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Monday, July 13, 2020

WHERE IS THE THODY ACCIDENT REPORT?


"Now what?"


 I think anyone who has ever had to put a claim through for repairs after an auto accident knows that the first thing  any insurance company will ask for is the Police Report and case number.
So where is the accident report for the recent crash and repairs to the City of Hartford's 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe assigned to Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody.

So where is Thody's accident report, commonly called a PR-1 by Police.
The short and concise answer from the Connecticut State Police in their e-mail below was received pursuant to my request for a copy of the CSP accident report, it doesn't exist.

From the e-mail: "Please understand that there was no investigation into a motor vehicle collision because an accident was not reported to the State Police; therefore  there is no report that we are able to provide you"

Let me ask a hypothetical question here, since CSP said there is no report and we know according to the Hartford COO Thea Montanez that the insurance Company paid a claim for over $3300.00 what documentation was submitted to validate the accident or is there a possibility that a phony report was submitted as part of a wider coverup?

Montanez  and Thody had initially claimed that the damage was under $1,000.00 so no report was required. So in my best Maury Povich voice I have to say "That was a lie". Damage exceeded $3300.00

These questions need to be answered, and answered truthfully for a change.

Lets start with the phone records verifying Thody's call to Montanez immediately after the crash as he claims and lets see the insurance documentation .
Csp Foi Email  on Scribd

WHITE PRIVILEGE ALIVE AND WELL AT HPD

HPD CHIEF JASON THODY

"Is there really a recording?"


I need to start off with an apology. I have been naive. I had hoped that in this day and age something as disgusting as white privilege didn't really exist. I had hoped it was just another part of the "political" buzz words to get people riled up and enflame unrest.

After watching the special treatment Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody has received after his evading crash, I have to say white privilige is alive and well, especially at HPD and the Middlesex County States Attorney's Office. Or maybe it is just another example of the "thin blue line" Either way it is troubling that we are not all equal under the law.

I really don't like to make things racial, but how can you not when you see the special treatment Thody has received. Do you think any African American male from Hartford's  Northend could escape an evading accident without any charges, as Thody has done? A well documented accident , called in by an apparently impartial motorist and documented by a Lieutenant Colonel from the Connecticut State Police.

Look back and follow the story of Lieutenant Paul West in my archives. LT West is an African American supervisor in the Hartford Police Department who has suffered the wrath of HPD and Jason Thody after West was accused of mishandling the Kelly Baerga incident.  Much of that wrath was based upon what could be called "miscommunication" in some of West's reports and memos about the incident. Is Jason Thody the only one who has the benefit of being able to "misspeak" and West has no such benefit?

Mind you, the documentation of Thody's escapades  was only done after the initial coverup was discovered by me and relayed to the Connecticut State Police to try to verify the facts in the original falsified Bowsza report to try to see if Thody's version was truthful. Thody, according to Bowsza'a report , had claimed that he had called the Connecticut State Police immediately after the crash to report it and that CSP declined to respond or issue a case number to him That turned out to not be truthful and subsequently another report came out claiming that Bowsza had "misunderstood" Thody.

Thody never reported the accident to CSP, as any motorist is required to do under Connecticut State Law. I think in the end we will see documentation to verify if any of Thody's statements are true. I'm betting not.

How many of us could get away with that type of behavior? Probably not many, unless you were a caucasian Police Chief. And what drove the decision of the Middlesex County States Attorney Michael Gailor to get the Connecticut State Police to back off on Thody. I guess that old adage that "Justice is Blind" must not apply to powerful white men like Thody I think lady Justice in this case is more deaf than blind and isn't aware of the public outcry for greater Police transparency and accountability. Skin color and power, two great qualities to possess if you want to skirt the law.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

THEY KEEP ADDING UP, ANOTHER HOMICIDE

FROM HPD

On Monday July 06, 2020 at approximately 1415 hours, West Hartford Police responded to the area of Capitol Avenue and Prospect Avenue on a car accident. Officers quickly determined that at least two of the occupants of the vehicle had sustained gunshot wounds. The two gunshot victims were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The operator of the vehicle later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at 1606 hours. The second victim was listed in stable condition. It was later determined that the incident began in the area of 1034 Capitol Avenue and a crime scene was located and secured by responding patrol officers. The Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions responded and assumed control of the investigation.

