances, it may be necessary and/or beneficial to do so.

• When a child is suspected of being abused, neglected or placed at imminent risk of serious harm by a member of the staff of a private or public school or an institution that cares for the child, the person in charge of the school or facility must notify the child’s parent or other person responsible for the child’s care that a report has been made. It is DCF’s responsibility to notify the head of such school, facility or institution that a report has been made.
• Health care professionals may need to talk with parents to assess the cause of the child’s injury(ies). Mental health professionals or members of the clergy may want to talk with the parents to offer support and guidance.

However, in cases of serious physical abuse or sexual abuse, it may not be wise to talk with parents before reporting the case to DCF. This may put the child at greater risk and could interfere with a potential criminal investigation.

Investigation of Abuse or Neglect Report

DCF is responsible for immediately evaluating and classifying all reports of suspected abuse/ neglect/imminent risk. If the report contains information to warrant an investigation, DCF must make its best effort to begin an investigation within two hours if there is an imminent risk of physical harm to a child or another emergency; and within three days for all other reports. In all cases, DCF must complete the investigation in 30 calendar days.

When conducting a child abuse or neglect investigation, DCF or a law enforcement agency must coordinate activities to minimize the number of interviews with any child.

DCF must obtain consent from the parent, guardian or person responsible for the child's care for any interview, unless DCF has reason to believe such person or a member of the child's household is the alleged perpetrator. When such consent is not required, the interview must be conducted in the presence of a 'disinterested adult' (typically, a person who is impartial and has no self-interest in the case). If a disinterested adult is not available after reasonable search and immediate access is necessary to protect the child from imminent risk of serious harm, DCF or a law enforcement agency will still interview the child.

If, after the investigation has been completed, serious physical abuse or sexual abuse is substantiated, DCF must notify the local police, and either the Chief State's Attorney/designee or a state's attorney in the judicial district in which the child resides or in which the abuse occurred. A copy of the investigation report must also be sent.

Suspected Abuse By a School Employee
Mandated reporters are required to report any suspected child abuse, neglect or imminent risk of serious harm directly to DCF or the police. This includes situations when the alleged perpetrator is a school employee. DCF must notify the head of the school that a report has been made, unless such person is the alleged perpetrator.

Investigations of suspected child abuse, neglect or imminent risk of serious harm by a school employee as stated in CGS section 53a-65 (subsection 13) are conducted by DCF.  If, after such investigation, DCF has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused by a school employee who holds a certificate, permit, or authorization issued by the state, DCF shall notify the employing superintendent and the Commissioner of Education of such finding and shall provide him or her with records concerning such investigation.  Please use this link for additional information and changes contained in Public Act 11-93 as it pertains to suspected abuse by a school employee.

The Superintendent must suspend such employee. The suspension shall be with pay and will not diminish or terminate the employee's benefits. Within 72 hours after such suspension, the Superintendent shall notify the local or regional board of education and the Commissioner of Education of the reasons for and conditions of the suspension. The Superintendent shall disclose the DCF records to the Commissioner of Education and local or regional boards of education or their attorney for purposes of review of employment status or certification. The suspension must remain in effect until the local Board of Education takes action.

If the employee's contract is terminated, the Superintendent shall notify the Commissioner of Education or his representative within 72 hours. The Commissioner of Education may then commence certification revocation proceedings.

The Superintendent may suspend any other school staff member in similar circumstances.

The State’s Attorney must notify the Superintendent, or supervising agent of a non-public school, and the Commissioner of Education when a certified school employee, or any person holding a certificate issued by the State Board of Education, is convicted or a crime involving an act of child abuse or neglect.

Suspected Abuse By a Member of An Institution or Facility Providing Child Care

Mandated reporters are also required to report when they have reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any child has been abused or neglected by a member of the staff of a public or private institution or facility that provides care for children. DCF must notify the head of the institution or facility providing child care that a report has been made, except in circumstances when such person is the alleged perpetrator.

Whenever DCF, based on the results of an investigation, has reasonable cause to believe that that a child has been abused or neglected by a staff member of a public or private institution or facility providing child care, DCF shall notify the executive director of the institution, school, or facility  in not less than five working days.   DCF shall also provide records concerning the investigation to the executive director. If the facility is licensed by the state for the caring of children, DCF shall notify the state agency that licenses it and provide records concerning the investigation.  Please use this link for additional information and changes contained in Public Act 11-93 as it pertains to suspected abuse by a member of an institution or facility providing child care.

