HERE IS ONE FOR THE OVERSIGHT BOARD; THE BOTTOMLESS MONEY PIT AT THE BOE

I am not sure if the Hartford Board of Education has received the memo yet that the City of Hartford is broke.

I think the BOE, its members and the Superintendent might be under the impression that they are not accountable to the people of Hartford or its taxpayers. The reckless spending detailed in two of my previous posts are in the links below, but yet the reckless spending continues.
http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2017/12/memo-to-hartford-board-of-education-you.html
http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2017/12/memo-to-hartford-board-of-education-you.html

Another perfect example of the out of control spending is about to take place and the details and the origin are somewhat bizarre..

I was tipped off by a source to some crazy spending this week, and the spokesperson for the Hartford Schools confirmed the sources information. Several other sources with knowledge have also confirmed and provided more details for me.

Recently, Joseph Sikora , retired as the Director of Security  for the Hartford Schools. Sikora was a retired Lieutenant  from the Hartford Police Department before going over to HPS.I am not sure what the selection process was to replace Sikora. At least three sources familiar with the process told me that  BOE Chair Craig Stallings pushed for retired HPD Chief Daryl Roberts to  ascend to the position of Security Director for the Hartford Schools.

Apparently that choice was made without the approval of the Hartford Superintendent.

Some sort of rift has developed between Roberts and the Superintendent and the Hartford Schools have now created  a "cabinet position" under the Superintendent.

Although Roberts was apparently hired on Stallings urging as the "Director of Security", the new Cabinet position will be called the "Executive Director of Internal Investigations and Security".

Roberts salary will be  $107,458 per year plus benefits. The new "Executive Director" will be paid $135,000 per year plus benefits..

According to sources, the role of the Executive Director essentially will be to oversee Roberts and control his interactions with the Superintendent. This has been verified by the HPS spokesperson Zayas  who stated that Roberts will be reporting to the 'Executive Director"

The position of the Executive Director of Internal Investigations has already been filled by a retired Connecticut State Police Major, Alexander Rios.

Now by all accounts I have received from sources familiar with the BOE and Law Enforcement officials, Rios is more than competent to fill the position.

Alaexander Rios was last promoted from Lieutenant to Major with the Connecticut State Police after serving as a Trooper for over 20 years. Rios served as the commander of Troop C, Troop A and the Bureau of Professional Standards. Rios has also served in Troop H andf Troop K  and the Central District major Crimes Squad. Rios holds a B.S. degree and resides in Manchester.

Again, Rios appears to be competent for the position, but can we really be talking about closing schools over budget issues and then be creating "Executive Director" positions due to perceived personality conflicts?

HARTFORD POLICE CHIEF DAVID ROSADO AND ASSISTANT CHIEF RAPHAEL MEDINA ON "WE THE PEOPLE"

Below is our program from today where  Hyacinth and I spoke with Hartford's Police Chief David Rosado  and his newly appointed Assistant Chief Raphael (Ralph) Medina.

We talked about a variety of subjects including body cameras, staffing, recruitment. quality of life enforcement and more.

Chief Rosado has shown to be very approachable. if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to him or Chief Medina.

There  was a small glitch at the very beginning with still photos of a couple blighted properties, but the conversation starts immediately after that.

GREAT JOB BY HPD FOR QUALITY OF LIFE ENFORCEMENT IN HARTFORD

 On Sunday, April 22, 2018, a city wide Multi-Jurisdictional A.T.V. (All-Terrain Vehicle) operation was conducted and led by the Hartford Police Traffic Division. The operation included Traffic Division personnel, Community Service Officers, Auto Theft Detectives, C-4 Division, and the V.I.N. Division.

Surrounding agencies also assisted, including members of the Wethersfield Police Department, Newington Police Department and the Connecticut State Police.  The collaborative effort led to the arrest of the listed (10) ten individuals for various charges. Officers seized (14) fourteen all-terrain vehicles, which included a mix of both Dirt Bikes and Quads.

Officers also seized a U-Haul van and Dodge pick-up truck that were used to transport the A.T.V's, and Marijuana.  Nine out of the Ten arrested individuals are non Hartford residents.

Seized items are listed below:

(14) Fourteen all-terrain vehicles, including a mix of dirt bikes and Quads. Seized: One UHAUL Dodge van, (Arizona AH51782) containing three dirt bikes and one scooter. Seized: One 2005 Dodge Ram Pickup truck (Rhode Island 123303) containing two dirt bikes. Recovered: Several bags of Marijuana recovered from arrested individuals.

