Search This Blog

Friday, September 18, 2015

AN OPEN MESSAGE TO MAYOR SEGARRA

I know for a fact Pedro Segarra and his staff are regular readers of this blog. So let me give this a shot.

Pedro, you as well as most. know very well I am not a fan of yours. I have told you from the very start I have been disappointed with you . So many people , including myself, were praying or the conviction  of your predecessor, just to usher in a new era of change. Well, as the old saying goes, you don't always get what  you wish for.. We gave you a few years to try, Admittedly under very trying circumstances to you, but that is what leadership is about, rising to the challenge when needed.

Hopefully you are sitting down right now, but I want to thank you for your efforts. On behalf of myself an many others in Hartford, thank you for stepping in under difficult circumstances when the City of Hartford needed someone different to serve.

As I said to you the day you and I met in your office, along with Dave Panagore, right after you took office, one of the basic rules of management is that as a leader , you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Pedro if you are being honest, you would have to admit you made some terrible choices in that respect.

I won't rehash everything, but many of your pitfalls were pointed out here on this very blog and I would have gladly worked with you on many of these issues to avoid the embarrassment and damage to our City. No one person can claim exclusive love for this city and its people and I would have been more than willing to work with you to move this City forward, but you made the choice not to. Again, as they say hindsight is 20/20 vision. Maybe knowing what we know today, things might have been different.

Let me get to my point. You had your shot at leadership and you fell short. This is not just my opinion, but an opinion shared by more than 55% of Hartford's voters. Now is not the time to draw this out. I understand you have been through a difficult contest, I also understand you need time to regroup and consider your future.

When considering your future, please also consider the future of the City and the people you say you love. Remember the city you claim gave you your future 41 years ago. Now please don't hold that same City back. This is not about your ego or your political future. Make your decision for the right reasons. Allow Hartford to move forward or the right reasons. Allow the voices of Hartford's voters to be heard. Allow the choice of the people, Luke Bronin an his Council slate, to take the reins of leadership and mold the future of Hartford.

Not to be blunt, but you had five years to prove yourself and you fell short . Now give Bronin his shot and see what he can accomplish. I will give you my promise here, Pedro. If he doesn't do it, I will be very vocal about it. I held you accountable and I will do the same thing to a Bronin Administration if they fall short. I will also make the same offer to Luke Bronin that I made to you, I am willing to give my heart and soul to see this City succeed and see my neighbors and friends here thrive .

Take your needed rest and please decide to end the divisiveness now. Unify behind the people's choice to lead the City, and lets get started now to  move the City that all three of us, you, Luke and myself , along with thousands of others love and car about.

Please rise to the occasion and show us the real Pedro Segarra. Make the right decision and please step aside  with grace and dignity.

Thank you again for your service to our City and thank you to Charlie  for his support of your service.

OPTIMISM FOR HARTFORD'S FUTURE

The following is an e-mail I received today from  Luke Bronin and the Bronin campaign, I was not asked to post it here, but I am so that we can all understand and accept this opportunity to move Hartford forward. Luke may not have been your candidate, and I can respect that, but as the results showed , he was the choice of the majority of those that voted Wednesday. Rather than continue to complain, we need to rally behind Luke and we all need to bring all that we have to offer to the table to make the City we love great once again

I have always said that Hartford's greatest resource and strength is its residents. We don't need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on consultants. We need to utilize our free resources, and that's our residents The Hartford style of divisive politics only benefits certain specific recipients. We now need leadership that is able to pull it together to benefit everyone. I think Luke Bronin along with his Council slate have the potential to show us what we have really been lacking for years, and that is LEADERSHIP and VISION.

Get involved, start working with your are NRZ. Apply to serve on a Board or Commission for something you are passionate about. Become a Hartford cheerleader, Make a difference.

I will repeat here what I said to Luke and his new Council members Wednesday night at the Polish home, "The voters of Hartford have shown tremendous confidence in you today, as well as their desire for change, now you have to do something with it"

The time is now to begin the new direction for our City.



