I NEED SOME INSPIRATION

I am disgusted. Quite frankly I am sick of what our City has become. It hasn't just happened under our current Mayor. The incompetence and poor leadership has gone on for some time now, and we just sit back and take it.

I have spent most of my adult life as a resident of the City of Hartford. I have become used to the all too often question of "Why the hell do you stay there?". I have been a victim of crime, I have witnessed more crime as a Hartford resident than most people see in a lifetime. But yet I choose to call Hartford my home. A city that I have embraced with open arms and fought hard to see change.

Hartford is my home .It is sickening to see my next door neighbor contemplating a move out of the City that I love and deliver a devastating blow to my hometown. It is even more devastating that the so called leaders of our City and State could be so ignorant of their surroundings to be caught off guard of the move. I warned the Mayor and his Chief of Staff over a year ago when a source at Aetna told me that a move was imminent.

I was aggravated last fall when a high ranking official at Aetna told me personally that their communications with the Mayor were "virtually nonexistent". Not a good way to treat anyone. especially a large corporate neighbor like Aetna.

Although Hartford has its warts and failings , it is still my home. I am extremely fortunate to have met so many people that I probably would have never met if I chose to settle elsewhere. My good friends, like Hyacinth Yennie who has been there to prop me up for years, even during her own trials and tribulations. If there was ever anyone to win the award for Hartford cheerleader, it is Hyacinth and her energy for the people of Hartford is incredible.

I would love to start naming everyone but I know I will miss many, But a few keep coming to mind.

Bob and Candy Killian I met relatively late in my Hartford residency. Judge Killian and his wife are two of the finest people I have ever met. Bob and Candy have both adopted me and have taken me under their wings.  Bob has taught me valuable lessons in a relatively short time about humility and thoughtful reasoning. Even occasionally having to put the brakes on me and saying "are you going to let me finish or do you want to talk?". I have not met anyone yet that knows more about Hartford and its history and is able to tell the story with anecdotes that only a lifetime involved in Hartford can provide.

Alyssa Peterson is someone else that has an extreme love for Hartford. Often misinterpreted due to her strong sense of right and wrong, often called a naysayer, but she serves a purpose in keeping Hartford from going off the rails regularly. Alyssa also has an uncanny knack or sixth sense of knowing when I land in the ER. She has a way of convincing hospital staff she is family to get her way beyond the locked hallways.

I have befriended my share of underdogs also, and they are far from anything close to an underdog to me, they are some of the most genuine decent people, if anyone took the time to appreciate them. Lt Rob Allan from HPD, Deputy Chief Dan Nolan from HFD, and quite a few others that are probably better unnamed because they still have time left to work at HFD and HPD. Sadly, Lt Allan announced today that he is calling it a career and moving on from HPD.

People like Shirley Surgeon, Angel Arce and Doug McCrory all have opened my eyes to life in Hartford and Hartford's odd way of politics and have helped me appreciate all that our City has to offer.

Chief Rovella is also someone that has taught me a lot about our City and both his and Chief Freeman's vision and planning to try to keep Hartford a great place have been underrated. One  major thing Chief Rovella has taught me is that when I am really pissed, stay away from the keyboard, take the time to breathe deeply before the venom starts flowing through my keyboard. That is why tonight's posting is not what many people expected when they called me today The upset and the venom can wait until tomorrow

And so finally, for anyone I didn't mention above, you already know if you mean something  special to me. And I wouldn't change my experiences  in Hartford for anything.

The video below is something I found on youtube tonight, and pretty much has nothing to do with the posting above, but I found it inspirational, enjoy,  and keep fighting for Hartford. If we keep trying, sooner or later we will get it right and elect some decent leaders for our City.

LEAVING THE SINKING SHIP

The exodus continues from the beleaguered Bronin Administration. The latest to jump ship is the Director of the Emergency Services Telecommunications Department, Clayton Northgraves. Northgraves has apparently informed Mayor Luke Bronin that he will be leaving.

Northgraves took over the troubled agency in November 2014 and restored management to a City Department  that was frequently criticized for its inefficiency under its previous Director, retired HPD Sergeant Andrew Jaffee.

Northgraves is only the latest in Hartford Department heads that have parted ways with the Bronin Administration in the 18 months the Mayor has been in office.

Northgraves was previously with the Town of Enfield and the City of New Have in 2014n before coming to Hartford.