Arrested were:


1. Devin De La Cruz  (D.O.B. 4/22/98) 49 Star Street Pawtucket RI - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance     22-120, Disorderly Conduct, and Interfering with Police.
2. Andy Flores (D.O.B. 6/21/97) 57 Salmon Street Providence RI - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance     22-120.
3. Ramon Pavel (D.O.B. 10/17/89) 51 Hyat Street Providence RI -  Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120
4. Victor Felix (D.O.B. 1/24/93) 76 Dart Street Hartford CT -  Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120, Disorderly Conduct and Interfering with Police.
5. Jeremy Crespo (D.O.B. 10/14/94) 659 High Street Holyoke MA - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance     22-120, Possession of Marijuana and Interfering with Police.
6. Joshua Guzman (D.O.B. 7/10/93) 1 Gresham Street Springfield MA -  Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120 and Possession of Marijuana.
7. Alan Cerdena (D.O.B. 9/1/88) 18 Warrenton Street Springfield MA -  Operation Prohibited City Ordnance     22-120 and Possession of Marijuana.
8. Isiah Torres (D.O.B. 10/22/99) 174 Rosemary Drive Springfield MA - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120 and Possession of Marijuana.
9. Gian Irizarry (D.O.B. 5/5/98) N.C.A. New Britain CT - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120 and Possession of Marijuana.
10. Juvenile - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120  Arrested Juvenile:  Tyler Street Springfield MA - Operation Prohibited City Ordnance 22-120.

All of the offenders, except one, were from out of state.

A great job by HPD and all agencies involved. Hopefully this will be  a regular occurrence until the message gets out.

NO TRACTION FOR SLIPPERY LUKE

Slippery Luke gives up

In a move today that was not a surprise for many, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin abandoned his "exploratory" bid for Governor.

Bronin's sense of arrogance and political entitlement apparently collided today with reality, forcing Bronin to give up his run. Many observers, myself included, often wondered what Bronin's track record as Mayor was that made him feel he was competent enough to run for Governor. Bronin's two years in office as Hartford's  Mayor have not yielded much as far as vision for the City of Hartford's future.

A State engineered bailout of Hartford's crippled finances was largely orchestrated by Bronin's previous employer ,Governor Malloy, and the Connecticut Legislature. Although the bailout provides a short term fix for Hartford's finances, there has been very little, lasting structural change for City government.. Bronin was successful though in painting Hartford's Labor Unions as the major part of the problem in what many saw as a "union busting" effort as soon as he took office. Probably not the brightest move for someone considering a run for Statewide office, where Union support is critical for success.

 Bronin also showed that his word was less than honorable to the people of Hartford. Bronin had promised during the Mayoral campaign that he would complete his full four year term if he was elected, a promise that he quickly opted to break when he announced his  intent to run for Governor. Nopw that he decided to drop out of the Governor's race, his guilty conscience has apparently forced him to reconsider his Mayoral campaign promises.  According to a statement issued by the Bronin campaign,   "as I’ve considered the road ahead, I’ve kept my commitment to Hartford at the forefront of my mind.  After thinking hard and wrestling with this decision, I have decided to end my exploratory committee and stay focused on my work as Mayor.".

At least until another political opportunity for advancement comes along.
  
And for anyone keeping track, Bronin's Administration has had more turnover in staff than a Trump Whitehouse.

The Bronin campaign for Governor never seemed to gain much traction  statewide, and more importantly even less in Hartford. A major upset came a couple weeks ago when one of Bronin's contenders , Ned Lamont, received the endorsement of Connecticut's current Attorney General George Jepsen.

According to a source familiar with the Bronin campaign, a large amount of the campaign funds raised by Bronin were paid to the firm of another former Malloy insider, Global Strategies and Roy Occhiogrosso. A payment of $66,000 was listed on Bronin's recent campaign filings for "polling". According to the source, those polls showed Bronin running a fourth place finish to other Democratic candidates vying for the Governor's seat, behind Susan Bysiewicz, Ned Lamont, Joe Ganim and Jonathan Harris.

Although Bronin's "exit strategy" claimed that he made the decision to be able to focus on the needs of Hartford and devoting his time to be Mayor of Hartford, it seems like a convenient excuse for his sudden exit. The needs of the City of Hartford seemed to take a back seat recently as Bronin bounced across the State  attempting to garner support for his ultimately failed bid.

