Do you remember in the not too distant past when the taxpayers of Connecticut bailed out the City of Hartford to prevent bankruptcy? That was supposed to be a fresh start for the City of Hartford to get itself back on a solid fiscal standing.
That fresh start never happened.
The Hartford City Council has been derelict in their performance and has probably done more to move Hartford toward bankruptcy than any possible solvency.
Along that path, the brain trust at the Hartford City Council decided they couldn't trust the Office of the Corporation Counsel, as provided by the Hartford City Charter.
Instead, the Council President and her minions (less 3 dissenting votes ) chose to hire an outside attorney at additional , unneeded, expense. The less three are Councilpersons Josh Michtom, Wildaliz Bermudez and John Gale who actually did not support the hiring. Michtom even goes so far as not taking his salary as a Councilman. Michtom';s real job is with the Connecticut Court system as a Public Defender and his ethical standards preclude him from taking the salary. Isn't that refreshing, ethics actually in play by an attorney.
Rather than rehash all of the details here are two of Rebecca Lurye's stories from the Hartford Courant, https://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-news-hartford-kennelly-council-advice-20210206-5tjngu67v5czjgzsimwwtvapvm-story.html , and here https://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-news-hartford-council-member-questions-attorney-hire-20210301-cvm6v6kc4vfrzbjzpcw2d2etzi-story.html
There are many troubling aspects of this hiring of Attorney John Kennelly not the least being the political stink of corruption which apparently Hartford's Democrats and Council President Maly Rosado can't smell. Kennelly currently sits on the First District Hartford Democratic Town Committee which is one of the first steps in the approval process for anyone wishing to move into Hartford's politics. Anyone opposing Kennelly and falling out of favor would most likely have a difficult time when it comes to re-election or nominations.The three votes opposing Kennelly's appointment are two Working Families Party members and the shunned Democrat who was forced to form his own party to run, John Gale. WFP members are seperate from Hartford Democratic Town Committee influence
I think one of the most troubling aspects of Kennelly's hiring is that Kennelly refused to provide requested information to Michtom and others on what Michtom felt might have been apparently questionable billing. Kennelly apparently refused to provide the information to Michtom claiming "attorney client privilege". Maybe it is time for a remedial course in law school for Mr. Kennelly. Isn't Council Michtom and any other Councilmember asking questions actually the "CLIENT".
What is Mr. Kennelly hiding and why can't he share information with the full City Council?
Something is dirty in Hartford City Hall and for once it is not emanating from the Office of Mayor Luke Bronin.
End the political corruption and hire a real attorney when the Hartford City Council needs advice. One without the blemishes and warts on their legal reputation.
I listened to an NPR interview the other day when Bronin was asked about it and he played dumb - in a completely unbelievable way - and added gratuitously that he didn't see the problem and the Council is entitled to hire an outside attorney. For what? Why not use Corporation Counsel? Or choose from one of the many ethical and competent attorneys in Hartford to choose from - but we hired the one who has been suspended for ethical lapses and then act like the people asking questions are crazy. Come on.
ReplyDeleteWhen everyone on the Council refuses to take a salary (not just Mitchum) and start actually doing the right thing, we might get out of our own way and stop the freefall we've been in for decades. If only.
Kennelly has gone around town claiming that he "owns" Maly,Shirley and Marilyn...and I gather the circumstances appear to be that he does. Shirley and Marilyn have politiced Maly to appoint John as Counsel and she did,though the dummy did not cover herself by giving anyone else work.She is even paying that drunk for work that an aide could do..which isn't even legal work.The media will be looking at the Counsel payments every so often as it should...
ReplyDeleteNobody has to worry about Hartford, or for that matter, the State of Connecticut
ReplyDeletegoing under.
The 1.9 TRILLION Covid relief package has BILLIONS that will go to bail out Connecticut
and other mismanaged Blue States.
RB is correct: Billions of dollars will go to bail out Connecticut indeed.
DeleteHere is what is going to happen immediately afterwards: The unions will demand more benefits and higher salaries.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteCorrupt or unethical Hartford City Council? Nooooo!
So exactly what liberal progressive democratic minority run city isn’t in the same situation, I’ll wait for an answer.
ReplyDeleteI have an idea. Let’s pay off that Yardgoats Park note. That would free up 4-$5 million a year to pay on a new 200 million ball park. After all the old one is already five years old. Cheeses.
ReplyDelete