Search This Blog

Monday, December 21, 2015

COUNTDOWN TO A NEW BEGINNING

  A reader earlier this evening posted a question for me on the blog. "Kevin- I know this is slightly off topic. Do you have any opinion on mayor-elect Bronin's first round of appointments that were announced today? "

I have to say ,quite honestly, I have no opinion on those announced so far. I am encouraged that there are names that I am not familiar with.  What we really need at City hall is a new way of doing business , and that is only going to come with new ideas and fresh people at the helm.

I have to say that one of the first things I find very encouraging is that Luke appears to be ready to hit the ground running. Unlike our current Mayor who many times seemed as though he couldn't make a decision if his life depended on it. Think about how many "acting" Directors we had in key management positions. Maybe that is why there never seemed to be a lot of managing going on.

Name one position in the Corporate world that would allow a position like that of our embattled Fire Chief to go unchanged after the history of mismanagement and poor decision making that we have seen the last couple years.

From the Finance Director  who apparently kept receipts in a shoebox on a shelf  to the COO who had no problem signing off on numerous apparently fraudulent invoices for duplicate work or work that was never done in the first place. The next Administration needs consistency. Key positions can not be left vacant for extended periods like Segarra was always ready to do.

Many of our problems under Pedro Segarra could have been averted with basic management principles and adherence to policy and procedures, many of which were already in place, just never followed.

People throughout City Government should be mentored ,trained and groomed for advancement. That is a basic business management concept. If any one of us drops dead tomorrow, it is nice to know that work continues on, that is called proper management. And most City Departments are staffed by good people who just want to be properly managed. We haven't seen that in recent years, whether it is the Fire Department  DPW or the Public Safety Dispatch Center, supervision and management is key.

We also need to bring sound customer service concepts back to City Government. Phones need to be answered, calls need to be returned and most importantly, constituents need to feel as though they are being listened to and respected by their government. When a resident is promised a response, they deserve that appropriate response on a timely basis. Not everyone can be kept happy. Being in business myself I realize that, but I wouldn't have remained in the same business for over 25 years if I treated my customers like City Hall treats many of its customers.

With the number of cell phones, laptops, I-pads and communication devices paid for each month by the City, there should never be an excuse that "no one ever got back to me"

Although 311 seems to be managed better now that it has been placed under the umbrella of MHIS, I am sure there is still room for improvement. When people call 311, the results need to be tracked and followed up on. With technology today, there is no excuse for residents saying "no one got back to them" when they have called. ( as a sidenote, MHIS is probably one of the best run departments in City Government with progressive ideas and a real interest to be part of the solution with their "out of the box" thinking)

 Unfortunately those unhappy customers, especially on the the business and corporate side , and to some degree our residents, voice their disgust by leaving the City. We can no longer afford that. We need to send a clear message that we are open for business and we want you to grow and rebuild with us.

That growth is going to rest on the shoulders of our new Mayor and to a large part on the Council and the support they give him to complete his rebuilding tasks. We also need to all play a  role in that effort and make others realize the foundation that we have here to build on.

It is not going to be an easy job, we all have a lot of work to do. Now lets give it a chance. Keep an open mind but also don't be afraid to hold those at the top accountable. This needs to be a true partnership if we are going to make it work. At this stage, failure is not an option.


Sunday, December 20, 2015

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO....


Hartford's outgoing Mayor, Pedro Segarra "I am ready for my close up"

And the Oscar goes to Pedro Segarra for playing the best supporting role of a caring Mayor during a Campaign.

Everyday I realize that the voters in Hartford made the right chose in ushering in a change in the Mayor's Office and showing Pedro Segarra the door.

Segarra did do a good acting job during a tough fought campaign, but fortunately the majority of Hartford voters showing up at the polls on election day realized that, and voted for change.

Can you remember before the election? Pedro Segarra was at every fire, every shooting, every homicide. His incessant tweets about his love for the City and its people would have been annoying  if you didn't see the comedy aspect of his act.

It became almost a nightly occurrence on the news, Segarra parading in front of the television cameras playing the caring shepherd comforting his flock of wayward sheep as he travelled around a troubled City.