TRAINING

DCF provides Mandated reporter training to all providers in the state of Connecticut upon request.  If you have questions concerning what constitutes a mandated reporter, please visit Q & A About Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect or contact DCF Academy for Workforce Development or go to: DCF Mandated Reporter Online Training.

WHERE TO CALL

The Department has a single point of contact statewide for the reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect. This Child Abuse and Neglect Careline operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Anyone who suspects that a child has been abused or neglected or is in danger of abuse or neglect is strongly encouraged to call the Careline 1-800-842-2288.

THE TERRY WALLER SYNDROME; PART TWO

Apparently Hartford history is getting ready to repeat itself. And for those at the Hartford Fire Department seeing the name Terry Waller, note it is probably not going to affect you.

What was done in an attempt to get Terry Waller special treatment to gain the Hartford Fire Departments  Assistant Chief position, is ,according to sources, about to take place for another individual vying for an Assistant Chief position in the Hartford Police Department.

According to sources, the Office of the Corporation Counsel is in the process of tinkering with the job specs to rewrite the description for Assistant Chief for HPD so that the position is tailor made for one specific individual and exclude specifically another.

 More on this as it moves forward, but hopefully this posting will have the same effect of shining the light on it as it did with Waller's  coronation.

The Assistant Chief position at HPD has been left unfilled for most of the past year.

HARTFORD CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR 4-11-2016

Agenda Court of Common Council Meeting April 11, 2016

THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING

Media Advisory:
For Thursday, April 7, 2016

Contacts:
Matt O'Connor, AFT Connecticut: 860-221-5696
Larry Dorman, Council 4 AFSCME: 860-989-9127
Ben Phillips, CSEA/SEIU Local 2001: 860-977-4442

Workers, Legislators & City Councilors to Hold Capitol News Briefing Outlining a Path Forward for Hartford
Leaders of unions representing the Capital City's first responders, educators, and other municipal employees to address plans to negotiate, help save millions

Hartford - Municipal and board of education workers, area legislators and members of the Hartford City Council will reaffirm their shared commitment to protect vital public services for city residents, small businesses and visitors. They will hold a joint Capitol News Briefing tomorrow, Thursday April 7 at 10:30AM to address the role of Hartford's public service employees as partners in seeking better choices.

Thursday, April 7, is the joint favorable (JF) report deadline for the legislature's Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. The committee is considering S.B. 464, a controversial proposal to create a "Hartford Sustainability Commission" with authority over the city's municipal and education budgets.

Speakers will include:

• Shellye Davis, co-president of the Hartford Federation of Paraprofessionals and president of the Greater Hartford Central Labor Council;
• Sgt. Rich Holton, president of the Hartford Police Union, will speak on behalf ofthe public service unions coalition, (all of the leaders will be attendance and available for questions);
• State Representative Matt Ritter will speak on behalf of the Hartford legislative delegation; &
• Thomas "T.J." Clarke II, president of the Hartford Court of Common Council, will speak on behalf of the city council.

What: Capitol News Briefing reaffirming support for better choices than S.B. 464 to achieve Hartford municipal budget savings.
When: Thursday, April 7, at 10:30 AM.
Where: Legislative Office Building, Room 1-C.
Who: Hartford public service workers, city councilors, and area legislators.

THE SEXUAL PREDATOR ASSISTANT SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT

Eduardo Genao, Hartford Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

I don't usually take my phone calls and blog postings to heart, but this is just one that is disgusting.

Let me start with the background first. On Monday of this week, April 4, 2016, I received a call from a community member who had a very troubling story about alleged predatory behavior by Hartford's Assistant Superintendent of Schools Eduardo Genao. The caller explained to me allegations of predatory sexual behavior of Genao  involving a 13 year old girl and was looking for advice on how to proceed.

I immediately put the caller in touch with Hartford Police Department's Deputy Chief Brian Foley. Foley is the Departments Public Information Officer but is also Commander of the Investigative Services Division, which handles detectives that investigate juvenile issues and abuse issues.
It should be noted that within minutes of Chief Foley being notified , HPD launched an investigation and moved quickly to protect a 13 year old from a predator.