   The deceased has been identified as Junny Lara-Velazquez DOB 01/28/2001 of 519 Park Street, Hartford, CT.

    Next of Kin has been identified as Kimberly Garcia DOB 03/27/1989 (sister) of 519 Park Street, Hartford, CT. 


DISGUSTING, WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?

MAYOR BRONIN STATEMENT ON STATE RECOMMENDATION TO ADDRESS CHIEF THODY CAR SCRAPE INTERNALLY
HARTFORD, CONN (July 7, 2020) – Today Mayor Bronin released the statement below after the Connecticut State Police informed the City of Hartford that the Middlesex State’s Attorney recommended that the State’s investigation into Police Chief Jason Thody’s car scrape on May 31, 2020 be closed and that the matter be referred back to the City of Hartford for any appropriate administrative action. 
Reports from the State Police show that a 911 caller reported Chief Thody’s car scrape and the State Police dispatched a car to respond.  The State trooper who responded did not locate Chief Thody’s car and “did not observe any signs of collision to any guardrail in the area” according to the investigation report filed.  The City expects to make a decision regarding potential discipline following the conclusion of the Internal Audit Commission’s look into the matter.  
“The 911 call confirms the basic facts that Chief Thody reported about this incident, which are that at approximately 4:50 PM on Sunday, May 31, Chief Thody was driving distractedly while conducting city business on his phone, veered and scraped against a guard rail, and continued on, as he was responding to an ongoing protest in Hartford,” said Mayor Luke Bronin.  “We will wait for any findings from the Internal Audit Commission, but at this point my assessment remains that this was a minor incident that Chief Thody documented and reported to the city’s Chief Operating Officer that same day.”

END OF BRONIN STATEMENT

Does Luke Bronin not have a problem with his hand picked Police Chief and his total lack of integrity? Or is Bronin ok with this coverup by his Police Chief and Chief Operating. What else can you call it with all of the changing stories?

The biggest question for me is why? That recording is pretty bad, hitting guardrails, almost hitting two motorcycles, speeds on back roads in excess of 65 miles per hour. Is that the behavior the men and women of the Hartford Police Depart should strive to be like. Is that behavior that sets an example that the residents of Hartford and Hartford's youth should try to emulate.

Or does it most likely foster more mistrust of law enforcement and definitely the people of Hartford.

Maybe Bronin should listen to that recording, I heard the caller mention "heavy damage" not the "scrape"Bronin would like us to believe.

The whole thing is disgusting and makes Luke Bronin look like more of a hypocrite who will talk before the cameras about Police accountability and turn a blind eye to this.

THE DOCUMENTS:

911 CALLER REPORTING HARTFORD POLICE CHIEF JASON THODY AS INTOXICATED DRIVER AND EVADING CRASH



Much more to come on this as I review more documents

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

SERIOUSLY THEA, "JUST A SCRATCH?"

They just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper. New documents have been obtained by "We the People" today showing that  Hartford's Police Chief Jason Thody, his Assistant Chief Raphael Medina and Hartford's Chief Operating Officer have been far less than truthful in their depiction of Thody's Evading crash in the Town of Chester on May, 31, 2020.

They all depicted the crash as "minor scratches" and "minor paint transfer", They further went on to explain Thody's evasion from the accident scene because the damage was less than $1,000.00. There is no provision in Connecticut State law to give a free pass to anyone, including a Police Chief , when the damage is less than $1,000.00. The operator MUST stop and report the accident to Police.

Well, even though Montanez, Thody and Medina all put in their reports that the damage was less than $1,000.00, documents in the form of the invoice from Friendly's Autobody where the repairs were performed, itemize the amount as $3324.00. As you can see, much more than a minor scratch repaired as they originally claimed when I first reported on Thody's crash.

It is also somewhat suspicious that the invoice was only submitted  to the insurance company yesterday after a Police Lieutenant was at Friendly's Monday trying to get the invoice, or should I call it arm twisting? The Middlesex County States Attorney handling the investigation may actually call it witness tampering.  Are the amounts accurate as listed now or was that a compromise to make the band of three look less like liars and soften the impact?