We did it! 
 
This week, Hartford Democrats voted decisively for change.
  
You voted for a City Hall that works for all of Hartford.
 
You voted for the team that is determined to tackle our tough problems head-on and work every day to make our city stronger.
 
We could not have done it without the help of every single one of you.
 
To those of you who knocked on doors and made phone calls, to those who contributed to our campaign, to the thousands of you who voted yesterday -- thank you.
  
This race is not over yet, and we still have plenty of hard campaigning left to do.  But I wanted to pause and thank you for helping us get to this point.  I am deeply grateful.
 
This campaign is about getting Hartford working again, and your support has gotten us one giant step closer.
 
Thank you!
Luke

HARTFORD HOMICIDE #26

On Thursday, September 17, 2015, at approximately 2152 hours, the Hartford Police Communications Center received a 911 report of a person stabbed and bleeding at 69 James Street inside apartment 103. On arrival, police located two persons bleeding and suffering from stab wounds to their upper torso, head and neck area. Both persons were transported to Saint Francis Emergency Room via ambulance. One of the persons was pronounced deceased at 2235 hours by the attending physician in the emergency room. The other person was being treated for non-life threatening injuries to his head and neck area. A crime scene was immediately identified and secured by patrol officers. Major Crimes detectives and Crime Scene detectives responded and assumed the investigation. The investigation is very active and progressing at this time.

No other information is available from HPD at this time

ADDITIONAL INFO FROM HPD

On September 17, 2015 at approximately 9:52pm Hartford Police Department Patrol Officers were dispatched to 69 James St. on a 911 report of 2 people bleeding due to a fight. Upon arrival Patrol Officers found the victim, a 55yo male from New Britain, suffering from a severe stab wound to his arm. He was provided first aid as EMS personnel transported him to St. Francis. At 1035pm the victim was pronounced Deceased.

 

In the same apartment, HPD Patrol Officers also located a 67yo male from Hartford, bleeding from the head. He was transported to St. Francis, treated non-life-threatening injury, and released into police custody.

 

Initial investigation is indicating that:

The 55 yo Victim is the nephew of the 67yo Suspect (uncle). The two live together at 69 James St. This entire incident occurred within their apartment. Allegedly, the two had been consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Both engaged in an argument that soon became physical. At some point, the suspect severely stabbed victim in the arm with a kitchen knife. The victim then was able to gain control of the knife and stab suspect. A witness then called police.

 

The Hartford Police Major Crimes Division is investigating. An arrest is likely to occur today.

Monday, September 14, 2015

MORE SEGARRA QUESTIONS: ZONING VIOLATIONS OR VOTER FRAUD?

SEGARRA TO CONSTITUENTS: DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO

This past weekend, a commenter on the blog questioned donations made by at least two persons listed on the Segarra campaign filings submitted last week. The two donors listed their address as 760 Prospect Street, but neither appears to be related to Pedro Segarra. Now, after checking more data, it appears that 760 Prospect Avenue, Segarra's home, is a very busy address. According t sources, an absentee ballot has also been submitted for an individual not related to Segarra but claiming to reside at Segarra's home.
The two donors claiming to use Segarra's home address, apparently are  Teofilio Ortiz and Delio Rodriguez. According to sources,  neither Ortiz or Rodriguez are registered to vote in Hartford.


SCREEN SHOTS OF DONATION LISTINGS FROM SEGARRA CAMPAIGN FILINGS
According to records on file with Harford's City Clerk, another individual Stephen G. Sullivan lists his address on his absentee ballot as 760 Prospect Avenue, the Segarra homestead.
LINE LISTING FROM HARTFORD CITY CLERK ABSENTEE BALLOT REPORT SHOWING STEPHEN SULLIVAN BALLOT
 The use of Segarra' home address by these people claiming to live there, at the very least appears to be a violation of relevant zoning regulations,  according to one attorney familiar with Hartford's Zoning laws. This would be interesting if Segarra is breaking the same laws that he has taken a group of Hartford residents to Federal Court to enforce.