But , alas, all good things must come to an end. ( I guess the phony bad things also) Since 8:00PM on election day, no more tweets, nor more 11:00PM comforting news shots, nothing.  Did Segarra flick the switch off on his love for the City or did his twitter account get shut down after the election? Hartford has had plenty of shootings and homicides since election day, sot it is not for a lack of grandstanding opportunities.

I think poor Pedro was aware that his "acting" career as well as his political career was over. Time to call it a day and move on. The old saying "may the best man win" came true and we now realize we made the right choice.

HARTFORD: LAND OF DREAMS


Or probably more appropriately, Land of Broken Promises. I was watching "Face the State" this morning and saw the flashback piece about the implosion of the old Aetna building on Asylum Street. It was supposed to be the future site of New England's tallest skyscraper when the new project was built. It never happened., it is still an empty lot

That got me to thinking back about all of the broken promises made to us, the people of Hartford. Why are we duped into so many false starts?  And we continue to fall for it hook, line and sinker

It seems like we have become much more gullible over the last few years.

Lets start with the Adrien's Landing Redevelopment project. If we had believed everything we were force fed for that, we would all be watching Tom Brady throwing touchdown passes today where we used to pay our gas bills at CNG on Columbus Boulevard.

We all know the end result of that broken promises. A "krafty" businessman, Robert Kraft used Hartford as a pawn in his plans to get a better deal for a new stadium in Massachusetts. Who could blame him? Most scammers know an easy mark when they see it, and I doubt you could get much easier than a desperate Hartford City Hall . Despite not having their anchor football stadium, the Front Street project had gained momentum over the last few years and now does generate some traffic for Hartford business. Unfortunately the tax revenue to the City is still pretty slim, but at least it has created some decent jobs.

But as a City , I guess we never learned our lesson that Stadium deals, as a matter of public policy are not good ideas. And in the end they usually are much more costly than any benefits realized. Let me fast forward a few years to the Yard Goats deal. This should probably be the poster child for broken promises to the City.

The only ones that seem to be benefiting from this are the team owners, the Solomon brothers. All we heard during the processs were the buzzwords to grab the support of  Hartford residents. The biggest being "JOBS". Now the question needs to be asked, where are they? What are the real numbers? Give me the names of 20 Hartford residents employed  gainfully on the jobsite. Give me the names of 10 Hartford contractors working on the job?

One of the other buzzwords that always draws attention is "DOWNTOWN SUPERMARKET" . Where are the plans for it? It sounded good at the time to potentially fill a much needed  void. Affordable quality food for Hartford residents. There actually was more progress on this before the Yard Goats deal was ever announced.  The potential developer that the City had been dealing with pulled out as soon as the deal was announced. I have not heard anything solid since.

And remember all of the original drawings announced with considerable fanfare showing the Hooker brewery and its rooftop patio highlighting the stadium project ? One word, D-E-A-D. Now that part has been replaced by Hard Rock Café. It was surprising to note that the Hartford Courant reported that no proposal has formally been submitted for the project by Hard Rock Café.

Is there anyone at City Hall, Development Services ,or for that matter Centerplan that has any basic understanding of business concepts ( Centerplan is the developer for the stadium project) Has anyone ever heard of a "MOU" (memo of understanding) That is where the basic concept of the development should be laid out. Who is going to do what? Laying out funding, scope , job promises, tax breaks etcetera, etcetra.

 A "MOU" would keep us from looking like fools as we normally end up doing when the headlines fade  and all the potential  for free publicity has been gained by developers willing to use Hartford.It would also let us know that Centerplan and the City actually have a plan of action and a clear definition of what "DONO" is envisioned as , instead of the seat of the pants approach we have been willing to settle for so far.

Maybe the plan is to sandwich the Hard Rock Café in between the supermarket and the affordable  market rate housing we were promised. Unfortunately we are the last ones to know what is planned, although I'm now sure that even the "powers to be" know what they want. I think it is that old philosophy that if you throw enough against the wall, something is bound to stick. That philosophy unfortunately makes for very messy walls and probably very limited  benefits for the people of Hartford who so sorely need a "win".

Maybe if we can't clean up our own act with sound business practices, we luckily can count on law enforcement and related Grand Juries. That saved us from the Perez era and promises to rescue us from millions of potential losses from the Wooden/Kennedy era Council reign with Dillon Stadium.