At this point who can we actually believe and trust? I would say none of them


CHIEF THODY AND ASSISTANT CHIEF MEDINA APPARENTLY LESS THAN TRUTHFUL IN CRASH COVERUP

BRONIN'S HAND PICKED POLICE CHIEF

The documents and information are coming in and apparently Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody and his Assistant Chief Raphael Medina are being less than truthful in reporting Thody's May 31,2020 crash.

In an e-mail sent last night by Chief Operating Officer Thea Montanez to Councilmembers, Montanez stated that she had received  an invoice from Friendly's Autobody for the vehicle repair for "approximately" $3300.00 Approximately? Does the City of Hartford now pay "approximate" amounts. How do you deposit an "approximate" amount? Do they have the actual amount or not? Where is the actual invoice and insurance documents?

Montanez also states in her e-mail that she apparently doesn't agree with the repairs. She states in her e-mail "that ($3300.00) seems high based on the limited amount of damage, and so as part of my review of auto repair expenses, we will be using photos from this case to get other assessments of repair costs.

Shouldn't an estimate have been the first order of business before Thody dropped the car at Friendly's the day after the crash to quickly get it repaired. Was that in hopes that no one would notice? Does the City of Hartford have accepted protocols on how to conduct business, and isn't that Montanez's function to make sure proper protocol and policy and procedures are followed, or is it her role to cover-up bad deeds before the Council or the public find out?

And which photos are you going to use to get other  "assessments", the photos Thody claims he took himself? Where are the photos from the Crime Scene Division (CSD) that normally accompany any cruiser accident. Or maybe the Chief didn't want CSD involved because it wouldn't have been kept quiet?

It also really makes me question  Assistant Chief Medina's (or whoever wrote the cover up report) and their investigative skills. How would a trained investigator write a report quoting a damage report amount of "less than $1,000.00" without actually seeing any repair documents. Isn't that the first thing you would ask to see before going out on a limb and quoting a dollar amount.

A dollar amount that I might add would be pretty easy to eventually verify or discount . I think anyone that has had body work done knows that even a plastic grill is most likely more than $1,000 to replace , not including labor charges. But I guess when you just take it for granted that you are dealing with stupid  people who just don't care, the coverup is easy.

Well,  Chief Thody, Ms. Montanez, Mayor Bronin and Assistant Chief Medina and Councilmembers, we aren't nearly as ignorant as you think we are and your actions are disgusting. Ms. Montanez, do your job and end the cover-up. For whatever reason you are willing to continue to put out false information is beyond me. Have you ever heard the saying that "the cover-up is worse than the crime". Montanez, Thody and Medina are digging the hole deeper with every lie you type. End this charade and start telling the truth, that is what you all are paid for by the people of Hartford. Every lie you tell continues to erode the trust and confidence we have in the Hartford Police Department.

And by the way, when do we get the phone records and the paperwork submitted to the Insurance Company or are those already part of a criminal investigation? ( I can't wait for those documents)

Mayor Bronin, it is time for you to start doing some housecleaning and get HPD back in order before it gets much worse.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

MEDINA INTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT ON THODY CRASH

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY- IS HARTFORD'S CHIEF THODY ABOVE THE LAW?



Hartford's Mayor Luke Bronin knows all the buzz words when angry constituents show up on his front porch. Yet he seems to have lost his voice when it comes to the actions of his hand picked Police Chief Jason Thody

Has anyone heard Bronin speak out about Thody's evading an accident scene?: Has anyone heard any Hartford City Council members, besides Josh Michtom, asking questions or attempting to gather the facts? Michtom is the only person who has called me asking questions. Bronin has apparently told Councilmembers "there is nothing to it". The facts will show that is the furthest thing from the actual truth

Instead Bronin and his staff seem more intent on putting out false information to continue the Thody coverup. "Oh, it was just a minor accident" or"there was very little damage" or the one that "there was less than a $1000 in damage" from Assistant Chief Medina's post dated IAD report. None  of that matters according to Connecticut State Law, unless of course Thody has placed himself above the law, unlike the little people who have to follow and obey those same laws.

