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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

CPR FOR THE GOP IN HARTFORD






For over thirty years the Republican Party in Hartford has been in a steady decline. The same leadership that has been controlling the destiny of the GOP and the membership of the Republican Town Committee for decades, continues to try to maintain it's stranglehold on it's less than 1900 registered Republican voters left in Hartford,down from a high of almost 30,000, resisting change every step of the way.

Last year's Mayoral run by J. Stan McCauley marked the first time in recent history that a Republican running for mayor was taken seriously in Hartford. Unfortunately, McCauley didn't seem to receive the support and encouragement from the Hartford RTC that one would expect from such an articulate, thoughtful candidate. McCauley was not afraid to raise issues that others , including local Republicans, dare not speak about such as corruption charges against Mayor Perez, fiscally irresponsible spending, Hartford's underground economy, better known as the drug trade, underachieving school system a tax structure that is killing small businesses across the City.

Luckily, the leadership of Connecticut Republican State Central Committee as well as the House Republican's see a quality of leadership in McCauley that the Hartford Town Committee (Jurassic Park Republicans stuck in their dinosaur ways) have failed to embrace. Through the encouragement of State Central and the House Republicans, Mr. McCauley is running for State Representative in the 4th District against Perez puppet Kelvin Roldan. For the Republican Party to survive and begin growing again in Hartford, we need to realize that our new base of voters lies in the minority communities and neighborhoods which make up the City of Hartford. Demographics change, times change and people change. If we as Republicans in Hartford are not willing to change, we will quickly come to the end of the road at which lies our irrelevance as a viable party in Hartford.

A key area to effect change in the voting numbers is through the Registrar of Voters position. Although essentially a non-partisan position, the Republican Registrar of Voters should be playing an instrumental role in motivating and educating potential voters to get them to vote, and hopefully educate voters as to what the Republican party stands for. For far too long, the Republican Registrar of Voters office has been the epitomy of patronage and cronyism and represents everything that is wrong with politics.The "good old boy network" at its best, or worst depending how you look at it. An office that has steadily and strongly resisted any change, and only got rid of its typewriters four years ago when a new Democratic Registrar insisted on computers. A Republican Registrar that told me to "get the f*** out of his office" when I suggested it might be a good idea to attend a candidates forum and try to register voters. His response before he told me to get out was why bother trying, no one registers Republican anyway. The same Republican Registrars office that couldn't even seal voting machines on time for a recent Primary, even though the Secretary of State's Ofiice provided a detailed calendar. The same Republican Registrar of Voters who just lost the funding for the Assistant Registrars position because he failed to fill a position for almost 6 months while it was empty and has now filled it, only to find the funding was cut by a hiring freeze and the new political crony will only have a job until July 1st. Also a political hiring without any job posting, advertisement of the position to find the most qualified candidate, interviews, nothing. More business as usual in the Republican Registrars Office. After watching this for the last few years, watching the incompetence, and watching the party that I enrolled in the first day I was eligible to vote, continue its downward spiral toward irrelevance, I decided to run for Republican Registrar of voters in Hartford. As myself, McCauley and others who believe that the Republican Party in Hartford can grow and be influential again, we are meeting and talking to many voters who have no idea what the GOP stands for, and as we talk about the party, people are actually willing to register and be part of the Republican Party.

No, you don't need to be a Democrat just because it's Hartford. Change isn't always easy, but in this case it is long overdue. Some of Hartford's greatest moments came under Republican leadership, and myself and J. Stan McCauley and the other "Independent Republicans" of Hartford look forward to your support to build the GOP in Hartford once again and be a part of the team working to bring about change. For more information, please feel free to watch the "Independent Republican" program Sunday's at 10:00PM on Hartford Public Access Channel 5.

WILL DARRYL SURVIVE THE MAYOR'S AX ?


Well, anyone who has followed the illustrious career of our lovable mayor, definitely knows he doesn't deal well with dissent. I could type the names all night of those who have not shared the Mayor's opinion and have suffered his wrath. John Kennelly, who conveniently walked into a mugging and was sent a clear message how differing opinions are viewed, Hyacinth Yennie who didn't agree with Perez's actions and didn't support him for Mayor last year and was "squashed like a bug" at the Mayor's request according to an inside source close to Perez. And lets not forget how he treated Angel Arce, a political rival that Perez removed from the Housing Authority and who he now has the audacity to wrap his arm around him at the Park Street dog and pony show. Does our Mayor forget that he is the one who has played politics with our Police Department and created the environment of lawlessness that is eroding our community day by day and leads to acts such as the savage beating of Nick Carbone and the callous images replaying in all of our minds of a senior citizen struck like a dog in the street, left paralyzed and for all intents and purposes left to die. I find it shameful that Perez has the nerve to stand shoulder to shoulder with Angel and act as though he now cares.