The group, known as the Scarborough 11, is in a legal battle with Segarra's Administration at this present time.To read more about the Scarborough 11, click here http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-scarborough-zoning-0326-20150325-story.html

  Assuming any of these people actually live at Pedro’s house and are not related by blood or marriage, that means Pedro is almost certainly violating the same regs that the Scarborough 7 have violated:

Here is the legal analysis -  Pedro’s House is in the R-8 zone, the strictest zone in the City.   

Section 182:  1 Dwelling Unit Per Lot - meaning you CANNOT have a separate rental apartment.  So, none of these people can be renters. 

— Section 2:  “Dwelling unit means a room or suite of rooms designed for living, cooking and eating, and sleeping, with a bathroom and a separate means of egress, and a kitchen for use by a family.” - meaning, 1 dwelling unit = 1 family.   

— Section 2:  "Family means, one (1) person; a group of two (2) or more persons living together and interrelated by consanguinity, marriage, civil union, custodianship, guardianship, or legal adoption; or a group of not more than two (2) persons who need not be so related, occupying the whole or part of a dwelling unit as a separate housekeeping unit with a common set of cooking facilities…”  - So if there is more than 1 person living there who is  not related to Pedro/Charlie (assuming they are married or are in a civil union), then they have a problem because this section means that EITHER the people in his house have to be married/blood relations/etc. OR there can only be a maximum of TWO unrelated people OPERATING AS A HOUSEKEEPING UNIT.  This means that they can have 1 unrelated person living there but only if they operated as a family; i.e. eat meals together, share expenses, etc. 

Nor can they say one or more of them are living in an apartment because R-8 doesn’t allow renters or separate apartments and they can’t get a CO for an apartment b/c it is a single family zone.   

Section 731:  "The purpose of the R-8 district in the city is to provide for and protect single-family residences sited on a lot having a minimum area of twelve thousand (12,000) square feet. The R-8 district provisions encourage the future development of these very low density residential areas for primarily residential purposes by prohibiting conversions, roomers, most institutional uses and all business uses.”  - meaning you CANNOT have roomers or boarders.  NO ONE can pay them rent, even if somehow Delia Rodriguez/Teofilo Ortiz ARE actually related to Pedro and/or Charlie and it’s just Stephen Sullivan who’s the 1 unrelated.  If he’s unrelated and living as a roomer/boarder, he CANNOT pay them rent.  That’s illegal.  

Of course it is also possible that none of these people actually live there, meaning there is no zoning violation, but if Sullivan doesn’t that is a huge problem since he has already voted. That is called voter fraud. 
HARTFORD ZONING REGULATIONS

Saturday, September 12, 2015

I HOPE THEY COLLECT C.O.D BEFORE THEY AIR THE AD

The Segarra campaign launched an advertisement tonight slamming Luke Bronin. Right now the ad is only available on social media, and since Segarra's campaign is essentially broke, I am not sure where they intend to air it. Hopefully anyone that does air it will get the  cash up front to make sure they get paid Segarra recently had to loan his own campaign $19,000 to stay afloat. By looking at his filings and what he has been paying for campaign consultants, media consultants and high priced campaign staffers, that loan won't last long and new fundraising contributions seem to be few and far between accordong to the reports. The ad also seems to be less than factual.

Segarra seems to take Bronin for task for not doing enough for Hartford during his tenure in the Governor's Office. Bronin was a staffer at Governor Malloy's Office, and while no one can deny that Bronin was well respected by Malloy, he was a staffer, not a policy maker. I think that is why we elect a Mayor as well as State Reps to advocate for us at the Capitol. If Segarra needs to point a finger, maybe he should consider pointing the finger at himself if his relationships at the Capitol were and are nonexistent and he couldn't even get the State to buy into his baseball stadium.

Maybe instead of being so busy handing out jobs at City Hall to family members of a couple State Reps to  gain their endorsements for his campaign, he might have considered lobbying them for things he claims Hartford needs. That is the Mayor's job, not the job of the Governor's Legal Counsel. And just as a side note, for anyone that knows Governor Malloy, he is a very demanding tough boss. If Bronin as not extremely competent in his position, he would have never lasted in the Malloy Administration. I very seriously doubt Segarra could ever say the same thing.