In addition to Northgraves there have also been numerous departures from the Police and Fire Departments in the last several days adding to the leadership void in City Departments. Much of this is being caused by the indecisiveness of the Administration and the concern over the course of Hartford's future and the lack of any structural change to put Hartford back on a solid foundation.

SECOND GUESSING HFD

Last week, comments were posted questioning a training seminar that was conducted by the Hartford Fire Department for some of its members.

I haven't bothered Chief Freeman since he is out on paternity leave after the birth of his second daughter last week. Congratulations to the Freeman's on the arrival of their daughter.

I have spoken to several other people familiar with or who had attended the training. The course was regarding "Situational Awareness Training". From what I understand, the course was taught by a Fire Chief from Minnesota who was in the area to teach a course to the US Navy. The City was able to get a reduced rate on the training since he was already in the State of Connecticut for the Naval course.

Chief Freeman may not have risen up through the ranks of HFD and because of that may not be accepted by everyone at HFD. As someone who has observed HFD from the outside for a while now, I have to say I think the HFD is under the best leadership it has seen in quite a while. We aren't hearing of the discipline problems and chaos we have seen under the previous few Chiefs.

Chief Freeman is functioning under some of the most difficult circumstances seen in years. Between financial constraints and staffing problems, the HFD is still called upon every day to provide Fire Services for the City of Hartford and its residents. For anyone not aware of the situations facing Public Safety in Hartford, both Police and Fire are headed for a definite crisis due to the lack of commitment from City Hall.

The number for both Police and Fire are dropping steadily and they are not being replaced to keep ahead of the attrition. Sources at both HFD and HPD are telling me that those numbers will likely get much worse after July 1st as large numbers of Police Officers and Firefighters retire or leave for other jobs. Much of that attrition is being forced by the uncertainty and insincerity from Mayor Bronin and City Hall..

One high ranking HFD source told me that the training was held to help offset the damage of the upcoming exodus. The person explained that the loss of many high rankling officers is going to require the promotion of many people at HFD to important command positions The source made it clear that many of those people "were not ready for the promotions", but that everything was being done to prepare the future Captains and Deputy Chiefs to be ready.

Even though they may not be "ready", the promotions will be necessary to provide the Command Structure necessary for day to day operations at HFD.

Chief Freeman has had the vision and foresight to prepare for the possible disaster caused by City Hall and take the necessary steps to mitigate the impending disaster. Although some commenter's called the training a "waste of money", it seems to me like it will be money well spent if it keeps our firefighters safe with proper leadership in the field.

For those that claimed they learned nothing from the training, one source who attended the training told me that if anyone attended and learned nothing, "they were either asleep or not paying attention"

CHIEF ROVELLA SAYS NO TO O/T FOR MAYOR'S MEETING

Last night I posted about an informational meeting to be held Thursday by Mayor Bronin to discuss concerns over the Police Department's ongoing negotiations. Chief Rovella's informational e-mail was met with an e-mail from the HPD Union President encouraging Officers to put in for overtime or compensatory time if they attended.. I posted that I felt it was wrong for anyone to consider putting in to be paid for attending the meeting.

Here is a link to that  posting  http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2017/05/wrong-wrong-wrong-let-me-just-say-it.html

This morning, Chief Rovella clarified in an email to all HPD personnel  that "by no means will the Police Department  pay overtime or credit Compensatory hours for attendance"

I haven't heard from anyone today that was upset or planning to put in for overtime for attending. In fact most were encouraged by Bronin's attempt to clarify information, or misinformation, regarding HPD's ongoing negotiations.



From: "Rovella, James" >
Date: May 24, 2017 at 9:26:02 AM EDT
To: Police Dept - Sworn >, Police Dept - Civilian >
Subject: RE: Conversation with the Mayor

Everyone,

For clarification purposes only, the conversation with the Mayor is not mandatory attendance, it is in fact optional. The Mayor is making himself available to employees of different departments, including the Police Department, to respond directly to your questions and address your concerns. I  picked one of the earlier blocks of time available.

By no means will the Police Department pay Overtime or credit Compensatory hours for attendance.

I hope to see as many people that can attend tomorrow at Quirk beginning at 4:00 pm.

As always, best regards.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, LET ME JUST SAY IT AGAIN TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS WRONG

It is not too often you will hear me singing the praises of Mayor Bronin. I just don't usually agree with his management style or his communication skills, or maybe I should say lack of communication skills.

But when he does something right, I want to be fair and say it.

Bronin's interaction with our City's Unions has been terrible. Much of it accomplished through his condescending management style and the lack of communication skills I previously mentioned.