Unfortunately, the Hartford Board of Education  and the Superintendent 's Office did not move as quickly  and seemed to turn a blind eye to the predatory allegations when they were notified on March 22, 2016, and apparently did nothing after that date either. Doctor Aaron Lewis , President of the Scribe Institute, began the notification process after being made aware of the allegations on or about March 22, 2016.

The Scribe Institute is a local non-profit that works with Hartford Youth  http://thescribesinstitute.org/. The Scribes Institute  strives to bolster the academic toolkit of young people and of disenfranchised adults around the world, focusing on reading and writing as the foundation to individual success, personal freedom and strong communities.

Doctor Lewis attempted to notify Hartford's Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr, Gislaine Ngounou on March 22, 2016 of the allegations. In an interview this morning, Dr Lewis showed me the actual text messages on his phone between himself and Ngounou on March 22nd. .Dr. Lewis's texts outlined the allegations of a sexual nature against Eduardo Genao and  Ngounou replied back that she was busy. Here is a portion of the text from Dr. Lewis to Superintendent Ngounou  "It's an urgent matter concerning one of your directors with regard to inappropriate child contact. Just wanted to give you a chance to respond before going public. Thanks. Dr. Lewis. "

"Inappropriate child contact" you would think that those words alone would raise red flags and get someone entrusted to care for children to take action. But apparently not in the case of the top staff at the Hartford School System.

I am not quite sure what would take priority over getting to the bottom of allegations of sexual predatory behavior involving a child by an educator. Regardless, nothing moved forward  and Dr Lewis also has an e-mail trail to Hartford Board of Education Chairman Richard Wareing, apparently detailing the allegations. The e-mail is below

Lewis Wareing Email

The Hartford Schools clearly dropped the ball on this one, even though they are mandated reporters required to notify authorities on any allegations of Child abuse or predatory sexual behavior by an adult .

As I said earlier, the Hartford Police Department should be recognized for their quick response when they were made aware of the allegations. , unlike the Hartford Schools.

Shortly after making HPD  aware of the allegations I received a call from an internal source from HPD. The source was requesting that I delay posting anything on the blog. Naturally I questioned the request . The source replied that the allegations appeared to be "legit" and HPD was applying for search warrants for Eduardo Genao's home , cell phone, computer harddrive's and related evidence. HPD felt that any advance notice would allow evidence to be destroyed. That was good enough for me to hold off if it meant protecting children from a predator

I readily agreed to hold off for a day or two until I was given the go ahead. On Tuesday April 5th at roughly 8:00PM , detectives from the Hartford Police Department hit Genao's house in Hamden and served the search warrants. The warrant has been sealed by the Court for 14 days, but sources are telling me that extensive evidence of abuse and predatory behavior has been recovered and is indicating the existence of other victims. At least one other potential  victim has come forward today alone.

The nature of the texts Genao had sent to the 13 year old included naked pictures of Genao's genitals  and very suggestive sexual comments to the child . Genao's texts asked her about  her sexual behavior and personal questions including levels of sexual arousal. Those texts and photographs  have apparently been recovered by Investigators and  are part of the investigation that should lead to arrest warrants being issued.

The investigation also continues into any role those in the Superintendent's Office or at Hartford Schools may have played in covering Genao's behavior  or failing to report the behavior to authorities..

Anyone complicit in the abuse or allowing for the abuse to continue through their silence or inactivity  should be tendering their resignation immediately. There is no wiggle room on this, abuse of a child is inexcusable especially by anyone in a position of authority or respect over children.

Despite repeated calls to the Board of Education spokesperson Pedro Zayas, no comment has been made available to me. Apparently Kelvin Roldan the Board's "Communications's Director" does not consider me a legitimate journalist, even though I reported the story first and despite requests has not provided me with any information, but as Roldan should know by now, I still get the story.

According to sources , this may not be the first incident for Genao and his exit from a New York School System was under a cloud. Genao was also found to have improperly obtained a job for his brother in the same school system he worked for. Genao was fined $1,000 for his involvement in that scheme. From the "New York Sun" on March 4, 2005:


SUPERINTENDENT FINED $1,000 BY CONFLICTS BOARD
The city's Conflicts of Interest Board announced yesterday that a local instructional superintendent was fined $1,000 for helping his brother get a job.

