Search This Blog

Friday, September 11, 2009

CLUB MANSION TO RE-OPEN THURSDAY....SORT OF

After being shut down for repeated problems inside the club, the mansion will reopen Thursday as "Club Entourage". The press release from the Department of Consumer Protection is below and outlines the changes that will be made before opening:

Suspension To Be Lifted On Closed Hartford Nightclub

Entourage will Replace The Mansion


HARTFORD, September 11th -- The Department of Consumer Protection and the owners of The Mansion, a Hartford night club, met several times over the summer months to address the safety and security of the club following a shooting on the dance floor of the club earlier this summer. A signed written agreement issued today by Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr., which outlines public safety improvements, led to the lifting of the summary suspension of its liquor permit. The lifting of the suspension will be effective September 17, 2009. With their signature, the operators of the former Mansion nightclub agree to numerous terms and conditions including the following:



The name of the club will be changed to Entourage; the club will feature a Top 40 theme and will enter into a partnership with radio station KISS 95.7 fm.


For the first four weeks that Entourage is open, the club operators will pay for overtime hiring of two (2) Hartford Police officers at all times that the business is open. After four weeks, the issue will be reviewed by the Hartford Chief of Police to continue, modify or end the added police detail.


A dress code for entrance will be enforced, barring loose clothing, any clothing with gang insignias, and other clothing considered inappropriate by the security staff in light of the new theme.


Wide-angle surveillance cameras will be maintained throughout the premises, sending images to a digital video recorder with extended memory. Both entrances will be well-lit.


The entrance located at 191 Ann Street shall be open only to persons twenty-one (21) years of age or older; when juice bar events are held, patrons 18 years of age or older will use the entrance located at 183 Ann Street, and the club will take measures to ensure that underage patrons do not walk through or remain in an area where alcohol is served.


Specially trained and identifiable security personnel will be posted at both entrances during all times the club is open. All current and prospective club employees will undergo criminal background checks.


All club employees, promoters, consultants, and managers will cooperate with local police and fire officials regarding any lawful request or demand, and any non-cooperation will result in that person’s immediate termination and barring from the club.



The club’s liquor permit was suspended on June 12, 2009 following a review of Hartford Police reports detailing a shooting on the dance floor of the club a few nights earlier. Since the suspension, the Department of Consumer Protection, the Hartford Police Department, and the Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office have been meeting with the owners and permittee of The Mansion on a regular basis, developing a security enhancement plan designed to better protect the patrons and employees of the club, as well as provide increased safety and security for the neighborhood.



“I am grateful for the valuable input and advice we received from both the Hartford Police and Fire Marshal’s Office, together with the willingness of the owners of The Mansion, in crafting this agreement which leads me to lift the suspension,” Farrell said. “However, actions speak louder than words, and we will ensure that the terms of the agreement are followed.”



-end-

DAN CAREY PASSES, A TRUE LOSS FOR HARTFORD



I received the first call a little after 9:00am today informing me that Dan Carey was found dead in his home. I was in utter disbelief and had the feeling of helplessness as I felt nauseous.

I first met Dan Carey during the Mayor Mike years as I was one of the founders of Mayor Mike's Companies for Kids. Through the "Irish" circle of friends I found a group of people that were always ready to step up and make Hartford a better place. The Jim Donnelley's, the Bill Hogan's, and the Dan Carey's of our city. Dan was always instrumental in stepping up and doing his part to help make Mayor Mike's "Mayor's Trophy Golf Tournament" a huge success. He also loved his involvement in the "Sister's City" program with New Ross,County Wexford, Ireland and the picture above shows his pride as he was named Irish person of the year for 2009. Dan was always someone that was more than willing to help, but less than willing to be in the limelight. I think he was very content keeping a low profile in both his community efforts as well as running an extremely well organized operation in the Clerk's Office at City Hall. Dan would have no hesitation coming out from his office and from behind the counter in the Clerk's Office to help someone navigate the bureaucracy of City Hall. Whether he knew you or not, whether Republican or Democrat, Dan took his position as a public servant seriously. I know we always talk about people kindly after they pass, but with Dan, his Irish charm always shone through. Before many Council meetings Dan would find me in the hallway and quietly say "take it easy on them tonight" or during one of my rants before the Council give me a subtle wink of support.

Although Dan had a lot of great attributes, the two major ones that cemented my view of him were his love of Ireland and his over the top support of the Boston Red Sox. Any guy with those two charms is ok in my eyes, everything else was just icing on the cake. Dan was a true Red Sox fanatic and anyone that ever spent any time with him or walked into his office at City Hall would be well aware of that.

Dan, the City of Hartford and City Hall won't be the same without you. Your absence at Council meetings will be strongly felt. Say hello to our buddy Mayor Mike and may your Irish eyes continue to shine down on our city. Thanks for a job well done.