 Maybe Luke has started to realize that he is not always necessarily the smartest person in the room and he actually wants to listen.

To that end, Bronion has apparently offered to meet with the various Union's membership for an informational session. The invitation to all personnel at HPD was extended on behalf of the Mayor through an e-mail from Chief Rovella earlier today.

Apparently the Mayor "is making himself available" for employees to ask questions and for the Mayor to address their concerns. If this is a sincere effort, it might actually produce some results.The meeting has been scheduled for Thursday May 25th from 4:00 to 5:30PM at the Quirk Auditorium (also home of the Hartford Police Academy)

The media apparently is not open to the Media, according to Rovella's email.

Sadly though, Chief Rovella's e-mail was met a couple hours later by an e-mail from Hartford Police Union President John Szewczyk, Jr. urging his membership to attend. That request was followed by a reminder from the Union President to his membership to "not forget to put in for overtime/comp time" for all off duty personnel who choose to attend.

Being paid to attend  an off duty informational session is not a show of good faith to be partners in working on the City's financial problems. I am sure many of the Union's members have questions to ask directly of Bronin and may actually put some of their fears at rest.

City employees need to understand that they have had a good deal for many years and now it is time to bring them into line with private sector employees. No where in the private sector would attendance in Union meetings be allowed on Company time and definitely not while being compensated with overtime pay.

President Szewczyk, your efforts to obtain a reasonable contract for your membership have been applauded by many here on this very blog. Urging your members to put in for time and a half pay to ask questions , and get honest answers , hopefully, from the Mayor, should be reconsidered to continue building on goodwill with both City Hall and the community .

"COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY"

"Country before party". That is a quote from Senator Richard Blumenthal last week on CNN referring to Congressional action toward President Donald Trump.

After hearing that , I had to think "what a great idea, if our politicians actually started thinking about us and our Country first".

The more I thought about it though , I had to ask myself, "When does this Country before party thing begin Senator?"

Now I realize  that Donald Trump is a lightning rod, and no matter what I write or post is probably not going to be popular with at least half of the people. But a sense of fairness should be the same, whether viewed by a Democrat or a Republican or an unaffiliated person.

I don't think anyone, except maybe the blindest of staunch Hillary supporters, can deny that we had a couple of very flawed candidates to vote for last November. Only time will tell if voters made the right choice. History will be the referee of that, butI hope they did, and even I have my doubts some days, but those doubts would be much stronger if the Clinton's regained control of the White House. I think one thing no one can deny is that we know what we got with President Trump, warts and all.

I think with the Clinton's, we would never know. I often wonder what the outcome would have been if Democrats realized Hillary Clinton did not have ownership or some God given right to the Oval Office. A decent candidate probably would have been a landslide against Trump.  A Biden /Trump race may have quite possibly been a much different outcome today. No scientific polls, just my gut feeling. Especially since we now know how wrong those polls were right up until the last hour the voting booths were open.

So back to Connecticut's renowned Senator and Vietnam veteran  Richard Blumenthal. When does that Country before Party thing begin?

Where was it after the Benghazi operation that resulted in the deaths of American patriots? Or was it in the words of Hillary Clinton, "What difference does it make?"

Where was "Country before Party" in the Clinton's private server? Trump was the focus of attention this past week after a meeting with Russian Officials and he allegedly divulged "classified" information. How much classified information was divulged in emails possibly hacked from Hillary's private, unauthorized server? I guess we may never know .

What was the deal with the Clinton Foundation and how much political influence was purchased through "donation's" to the Clinton's toy chest?

And finally, I have to ask why Russia only became an issue after Hillary Clinton lost. I guess if Hillary won the election she could have used her Benghazi quote again if questions arose regarding Russia  "What difference does it make?". If she was in the White House, who would even care about Russian influence?

I GUESS THE HONEYMOON IS OFFICIALLY OVER

This picture below was posted on Facebook this morning.

It would appear to me that people are finally seeing through the "Kingdom of Luke" and his "Town Hall Tour" and his related publicity stunts to attempt to further his political career, and the careers of those around him.

Luke how about some reality and leadership instead of stunts.

How about treating people with dignity and respect instead of treating them like subjects of your monarchy?  I would think we would get a lot more from our unions if you left the room and we could get someone to sit at the table that they could trust and treated them with respect.

And enough of the false hopes and promises. To tell residents that $40 million dollars from the State was almost assured was disingenuous, if not an outright lie. And the front page of the Courant this morning pretty much assures us the opposite.