 The ad also makes claims about one donor to Bronin''s campaign but gives no specifics except a quick flash of some text on the screen It also claims Bronin lied to voters about magnet schools causing the Hartford Federation of Teachers to rescind their endorsement of Bronin. I think the real facts were that Bronin accepted donations from two people who were openly supportive of Magnet Schools. The HFT demanded Bronin return the donations, which he didn't, so they withdrew their support. It sounds a little shady of the HFT to attempt to blackmail a candidate through their endorsement. I think it  also says something abut a candidate who won't buckle to Union pressure, but instead sticks by what he believes in. Isn't that a novel idea, a politician with a backbone  who can stand on his own.

The ad also makes the claim that Bronin cut aid for youth and prevention services while in the Governor's Office and he denied humanitarian aid to thousands of immigrant children. Ir sounds atrocious, but I also understand for Segarra to understand how Government works is tough, As a failed bankrupt attorney the laws and how they work probably aren't Pedro's strong point, probably even weaker than his Mayoral skills. A quick review if the Connecticut Constitution and applicable statutes seem to give very little, if any, power to the Governor's Legal Counsel to pass laws or appropriate money as Segarra's false ad seems to imply Bronin neglected to do.

We got rid of a conman in the Mayor's Office five years ago, it's time again to send this one packing also.

In the end, the announcer says to tell Bronin the people of Hartford are "smarter than that?. Yes Mr. Segarra, we are, we recognize a baseless ad when we see it and I hope you find out this week how smart the people of Hartford really are, We are not falling for your crap anymore, five years is enough.

Here is the far less than factual advertisement..


PEDRO SEGARRA AND THE ADMITTED PEDOPHILE PRIEST

Admitted Pedophile, former priest Lou Paturzo supports Pedro Segarra

As the old saying goes, we are judged by the company we keep. Imagine my surprise a couple weeks ago when I saw Pedro Segarra proudly tweeting out a picture of one of his supporters. I recognized the person in the picture as Lou Paturzo, a former Catholic priest who was accused of molesting young boys while he was a Catholic priest. Paturzo was apparently removed from the priesthood by the Archdiocese of Hartford after he admitted to his deviant acts and to molesting the boys while he was assigned to a parish in Waterbury  and acting as a basketball coach for boys. 

Paturzo, who admitted to the claims made by the two men, was stripped of his priestly faculties by the archdiocese,

News articles related to the molestation and Paturzo's removal as a priest are below from at least 3 different newspaper articles at the time. Paturzo's actions , as well as those of other priests sexually molesting boys resulted in a Civil judgement against the Archdiocese of Hartford in excess of $22 million dollars.

In campaign filings released this week, he Segarra campaign also lists Paturzo as a consultant that they have paid at least $2400.00 . Is this the best we can do ? What's next? A Segarra appointment to the City's Youth Services Department?
Page 98 from the Segarra filings listing payments to a former priest and admitted pedophile.

According to the filing, Segarra paid Paturzo at least 4 payments of $600.00 each during the filing period.

The full campaign filing reports for Segarra can be viewed here, http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2015/09/hartford-mayoral-campaign-filings-for-9.html the Paturzo listing is on page 98

From the Hartford Courant
An Arizona man is suing the Hartford archdiocese for sexual abuse he says was committed in the 1970s by the Rev. Louis Paturzo, a well-known activist priest who worked with the city's troubled youth until the first accusations against him surfaced in 2002.
Edward Cerninka was a seventh-grade student at The Reverend Daniel Barry Junior High School in Hamden when he met Paturzo in 1976.
According to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New Haven Superior Court, Paturzo was assigned to the Blessed Sacrament Church in Hamden, which was next door to the school, and helped coach the basketball team, which is how he met Cerninka.

In late 1976, Paturzo befriended Cerninka's parents and then asked Cerninka to play on the travel team.