And while I am at it on broken promises, what is up with the "welcome mat" to Hartford as you exit Route 2. Remember the old Channel 3 site. that was demolished after 3 was driven to the suburbs by a less than friendly City Hall. We were sold a bill of goods for an environmentally sound,  state of the art office building with rooftop patios and terraces. Are we still giving tax breaks for that property?

What ever happened to the luxury condos slated for the old YMCA on Jewel Street. I can answer that one quickly..... NOTHING.  Northland's gentrification of that property never took place ( Well, I guess maybe it did succeed, the facility was shut down). A building that used to allow  Hartford youth to interact and play basketball alongside future US Senators, politicians and other leaders was effectively shut down  as another broken promise to Hartford's people. It sits empty and decaying today.

Enough is enough. We have a suite full of lawyers in the Corporation Counsel's Office that should be deigning these announcements to protect our interests as a City instead of just making empty headlines for developers. I want to see these projects succeed, but I also want to see our interests protected.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

MADD KICKS OFF DRUNK DRIVING PREVENTION EFFORT

Mother's Against Drunk Driving kicked off their holiday drunk driving prevention efforts with a press conference at Hartford Police Headquarters this morning.

Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, HPD Chief Rovella and others spoke about the importance of the efforts to avoid unnecessary tragedy during the Christmas period.

Please think twice about having that drink and driving, find a designated driver beforehand.
Lt . Governor Wyman and others at the podium today

By car, horse or motorcycle, HPD will be out in force getting Drunk drivers off the road.

 HPD Chief Rovella and his "enforcers", Traffic Division Enforcers that is. On the lookout for impaired drivers on Hartford's streets

THIS IS CHILLING VIDEO

As Hartford tries to encourage more downtown residency, this video shows three Hartford juveniles stalking an elderly person on Farmington Avenue before knocking her to the ground and mugging her. The video is pretty chilling as they stalk her in preparation for their mugging, like hunter's stalk their prey.

This is not a police problem. Let me repeat that...this violence is not a police problem. We can not rely on the police to arrest our way out of our societal problems.

THIS IS A PARENTING PROBLEM. What does an incident like this say about the values instilled in Hartford's young people. Is there such little regard for human life that these 3 young punks think nothing of knocking an elderly woman to the ground, beating her and then robbing her.

Hartford... we have a problem.

Monday, December 7, 2015

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR A HARTFORD LEGEND, NICK CARBONE

This is the cover photo from the program for the Memorial Service held for Hartford's former Deputy Mayor , and one man political powerhouse Nicholas Carbone.
 
I had the good fortune of meeting Nick through an introduction by another Hartford political legacy, John O'Connell. They both came from a time in Hartford's history that they were known by what they did for Hartford and what they left as their imprint on Hartford.
 
It is unfortunate that we far too often wait for someone to die before we talk about their lives. Nick would have  been very proud by those that attended Saturday's service at the Bond Hotel and by what they had to say. Some of the comments were very colorful about a man that put his city first in just about everything he did. It was also fitting that the event was held in the ballroom of the Bond Hotel with its spectacular views of Hartford, overlooking Bushnell Park, the Memorial Arch and the State Capitol..
 
Much of Nick's influence came from his ability to successfully work the Halls of the Capitol as well as drawing in its occupants as he moved his ideas forward. From Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman John Larson, Judge Bob Killian and many others, they all spoke of how Nick worked to mold the future of Hartford in a personal, yet unselfish way.
 
I spent many a morning breakfast at Allegro or the First and Last Bakery listening to Nick (listening more than talking myself)  as he relayed his experiences over the years. There probably aren't too many people that were as well versed in Hartford or municipal government than Nick was. As a true mentor, Nick would impart his knowledge on anyone willing to listen.
 
There were many mornings after meeting Nick for breakfast, I would get engrossed by his knowledge and would eventually look at the time and realize it was well after noon and we had been talking for hours. We weren't always on the same side of issues, but that was one of the things about Nick, he had a way of presenting his side and many times drew people together more than apart.
 
In a time when we have a hard time remembering outgoing politicians for what they did for Hartford ( other than maybe a Grand Jury or two) you just need to take a ride around Hartford and recall what Nick did to leave his mark on the City he loved..
 
Rest in peace Nick, you will be missed but hardly forgotten