AN IRISH PRAYER
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again, May God hold
you in the hollow of his hand

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE- POINTS FOR HPD


I spoke to someone over the weekend who had parked downtown, only to return to their car and find what appeared to be a parking ticket on the windshield. They were pleasently surprised when they went to read the ticket though. The bright "ticket" appeared to be the old style orange front tickets issued by the city before the switch to computerized tickets. After the ticket was removed and crumpled in the drivers clenched fist, they finally read the back. They were pleased to find that the "ticket" was actually a warning from the Hartford Police Department that they had left items in plain sight in their car. Items that are attractive to thieves breaking into cars downtown and across the city. The warnings are disguised as parking tickets so as not to tip off the would be thieves which vehicles to hit. And before someone jumps on me for giving away some top secret tip, I doubt I have more than a few car thieves reading my blog. Although I'm sure criminals do read my blog, from what I understand they are more of the white collar, political type.

It is good to see HPD being creative and proactive. Maybe someone responsible for this should get an "ESI" bonus

The front and back of the "warning" are below:

HPD Warning

WHO IS PAYING FOR THE MAYOR'S ATTORNEY?

I mean the Mayor's defense attorney for his criminal arrests. We already know who is paying for John Rose, the man who thinks he is the "Mayor's Attorney". But I'll try to focus on real attorneys here, not John Rose.

The question keeps coming up as to whether the City of Hartford and its taxpayers are paying for an attorney to keep Eddie out of prison. I requested verification of this question through Sarah Barr, the Mayor's Media Mouthpiece, I mean spokesperson. She did not respond to me, rather I received an e-mail from Carl Nasto, Hartford's Deputy Corporation Counsel. The ambiguous e-mail really didn't answer any questions, other than we may be "obliged" to pay for Perez's attorney to avoid his pending reservation at the Graybar Hotel. I'll keep asking the question until I get a definite answer.

Here is the e-mail response from Nasto:

Request for Information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Nasto, Carl R."
To: krbrookman@earthlink.net
Subject: Request for Information
Date: Sep 4, 2009 4:59 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin: In response to your request for information to Sarah Barr earlier today, I can provide the following. To date, no City of Hartford funds have been spent on the criminal defense of Mayor Perez. I cannot at this time anticipate whether funds will be spent for such defense. The City may be obliged under law to pay for the Mayor’s defense.



-Carl

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING...EXCEPT IN HARTFORD

Athe August 10, 2009 Hartford City Council meeting, one of the things I spoke about was the poor condition of many area the City is supposed to maintain. One of the most highly visible spots is the traffic circle at Pulaski Circle. I posted the slide show to the right here and also called Hartford's solution to everything, "311". I figured after bringing the matter to the attention of the City Council, action would be swift. I guess I gave them too much credit.

Today, an event was held at the XL Center to a sold out crowd of 19,000 people. People from throughout the state and beyond attended as well as speakers such as Barbara Bush, Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Montana and others. For many of them the "Welcome to Hartford" sign was a planter overgrown with 5 foot high weeds, a planter not maintained at all this year. For many of these visitors it may have been their first visit to Hartford, for others it may have just reinforced the image that Hartford's leaders just don't care. And maybe for Rudy Giuliani, it may have reminded him of what a city at its lowest point looks like before real leadership takes control and turns things around as he did in New York City. For a city whose Police Department was able to put out media alerts and advise commuters of the potential gridlock and did a great job handling traffic, probably double that of a normal rush hour, wouldn't you think someone could have the foresight to get the weeds pulled? Not only Pulaski Circle though, even the new Gateway that was built as part of the streetscape for the reconstruction of Trumbull Street was also overgrown with weeds. I guess we are seeing the results of what happens when our Mayor lays off the Public works laborers so that his cronies can get their bonuses.

How many Public Works laborers could Eddie hire back with the $300,000 plus he gave out to his buddies in bonuses? Probably enough to get some weeds pulled. Like they say, first impressions are lasting. What do you think many thought as they saw the poor condition of our city?

To give you a better idea of what the view looks like, watch the video below:

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

NO TIME FOR GOVERNING AGAIN THIS WEEK

Well, Monday was a holiday for the City. Tuesday the Mayor is in Hartford Superior Court on his latest round of felony charges. Now, after his appearance this morning, the case has been bound over to Superior Court Part A, which handles the more serious charges. That has resulted in another court appearance for Perez being scheduled for Friday in Superior Court.

Does anyone think that we are getting the full benefit of our elected CEO, Mayor Eddie A. Perez this week? And does anyone feel confident that his "acting" Chief of Staff Susan McMullen is at the helm during his absences?