According the lawsuit, Paturzo first molested Cerninka in late 1976 and the abuse continued through August 1978. Cerninka's attorney, Thomas McNamara, declined to describe the alleged abuse.
Two men who accused Paturzo in 2002 said he fondled them in the early 1970s, when he was working as a deacon but had not yet been ordained
.
Paturzo, who admitted to the claims made by the two men, was stripped of his priestly faculties by the archdiocese, and he resigned from his part-time job as a peer mediator consultant at Quirk Middle School in Hartford. The archdiocese paid out $22 million in 2005 to settle claims against 14 of its priests, including Paturzo.

Most recently, Paturzo was known to be working as the director of the New Day transitional program for criminal offenders in Hartford. Attempts to reach Paturzo Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The lawsuit claims that church officials failed to report complaints about Paturzo's sexually abusing at least one other minor to the proper authorities. According to McNamara, the church knew Paturzo was molesting boys before he befriended Cerninka.

McNamara said he interviewed the parents of one of Paturzo's earlier victims, who told him they reported the priest's behavior to his superior at Blessed Sacrament Church in the fall of 1976. The priest then promised the boy's parents it would not happen again, McNamara said.
The Rev. John Gatzak, spokesman for the Hartford archdiocese, said Wednesday that the archdiocese has a policy of not commenting publicly on ongoing litigation. He also said Paturzo, while not officially defrocked by the Vatican, can no longer present himself or function as a priest.

"He cannot claim to be a priest, and he cannot dress like a priest," Gatzak said.
Paturzo, who was ordained in 1973, was sent for evaluation and treatment at two psychiatric institutions in the 1990s after the archdiocese received an anonymous complaint by a mother who accused him of fondling her son while he was serving as a deacon in Hamden. Although that complaint was investigated by state police, it was not proven.

The second allegation against Paturzo was filed in February of 2002 by a man who said he was groped by Paturzo in a Waterbury rectory in 1972.
When that complaint became public, so did the other, and Paturzo was removed from active ministry.
Contact Elizabeth Hamilton at ehamilton@courant.com.



Former Hamden priest named in abuse suit

(New Haven Register (New Haven, CT) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 7--A former Hamden man now living in Arizona has filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Hartford, claiming he was sexually abused by a priest 30 years ago.

The suit, filed in Superior Court in New Haven by attorney Thomas M. McNamara of the New Haven firm of McNamara & Goodman, claims that the former priest, Louis Paturzo, sexually abused the plaintiff from 1976 to 1978 when he was a student at the former Rev. Daniel J. Barry Junior High School in Hamden.

The suit says that Paturzo, who was a priest at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hamden, befriended the plaintiff's parents and in late 1976 asked the boy -- then in seventh grade -- to play on a traveling basketball team that he coached.

The New Haven Register is withholding the plaintiff's name because it does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.

The suit claims Paturzo "had the proclivity to sexually abuse, sexually exploit and sexually assault minor children," and that the archdiocese and its employees failed to supervise his interaction with minors, failed to investigate and report his suspicious conduct, and failed to inform or warn others of his conduct, among other allegations.

Paturzo has been accused of sexual abuse before and is no longer working as a priest, according to the Rev. John P. Gatzak, spokesman for the archdiocese. Gatzak on Wednesday didn't have any information about where Paturzo is now.

McNamara said the abuse had a "deleterious effect" on the plaintiff's life and that now, at 43, he has "finally realized it was time to stand up for himself and take back what was taken from him."

The fact that the incidents went unreported to authorities at the time was another example of the "we protect our own" mentality, McNamara said. "I've been doing these cases since 1992, and I've never had knowledge of any priest or bishop complying with the mandate of reporting" to police.

But Gatzak said things have changed since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops passed the charter for the protection of children and young people in 2002. The penalty for being accused of sexual abuse is that one can no longer function as a priest, he said. Priests are mandated to immediately report alleged sexual abuse on the part of other priests to the authorities and the archbishop, he said.