How could any legislator vote to bail out Hartford when we still refuse to help ourselves. That might be a tough sell to their constituents. Explain why you voted to give money to Hartford while at the same time they cut funding to their own towns. Sounds like a tough sell

I know, PILOT.., unfair, It's the States fault, blah blah blah. Keep repeating it , someone might start listening. In the meantime, what are you going to do to fix it? It might work in the Kingdom of Luke, but isn't working with the real people in the real world.

And what good will $40 million dollars make if you still refuse to make any structural changes as you have not done in your first year and a half. Your crash and burn mentality when it comes to City employees and Labor Unions is getting us nowhere , as you continue to fund useless positions that only make you feel more secure as opposed to making the City more secure.

It is kind of sad though, some of Luke's ideas might be somewhat sound, but his delivery and communication skills are terrible and the rapidly growing mistrust is not going to help.

In the meantime, if you would like to be part of the Wildlife Safari Tour, mail your checks in today to be first in line. All deposits are non-refundable. In true Bronin style, the money will be spent before it is even received. Please make checks payable to "Bronin for Mayor 2019 Re-election Fund".

The last sentence of the flyer mentions "to win Donald Trump style" Do we have our own "mini-Trump" in the making?

WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM 5-15-17, OUR GUEST HPD UNION PRESIDENT

WHAT IS A CHAPTER 9 MUNICIPAL BANKRUPTCY?

For anyone that wants to take the time to read  it, the attached link lays out the steps required for a Federal Bankruptcy for a municipality.  http://www.jonesday.com/An-Overview-of-Chapter-9-of-the-Bankruptcy-Code-Municipal-Debt-Adjustments-08-15-2010/

It could be a bumpy road for Hartford.

IS MAYOR BRONIN ALSO BANKRUPT?

Mayor Luke Bronin appears to be bankrupt of any solutions or strategies to turn Hartford around. I am convinced that since he took office on day one, his only strategy was to move toward bankruptcy to bust Hartford's unions and balance the budget and clear a deficit on the backs of Hartford's employees.

I think he has partially succeeded since our Police and Fire Department are both on the verge of a major crisis. HPD is well over a hundred officers short and severely understaffed. Last Saturday alone the midnight shift had almost ten officers on overtime. That is close to half of the officers on duty at the time  (minimum staffing is apparently 21 officers). On Sunday, almost one quarter of the HPD officers were on overtime.

The previous weekend, the special events detail for the Circus at the XL Center and the Yard Goats game were understaffed by 14 officers, about half of the entire detail. How do you think that will float when public safety is an issue for people coming to the Dunkin Donuts Park because the Police are unable to staff the events?

HFD is in the same position facing upwards of 40 seasoned firefighters ready to bail before Jul;y 1st. 

Currently HPD may be facing an exodus of almost 40 officers eligible to leave and in addition, sources  within HPD have told me that anywhere from 20 to 40 officers are pursuing opportunities with other agencies  and towns and have requested information from the City as to their benefits if they were to leave.

In case Mayor Bronin is too busy campaigning for himself and others across the State to realize this, Hartford is about to face a huge Public Safety crisis. Actually, we are already in a crisis, it is only going to get worse, much worse , as the summer months approach.

 Luke is bankrupt on any solutions or leadership to get Hartford back on a sustainable footing and I think that has become clearly evident to anyone paying attention. His threats of bankruptcy for the City are most like a ploy to pressure the State into coughing up the needed funds to bail Hartford out. It would be disastrous to file for bankruptcy, as well as immoral, to file without  doing anything and everything possible to avoid it.

Take a moment and think back, what has Luke Bronin done to change the systemic problems in Hartford. Does the word "NOTHING" come to mind. Sure he laid off numerous low end, lower paid employees to bolster his argument to the Union's that they needed to make concessions and be part of the solution....or else! But at the same time he loaded up the opposite end of City staffing with numerous salaries approaching or over $100K a year.

His Youth job Corp might have been a good idea, but who knows, we will probably never see realistic numbers on that program

Bronin's tendency to blame the City's problems on its employees is not doing anything to build our City or its neighborhoods. If anything, just the opposite if we lose more dedicated and hardworking employees who feel their benefits and financial security are in imminent jeopardy.