The local instructional superintendent, Eduardo Genao, forwarded his brother's resume to all principals in his region, Region 2, last August, even though he oversaw 10 of the principals.
Mr. Genao's attempt to help his high-school-educated brother get a job as a school aide violated one of the chancellor's regulations, which prohibits Department of Education employees from hiring or supervising relatives.

Right away, one of the principals who received the message complained to Mr. Genao's supervisor about the e-mail, and Mr. Genao tried to recall the unread messages. Four days after the incident, Mr. Genao turned himself in to the Department of Education at the advice of his lawyers.

- Staff Reporter of the Sun

Here is more on this from the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters:http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/troubleshooters/Hartford-Public-Schools-Administrator-Resigns-Amid-Police-Investigation-374736211.html

HPD UNION RESPONSE TO SENATE BILL 464

From Council Hearing last night:

Council President Clarke and the Court of Common Council,

 I am Richard Holton,  President of the Hartford Police Union. I am here to speak for my 400 plus members in opposition to any resolution supporting the Mayors proposes legislation in the form of SB 464.

There are three areas I would  like to cover.

First, is the so called comparison of the Mayor’s bill to the Waterbury bill. This is the furthest  thing from the truth, Hartford is not Waterbury. Never mind the difference in the make up of the oversight board and the denigration of the Council’s Governmental power, (like the loss of veto power and the right to approve employee contracts) as well as attacking the retirees.  Waterbury was and still is a Finicinal disaster, they were less than a month from making payroll, they borrowed from the pension fund to pay bills, they were in junk bond status, their pension fund was only funded at 4% and they failed to have a property revaluation for several years.

Waterbury Mayor O’Leary testified at the Capitol and he even said that Hartford is not in the shape Waterbury was in, even though he praised the Mayor for his efforts he failed to talk about the devastating effect the State oversight had on the City’s workforce, and currently he is seeking to increase the city's mill rate by almost 2 mills.

Even though previous Mayors have increased the mill rate Hartford is not in any danger of not making payroll, we are no way near Junk bond status, our pension fund is funded at 78%. So don't be fooled into thinking that SB 464 is the Waterbury bill it is not and Hartford is not Waterbury.

Secondly, every union leader has said the same thing, the Mayor has not had any serious discussions in regards to contract negotiations. He has not sat down and produced a budget mitigation plan showing us where he has made and identified cuts and where that puts him and where he needs to be with the help of the unions. By not doing this he has put this city severely behind the eight (8) ball.

 To say he needs the oversight to negotiate contracts with the Unions is absurd. Every Union has and will help the city. In our last contract we took two (2) years of no raises, reorganized our pension plan and retiree health care. By doing this we saved the city approximately 3 million dollars in wages, decreased the city’s pension liability annually by Five hundred ninety thousand (590,000) dollars  that's approx 2.3 million dollars since the contract was signed; by removing the six thousand (6,000) dollars for retiree medical stipend we have saved the city approx six hundred (600,000) thousand dollars  with additional savings going forward. So as you can see we have always worked with the city in “good faith”. A lot could be said for the Mayor’s actions and “good faith” is not one of them.

Third and finally, the issue of looking for solutions, one of the biggest obstacles of getting through this fiscal crisis is the fact that according to “hartford business.com”’ the city has about 59% of tax exempt properties valued at approximately 3.7 billion dollars. No city in this country could operate with almost 60% of the property in a city that is  tax exempt. This has to be addressed. You can't balance the budget on the backs of the employees. We have to look at every option available to us. To say a savings in one area is not not good enough, as the Mayor has told us, in my opinion is irresponsible. We have even  suggested the idea of the City doing its own towing, it could create jobs and bring in revenue, road and 911 service fees on tickets sold at the City’s entertainment venues, as well as on renters who unless they register their vehicle in the city do not pay any taxes but use the city services. These are just a few of the ideas and I am sure you have a laundry list as well.

The Hartford delegation is not in favor of the Mayor’s bill as written, members of this council are not in favor of the Mayor’s bill as written and the workforce is not in favor of the mayor’s bill as written. As expressed during the public testimony at the Capitol members of the finance committee have said that the Mayor has put the cart before the horse, and I can't agree more. As a city facing a crisis we need to come together and work on solutions, some of these can be accomplished thru “good faith” negotiations, legislation changing the tax structure and brining all of the stakeholders together. By acting alone and alienating everyone is no way to accomplish what everyone wants and that is to make Hartford viable and sustainable.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I will be happy to answer any questions you have.