"The church has made remarkable progress" in the protection of young people against such crimes, and is committed to making sure history doesn't repeat itself, Gatzak said.

The archdiocese several years ago paid $22 million to settle sexual abuse claim


  Priest's Past Overtakes Him

By Matt Burgard and Maurice Timothy Reidy
Hartford Courant [Connecticut]
May 18, 2002

For almost 30 years, the Rev. Louis Paturzo's secret stayed hidden from the world, driving him, he said, to find redemption in his work in Hartford's poorest neighborhoods.

On Friday, Paturzo resigned from his job at a Hartford middle school after acknowledging two complaints that he fondled adolescent boys in the early 1970s.

Paturzo, best known for his work with troubled youths in the city — a ministry that included mediating between violent street gangs during the lethal drug wars of the early 1990s — said he could not discuss specifics of the allegations.

But he said he has carried with him the guilt and embarrassment of the acts of a sexually confused young man, and the hope that 21 years of working with the city's poor residents will lead to forgiveness.

"When people tell me what a great person I am, I can't help but recoil and shake my head," Paturzo, 54, said in an interview with The Courant. "In many ways, I do these things to seek atonement."

In two separate but similar complaints, Paturzo is accused of groping two adolescent boys in the 1970s when he was serving as a deacon, before his ordination as a Roman Catholic priest.

One complaint was filed anonymously in 1993 by a mother who accused Paturzo of fondling her son in Hamden 17 years earlier. Although the complaint was investigated by state police, it was not proven. However, the Hartford archdiocese sent Paturzo to two institutions for psychiatric evaluation and therapy.

The second allegation was filed in February by a man, now in his 40s, who said he was groped by Paturzo in a Waterbury rectory in 1972. The complainant, a Washington state businessman, has requested a $208,000 settlement from the archdiocese.

Paturzo and a lawyer for the archdiocese both said Friday that the psychiatrists who evaluated Paturzo concluded that he did not pose a threat to young people or the rest of the community.

Paturzo resigned from his part-time job as a peer mediator consultant at Quirk Middle School Friday after two interviews with The Courant about the complaints. The school system accepted his resignation and the Hartford archdiocese is investigating the latest complaint.

John W. Sitarz, an archdiocese lawyer, defended the achdiocese's actions in the mid-1990s."I think it's fair to say that responsible action was taken in response to that anonymous complaint. I can't get into details, but in my experience, it was a very appropriate response," he said.

Sitarz said the archdiocese was not aware from the outset that Paturzo was working at Quirk. When officials learned about it, they were assured he was primarily working with adult interns and was supervised when talking to children.

"The only thing that I heard is that in a given case that might be particularly complex, he will sit down with the intern and the student. It's uncommon, but it does happen," Sitarz said.

Paturzo did not deny the allegations made in the complaints, including the most recent one made by a former choirboy in a Waterbury parish. Instead, he spoke of an "immature" 24-year-old deacon whose "stunted" sexual development led to inappropriate acts.

Paturzo's background focuses attention on yet another long-concealed issue within the Catholic church — namely, how to handle priests whose sexual and emotional immaturity makes them a potential threat to young people.

In the most recent complaint, Paturzo is accused of sneaking the victim, who was then 13 or 14, into his room at the rectory at Sacred Heart Church in Waterbury. Paturzo threw the boy onto his bed and licked and nuzzled his face while reaching for his groin, according to the victim's complaint sent to the archdiocese.

When the victim, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Robert, resisted, Paturzo seemed confused and told the boy to relax, saying they could have fun wrestling and playing, according to the victim's complaint.

In several letters to the Hartford archdiocese, Robert said he felt ashamed for waiting almost 30 years to bring the allegations to light, but felt compelled to act in the midst of the ongoing national church sexual abuse scandal.

Robert has also asked the church to consider offering the monetary settlement for the damages allegedly caused by Paturzo. He said he has managed to live a productive life despite the trauma of his alleged encounter with "Deacon Louie," as he calls Paturzo in his letters.