And now lets add another name to the dissentor's list who will surely suffer King Eddie's wrath: Darryl K. Roberts. Over a year ago, myself and J. Stan McCauley met with Chief Robert's as Stan campaigned for Mayor. During that meeting I stated that the Chief was well respected in the community, but not doing any favors to his reputation by reading from the Perez script and standing by and saying "crime really is down in Hartford". About a month ago, during another theater of the bizarre press conference organized by the media wizard Sara Barr, Queen of Spin, (or so she thinks) Chief Roberts went off script and essentially stated in front of the media that despite the best efforts of HPD, violent crime was continuing to rise. What were you thinking Chief ? How dare you tell the truth and be honest with the people of Hartford. We knew then the ax was being sharpened and was being readied for the demise of someone who would dare tell the truth and go against King Eddie the First. While Chief Roberts was being fitted for his muzzle from the Mayor's Office, he again went against the script from El Jefe at the Budget Hearings. While Eddie keeps spouting numbers of new Police Officer's he has hired, many who can add think the Police Department should be close to 700 officers, the 80 he promised during election time, 50 more this year, 30 here, 30 there. Chief Roberts actually had the audacity to testify with integrity and honesty before the hearing that when all is said and done, he will most likely see a net gain of 6, YES ,SIX new officers total !!! After the first show of honesty in defiance of the Mayor, our sources at City Hall in the Mayor's Office said Perez returned furious that the Chief would speak honestly. Then the budget hearings and finally the statement that "we have lost our moral compass". Has the Chief not been reading the City Hall Handbook that requires all department heads to blindly follow, that Eddie is always right and if you have any questions refer back to rule number one, Eddie is always right. Dissentors will be dealt with accordingly. I hear the Chief's phone was burning up with calls from Matt, Sara and Eddie, letting him know the muzzle was ready and he would not speak without their permission. This was clearly obvious in last weeks press conference when the Chief stood by silently until asked a question by Dan Goren from the Courant, and today he stood silently, not a word spoken, during the entire dog and pony show on the steps of City Hall.


Although King Eddie shows that he does not think a lot of his moves out first, and has some of the worst advisors surrounding him, I would like to offer a bit of advice. On your desk phone, hit 9, get an outside line and dial 632-3410, ask for Jeremey Shingleton, he's the First Selectman of Cromwell. He can tell you first hand what a nightmare it can be when you try to remove a very, very popular and well respected Police Chief. You could probably also ask John Rose about the statutes protecting a Police Chief from removal, but do yourself a favor and get a second opinion, John's rulings aren't always the best.

TRANSPARENCY IN HARTFORD ?


We keep hearing that Hartford City Hall wants to be open and transparent, yet actions seem to speak louder than words. After deciding to produce a program on Hartford Public Access Television titled "We the People", I've found that I apparently have a different definition of "transparent" than our city officials.
After attempting to view documents in conjunction with information received from a source at City Hall for a program, I was inadvertently sent an e-mail from Hartford Corporation Counsel John Rose calling me an "asshole". It has been an uphill battle to get information from our "transparent" Mayor ever since. As recently as last week I attempted to be added to the e-mail list of notifications for press conferences and press releases from the Mayor's Office. The Mayor's Press spokesperson Sara Barr, who landed at City Hall after she was jettisoned from WFSB, CBS Channel 3, is obviously in bunker mentality and has refused to add me to the list. Each time I ask her about it, she replies "I'm working on it". Today at a press conference I attempted to ask the Mayor a question, and he replied "No....no, I'm not talking to you". I guess transparency only applies if you are one of the puppets willing to blindly follow the Perez Express.
In the picture above, Mayor Eddie sings at a Holiday event, while others in City Hall and across the City are busy singing to the Grand Jury investigating Perez and his alleged corrupt activites.

More to come, but it's Red Sox time now.