Sgt. Richard Holton
Hartford Police Union
President

"WE THE PEOPLE SHOW" FOR MONDAY APRIL 4 2014

TIME TO REGROUP AND MOVE FORWARD

The past several days have been interesting. Over the weekend I received several calls from people that had been big supporters of Mayor Luke Bronin. Most of them were questioning what they called my blind support of our new Mayor Bronin.

After taking the weekend to think about it and make some phone calls of my own to people I trust, I agree they were right.

If Pedro Segarra or  even Eddie Perez were pulling the amateur stunts that Luke Bronin is pulling now, I would have been all over them. I think deep down I was probably hoping things would work out and Bronin was actually making bold, well thought out initiatives to get Hartford back on track. As I look back though, I should have seen more of the warning signs.

It is times like this when I really value my friendship and the "political" mentoring I received from John O'Connell. Like it or not, you always knew where you stood with John and he taught me much about Hartford's politics He was invaluable when it came to budget process and questions, but more importantly he was a student of politics. One of the best lessons he ever gave me is to learn how to count your votes.

If you had something that was important and wanted to move forward, you count your votes to gauge support. If you could persuade or lie up the votes, then move forward. If the votes weren't there and never were going to be there, regroup and build another plan. I thought Luke would know that, but apparently he never counted his votes on the City or the State level before pushing forward with what should have been an ill advised power grab.

And "Power Grab" is not my term, it was a term used by speaker after speaker last night to describe the "Financial Sustainability Bill". It was also disheartening to see all of Hartford's Unions made out to be such a big part of the financial problem at meeting after meeting conducted by Mayor Bronin. I would think that before going to the "nuclear" approach to solve Hartford's budget problems, the Unions would have all been called in to sit down and be part of the solution.

Last nights meeting and the Financial Sustainability Commission Bill was a major test for Bronin's Administration. It wasn't a test that Bronin passed, to be honest it was a resounding failure. It was kind of sad to watch Luke Bronin pushing the plunger to set off the blast for his first implosion. I would think it would have gone much further  for Bronin to admit the idea was ill conceived and say that he was requesting to pull the resolution and go back to the drawing board to start over again with a better plan that would work

It was also very troubling to listen to the next speaker to the microphone after Bronin. Melissa McCaw, Bronin's Director of Management and Budget. McCaw's answer to many of the questions asked by the Council were the same " I am sorry, I have only been here a couple of months and I will have to defer on the answer to that". EXCUSE ME! You have a half a billion dollar budget due in less than  two weeks and you are "deferring" on critical questions.

There were speakers from the public that came to the microphone that seemed more knowledgeable on Budget issues than Melissa McCaw, or at the very least much better prepared.

The Back Lives Matter protest seemed to really throw a curve to Bronin's rehearsed remarks and forced him off script. I am not sure why the BLM protest tried to ride the coattails of Hartford's Unions , the majority of whom are very supportive of the BLM movement, but it was the Unions night to air their concerns to the Council, Bot BLM. I doubt they garnered much support or sympathy for their cause through their actions

I and many others thought, or were led to believe that had already happened. According to testimony last night from Hartford's Union leaders, it did not happen and in fact the Unions had already put forward cost cutting suggestions, only to be pushed aside.

And what steps have been taken on the City level to attempt a fix of the budget problems, and whose decision was it to jump past any local solutions and go right to the State for help? I understand there are many moving parts here, including that legislative help from the State would need to take place during the Legislatures "short " session this year. The term "kick the can down the road" was used several times times during the night. Our days of can kicking really do need to end and we really do need to come up with sustainable solutions if we are ever going to see our grand list and Hartford's economy grow .

One of those was incumbent Councilwoman Cynthia Jennings asking why we couldn't continue to "Kick the can down the road". I guess that statement might explain why we are in the mess we are in now.

We are still operating in a Democracy though and those sustainable solutions need to come out of equal partnerships. A partnership with all stakeholders siting at the same table, having an honest and respectful dialogue and not through a "power grab" by a Financial Sustainability Commission, locking out the majority of Hartford's elected Council, its residents and its stakeholders.

The solution is within our reach, but we have to be willing to do the hard work to make it happen. And that includes making the difficult decisions, putting the political impact aside and doing what is best for Hartford.

It is what John O'Connell would have done.