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Thursday, March 23, 2017

WHERE IS THE DEPUTY?

You would think that in a cash strapped City like Hartford, which is teetering on the brink of Bankruptcy, every salary dollar would be evaluated to make sure we are getting our money's worth.

I have to ask then, why do we have a Deputy Director of Public Works who apparently can't be called upon to fill the top position of Director when it became vacant?

Instead we take our Fire Chief to fill in as Interim Acting Director ?

Now let me make this clear right from the start. Hartford's Fire Chief has worked wonders in his short one year tenure. He is more than capable, an excellent manager, an inspirational leader, simply a man of vision who knows how to work with people.

Chief Freeman has turned the Hartford Fire Department around from an organization that was becoming a laughing stock due to numerous arrests, gun fights, drug dealing and essentially just bad behavior to an organization with pride and rising morale.

Would I like to see that same trend continue at DPW, quite honestly yes. But not at the detriment of diluting the leadership at HFD.  I have no doubt Chief Freeman earns every penny of his salary as Fire Chief and I think he could probably be called upon  to run most City Departments and do it very well (Well, maybe with the exception of Corporation Counsel, that would take a law degree. But I have every confidence Chief Freeman could even do that by surrounding himself with the right people)

If the Deputy Director of Public Works David Tanner is not capable, or unwilling, to step into the top leadership role at DPW, that is a six figure salary we as a nearly broke City can not afford.

I would hope that the Assistant Chief's in the Fire Department and the Deputy Chief's in the Police Department would be able to assume the lead role when called upon and the Deputy at DPW should be competent enough to fill in temporarily when needed as well. If Mayor Bronin does not have the confidence that Deputy Director Tanner  can do that, then we should stop wasting the salary for a figurehead and find someone who can .Stop gambling with the leadership of HFD, especially since HFD seems to be running smoothly now, for the first time in many years.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

David Tanner and his wife are both good friends of the Bronin's. They came as a package deal. Tanner;s wife is the Deputy Director of Economic Development, where she functions well as the Deputy , so I guess she offsets her husbands incompetence. If Bronin wants her, we have to keep Tanner otherwise if he goes, she goes. That's why Tanner, the incompetent Deputy, kind of like Hartford's version of Deputy Barney Fife remains because Sean Fitzpatrick doesn't want to lose his Deputy, pure and simple.

Anonymous said...

David Tanner, that's they guy who was quoted about the snowstorm that the plows will plow "from curb to curb." Who the hell is he kidding? Who tell such a bold face fricken lie. The neighborhood streets had up to four feet sometimes more of snow remaining in the street on both sides. How can he get away fro saying this?

Anonymous said...

THIS is a sure move that will slowly destroy all the progress the Hartford Fire Department has made in the past year or so !! As the TWO Acting Assistant Chiefs are well over their SIX MONTH STAY.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

There are others well over their six month stay also, Linda Bayer is one that comes to mind in the Mayor's Office. If Chief Freeman feels comfortable with his team I don't think we should have any problem with it, it clearly is working and the results of his leadership have shown.

Anonymous said...

So what are you saying Kevin, it's OK to break the rules and regulations to suite the cities circumstances or situation? Not surprised, the Hartford Fire Department only enforces their departments Rules & Regulations when it suits them -OR- if it's a white male firefighter involved. All other races and women need not worry. How do I know this, well over 20 years of service you tend to see more than fire going on around you. Oh by the way, thanks for not posting my last submission to your blog. And speaking of six month stays, isn't it about getting to that time in his career when Chief Freeman walks off the job and quits..........like he did previously at the Hartford Fire Department?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

8:57am

I think you might want to take a walk through the Chief's complex, and then maybe you would change your racist view. There are others on the second floor besides just "white male firefighters". And since Chief Freeman is not under the thumb of an incompetent Chief this time, I think the circumstances are a little different and hopefully he will be around for a while

Anonymous said...

Laughing stock? 95% of the HFD may beg to differ. Judging a department of 300 on the antics of ten or so idiots seems like typical media and print behavior to sell a story. The core of the job will run just fine regardless or who is in front office or what crappy union representation we may have. The majority of members exhibit pride and respect while helping the citizens of hartford and we definitely love putting out fires.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

7"03pm

You are probably correct and the number is probably higher than 95% but it is the 1 or 2 percent that manages to grab the headlines and media attention and embarrass the rest. Out of an organization the size of HFD, a handful of people can really have a negative impact

Anonymous said...

Yes, the media loves to report on the few bad apples of the civil service, its what sells a great headline. The HFD both save and assist people daily, and thats never reported on, nor do we care, because we are simply doing our job. The majority of news reports generally state that police or ambulance were first on scene providing ems care at these tragic incidents. We scoff at that knowing who was really providing the care.

The handful of cancers that do exist in our department are ostracized by the members. We all know who they are, and who can not be relied upon under difficult conditions. If it were up to the members, these individuals would be gone. Some how the front office and/or the union still protects many of these individuals and we honestly don't know why. Certain members blatantly scared of fire, along with members with continued histories of addiction who continue to hang out, both recieving a check and seriously abusing A injury status.

Anonymous said...

Kevin,In regards to March 25 th at 8:57 am,Why is it that the "INFAMOUS " chief billy smith ,(super rascist on steroids),,stays out of what should be a perpetual light shining down on him related to the Hartford fire dept? This a$&hole was caught on audio tape stating that any black member of HFD (not necessarily a firefighter,because there is difference between working for the fire dept and being a firefighter!) would be rewarded for beating up a "white" firefighter. Please keep in mind ,,,THIS WAS'NT 50 years ago,,,,it was in the past 15 . I am truly perplexed by the lack of remembrance to this recent black eye,that for me ,never healed.Here's the rub Kevin,this A$&hole made money off this hatred,,,,but that's another forgotten piece of history!

Anonymous said...

What is Hartford coming to? Now I hear that Councilwoman Cynthia Jennings is running a boot camp for candidates from Hartford that apply for the HPD positions? How does that work? What are Ms. Jennings qualifications to run such a boot camp?

Anonymous said...

5:23pm

And how long before the first lawsuit claimingthat she is providing a benefit to one group and disadvantaging another

Anonymous said...

And what does Jennings know about policing Hartford, next to Bermudez she is one of the biggest cop-haters on the Council. I would love to see her curriculum she presented