Here are the most recent financial  filings for Bronin's campaign.https://seec.ct.gov/eCrisReporting/Data/Attachment/Unassigned/SEEC30_April_10_Filing_55261.PDF

Here is the Bronin campaign's statement on his demise:

BRONIN DECIDES TO STAY FOCUSED ON WORK AS HARTFORD MAYOR

Says, "We’re making progress in our City every single day, and I’m excited to keep working to make a better future for Hartford a reality."

(HARTFORD, CT) – Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin today announced that he will continue serving as Hartford Mayor and will not enter the 2018 Governor’s race.  

“After four months spending evenings and weekends on the road all across our state, I’m confident that there is a path ahead in this primary and in this general election for our campaign.  We’ve gained strong support from delegates heading into the convention.  And thanks to thousands of supporters, we’ve raised enough money to be confident of reaching the threshold for public financing under the Citizens Election Program.  

“But as I’ve considered the road ahead, I’ve kept my commitment to Hartford at the forefront of my mind.  After thinking hard and wrestling with this decision, I have decided to end my exploratory committee and stay focused on my work as Mayor.  

“While our State may be at a critical moment, our city is, too.  Last fall, we were able to build new partnership with the State of Connecticut — marrying new financial assistance with long-term accountability.  I believe deeply that agreement was the right and responsible path, not just for Hartford but for Connecticut.  As legislators and others threaten to undo that work, I want to be able to make the case for maintaining that new partnership without regard for politics.  I want to fight as hard for Hartford in the coming months as I have over the past two years.  

“I also don’t want my status in this race to be a reason for people to condemn or politicize the agreement we reached with the State.  I don’t want anyone to undermine our City as a way of getting at me, and I cannot let Hartford’s future become the casualty of a political fight.  

“I want to thank the many people who supported my campaign, and the many Hartford residents who asked me to stay and continue the good and tough work we’re doing in our City.  We’re making progress in our City every single day, and I’m excited to keep working to make a better future for Hartford a reality.”

DPW EMPLOYEE ARRESTED ON THEFT CHARGES

Hartford City Employee Tyler Walker

During the month of March 2018, City of Hartford Department of Public Works Supervisors requested assistance from the Hartford Police Department Intelligence Division/C4 with a possible theft of city fuel by a Public Works employee. The employee, identified as Tyler Walker, had filled up a city owned portable refueling truck with close to 100 gallons of city gas on several occasions. The purpose of this vehicle is to refuel city vehicles in the field, but the amount drawn from the city pumps was inconsistent with current refueling needs. DPW supervisors who track fuel amounts noticed this issue, suspected possible theft, and brought it to HPD.

The city refueling truck (Truck #115) is equipped an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and a retroactive search of the AVL data throughout March showed that it made several out of town trips and several trips to the secluded city owned rail lot behind the Xfinity Amphitheater on New Rd. The HPD Intelligence Division deployed a covert portable security camera in the area of the rail lot. On the night of March 31st the refueling truck was seen meeting up with a tractor trailer and appeared to refuel the privately owned (non-city) vehicle.

An operation was planned for the night of Tuesday April 3, 2018. HPD Detectives observed Walker towards the start of his shift (3pm-11pm) filling the refueling truck to capacity at the city gas pumps. Several hours later Walker was observed, through surveillance, traveling to East Hartford where he pulled into a garage bay at 91 Charles Street. Detectives then saw the refueling truck pull out of the garage and begin to refuel a privately owned flatbed (Gardner Transportation). A take down ensued and Walker, along with two co-conspirators, were safely taken into custody. DPW Supervisor were notified and responded. During a debrief of the accused suspects at 50 Jennings Road, Walker admitted to selling the gas at a price of $150.00 for 100 Gallons and stated he had done it "several" times since February at  several locations (East Hartford, and the Rail lot), all for personal profit. Walker and his co-conspirators were all arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the Second Degree (Defrauding a Public Community), a Class C Felony.

The refueling truck was returned to 40 Jennings Road and the Gardner Transportation flatbed truck was towed incidental to the arrest.

Future arrest warrants pending for previous thefts and transactions.

“This morning we fired a of City of Hartford, Department of Public Works employee for theft of city property. While this is unfortunate, I am proud of our DPW supervision for using established protocols and quickly noticing the fuel deficit. Our DPW supervisors contacted HPD immediately and assisted as needed in the investigation. Thankfully we’ve established asset protection on many levels through the use of technology. With our strong partnership with HPD, we were able to seamlessly share that technology to assist HPD C4 detectives. “ Chief Reginald Freeman (Acting Director of DPW)