If Luke thinks our Police Officers and Firefighter's are riding the City of Hartford gravy train, I would urge him to run down Franklin Avenue with one of those dedicated officers as some lunatic with a gun is firing back, after they just shot a couple people in broad daylight on a busy street. Maybe he could follow a couple police officers as they run into an occupied apartment building filled with thick black choking smoke as they try to rescue residents, ending up in the hospital themselves for their heroic efforts. That is what our overpaid public servants do, day in and day out Mayor Bronin.

Maybe, just Maybe Mayor, instead of playing the political games to advance your own career, you could come up with solutions to help the people that voted for you. Maybe it is time to roll up your sleeves to actually get to work, and not just as a gimmick when you saunter out to the podium at  your dog and pony shows. (It would be interesting to see who Luke's PAC just paid  $7,000 in direct mailings for in February)
 https://seec.ct.gov/eCrisReporting/Data/Attachment/Unassigned/SEEC20_April_10_Filing_49422.PDF

Why haven't we filed a lawsuit against the State of Connecticut to force them to pay their statutory requirements under PILOT. Paying only 35 or 40 percent of what they owe us is not right. Maybe everyone from Hartford should only pay 35% of their DMV registrations when they come due. Hey, it is only fair, if the State of Connecticut can do it, why shouldn't we?

And a PILOT lawsuit is a court filing that would do a lot more for the City of Hartford than the damage any bankruptcy ever would. And it might just force the State's hand instead of threatening them with bankruptcy.

SUSPECT ARRESTED IN FRONT STREET SHOOTOUT

Hartford Police officers were dispatched to 24 Front Street this morning on the report of shots fired.

Upon HPD's arrival, officers located a 2010 Ford Fusion with multiple bullet holes in it parked at the entrance to the Front Street parking garage. The victim detailed to officers that she had been involved in an argument with here "friends" boyfriend. The boyfriend removed a firearm from his waistband and fired 12 rounds at her vehicle. He apparently needs to spend more time at the range,  since only 7 of the 12 rounds actually struck the vehicle.

Based upon the victims information , the suspect was identified and HPD contacted him. The suspect and his girlfriend agreed to return to the scene where HPD conducted a felony motor vehicle stop and the suspect was placed under arrest.

The suspect, identified as Austin Treadwell, 28, of 20 Front Street, Apt 318 was arrested and charged with numerous charges, including carrying a pistol without a permit, unlawful discharge of a firearm, Reckless endangerment 1st degree, Weapons in a Motor vehicle, Criminal Possession of a high capacity magazine, Criminal Mischief 1st Degree.

Treadwell had apparently disposed of the weapon, a 40 caliber pistol in East Hartford before returning to the scene. The weapon was recovered through the efforts of HPD.

"WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM" HPD DEPUTY CHIEF FOLEY ON THE OPIOID CRISIS

MAYOR BRONIN "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH"

On April 5th I posted about false claims directed at me during a community meeting by Mayor Bronin. You can read that posting about the meeting here :http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2017/04/my-sympathies-to-mayor-bronin.html

Bronin claimed that I was being critical of his hiring of a new communications person, at the same time he had laid off lifeguards for Hartford's indoor pools. Bronin told the people in attendance that I was upset because I had applied for the communications position and he wouldn't hire me. In retrospect, it is probably a good thing I never applied because I would most definitely have quit by now.

As I had stated in the April 5th posting, Bronin had come into my hospital room at Mount Sinai Hospital where I was going through physical rehabilitation after a stroke in July of 2015. Bronin, who was running for Mayor at the time was trying to get my support for his campaign. I told him that I was already supporting retired Probate Judge Bob Killian and that wasn't going to change, Before leaving Bronin said that if I changed my mind, there would "be a spot for me" if he won. If I remember the conversation correctly, he asked me where "I could see myself" and I believe I said  "in Communication's".

That was the end of it for me, There was no application, no submitting a resume, NOTHING.

I think Bronin knew he was lying, as he had to have known I never applied for anything, but it was an attempt to discredit a critic of his in public. Typical politics.

Again to quote Mark Twain, "If you always tell the truth, you never need to remember the lies". Good advice for Mayor Bronin.

The truth is I never applied for anything with Bronin as evidenced by the FOI request below. The truth is Mayor Bronin "You can't handle the truth". And Luke,  you still have my sympathies for being in so far over your head.

My FOI request for the application Mayor Bronin claims I submitted:

And the response from City Hall receive today:

"No records were found", so who is telling the truth Mayor Bronin? That "transparency you campaigned on can be a double edge sword. Maybe it is  time for Mayor Bronin to take a trip to the Mark Twain House.