"The way I was raised as an Irish Catholic, this was a priest. You never said anything against a priest," Robert said. "I feel if I had done something, maybe I could have saved some [other] kids."

Sitarz said Hartford Archbishop Daniel Cronin, who earlier this week agreed to notify state authorities of all sexual abuse allegations against priests, has not decided what action to take if the allegations against Paturzo are confirmed.

"The sad fact is that he's been doing great work," Sitarz said, echoing comments by other city officials and community activists. "But if our policy says ABC has to happen, it will happen."

Robert's complaint came nine years after a similar complaint was lodged against Paturzo, this one in the form of an anonymous letter sent by a woman who saw the priest on the TV news. The woman, who did not identify herself, was alarmed to see that state police were donating a van to support Paturzo's Hartford youth initiatives. She accused the priest of fondling her son in the 1970s while he was assigned to a church in Hamden, according to three law enforcement sources.

State police made inquiries about the letter to Paturzo and the archdiocese, but no further action was taken because the victim could not be identified, sources said.

But the archdiocese took action anyway, sending Paturzo to the Institute of Living in Hartford for short outpatient treatment and an out-of-state institution for five months of inpatient treatment. Stan Wasilewski, a retired Hartford police officer who served on the department's gang task force, said he called the archdiocese after learning of the state police investigation. Wasilewski, who like many of his colleagues on the task force were suspicious of Paturzo's relationships with gang members, said he asked them to remove Paturzo from Hartford.

"This is a guy who should not be working with teenagers, period. The archdiocese and the school district should never have let him take this position. It's outrageous."

In the same time period, Paturzo was transferred to a new church. When Wasilewski learned Paturzo was back in Hartford about a year later, Wasilewski said he called the archdiocese to complain again but was told Paturzo was fit to remain in the city ministry.

Jacqueline Hardy, a Hartford public school spokeswoman, said the district reluctantly accepted Paturzo's resignation Friday.

"It's really a tragedy because of all the tremendous things he has accomplished and contributed to the young people of this city," she said, adding that counselors will be on hand to talk about the priest's resignation when students return to school Monday. "Everyone is really upset. These allegations are really a surprise."

Hardy said the district conducted a thorough background check on Paturzo when he was hired to work at Quirk three years ago. The priest was asked to take the job by school officials who thought he would be ideal for addressing issues of violence and anger management under a federal grant, working out of Quirk's Student and Family Assistance Center. He was brought in to deal with those issues after the school shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Paturzo also works part time as a prison chaplain at three correctional centers for adults in Connecticut while participating in many Hartford community improvement agencies such as the city drug and alcohol commission.

In separate interviews, the downcast, unassuming Paturzo confessed that much of the good work he has done in his 21 years in Hartford has been done with an impulse to right the wrongs of his past.

In the dead of night, "Father Lou," as the Hartford kids call him, was known to leave his apartment to go to the home of a poor Hartford family whose son has been killed in a gang fight. Many times, Paturzo has presided over funerals of young men cut down in the city's relentless and merciless turf wars.

And throughout, whenever Paturzo won yet another accolade for his commitment to the city's youth, he said he often thought of the boys whose lives were damaged by the "boundaries" he crossed all those years ago.

At times, he said, he felt confident that his hard work and devotion to the community had earned him redemption.

"I can say with a clear conscience that in 21 years in Hartford there has never been a kid who could say I behaved immorally or inappropriately toward them," he said. "I'm not the same priest who came to Hartford 21 years ago. I've grown up."

But in recent weeks, he said he has observed with dread the black cloud that now hangs over his church. He has seen the televised images of priests such as John Geoghan of Boston being dragged into court on charges of sexually abusing young boys.

Now Paturzo said he fears the revelations of his past will destroy not only his prospects for continuing to work in the city, but also the fragile relationships he has forged with many vulnerable young people and their families.

"If this was just about me, I'd have no problem letting the secrets out because they've been with me so long, it would be like a relief," he said. "But there are a lot of kids out there who rely on me and trust me. I worry about the damage this will cause."