Just to be clear, here is one of the Statutes that would, or should apply to Thody's behavior:
Sec. 14-224. Evasion of responsibility in operation of motor vehicles.  (3) Each operator of a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident that causes injury or damage to property shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the owner of the injured or damaged property, or to any officer or witness to the injury or damage to property, and if such operator of the motor vehicle causing the injury or damage to any property is unable to give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the owner of the property injured or damaged, or to any witness or officer, for any reason or cause, such operator shall immediately report such injury or damage to property to a police officer, a constable, a state police officer or an inspector of motor vehicles or at the nearest police precinct or station, and shall state in such report the location and circumstances of the accident causing the injury or damage to property and such operator's name, address, operator's license number and registration number.

In case you don't like reading full statutes, here are the imperative points:

the operator of a motor vehicle who is knowingly involved in an accident that causes injury or damage to property shall at once stop and render such assistance as may be needed and shall give such operator's name, address and operator's license number and registration number to the owner of the injured or damaged property, or to any officer or witness to the injury or damage to property,


You might also notice that no where in that Statute does it mention a threshhold of $1,000. No where. just part of the coverup by Thody and I might add , by his silence or misinformation Luke Bronin. Assistant Chief Medina also threw that in his so called Internal Affairs report. Maybe it is from ignorance of the law, but I kind of doubt it

If Luke Bronin is really interested inj gathering the facts and maintaining the public's trust in his Police Chief and his Police Department, he needs to start answering questions truthfully. Why did the Autobody shop that repaired Thody's car apparently refuse to turn over the reapir records and billing to Hartford's City Auditors when they requested them Friday? If it was only $1000, show us the bill and prove it. I am being told it was much cloder to $7000.00 if not more. Where is the paper trail of the text mesaages that Thody claims caused him to crash, even a screen shot showing the date and time to coincide with his explanation. Where is the phone record of his notification of COO Thea Montanaz, who according to Medina's report claims she was at home when Thody called. I'm being told a much different version but the phone records wil show the time and even as much as where she was on her phone. Thatg's technology you know, we wi9ll be able to tell, lets say was she actually at home  , or in Vermont or lets even say somewhere like Chester, CT..

There are many more questions that I am sure will be coming out and hopefully some answers .

 Whether Luke Bronin gets out in front of this to build trust or we wait for the answers from the Connecticut State Police and the Middlesex County States Attorney is up to Bronin . It is entirely up to Luke Bronin whether he proves he is just another talking political puppet or is he really a leader willing to confront the difficult decisions head on.

In this current climate of Police mistrust, Hartford's people deserve that .

Friday, June 26, 2020

HARTFORD CHIEF THODY ACCIDENT NOW BEING INVESTIGATED BY CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE AND MIDDLESEX COUNTY STATES ATTORNEY

Statement from the Connecticut State Police issued tonight regarding Thody's crash:


Stay tuned as this develops



MAYOR BRONIN, IT IS TIME TO WALK THE WALK ON THODY CRASH



As the saying  goes, talk is cheap. Hartford's Mayor can't just stand on his front porch when confronted with concerns over the Hartford Police Department and give lip service until he can safely get back inside the confines of his home.

Mayor Bronin, if you want to preserve confidence in the Hartford Police Department and maintain your own integrity, if that exists, you need to act swiftly.

A full investigation into the facts of Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody's crash of his City Vehicle should have already have been ordered by you. In case you haven't been following the news, police relations are at a critical tipping point and your failure to move quickly and decicively to get to the truth could be detrimental to Police/Community relations in Hartford.

Why was the City car in Chester on a Sunday evening? Who was in the car with him and what is the identity of the passenger? If Thody did actually call the Connecticut State Police as he claims, his cell phone records should already be on Bronin's desk. I am sure the Connecticut State Police would be more than willing to provide the recordings of that call to Bronin if they actually exist. ( I am not a gambler, but I would take that bet that there was no call made)

Where are the internal HPD documents to prove that Thody followed accepted HPD procedures as required? Who was the shift Lieutenant that was required to be notified after any HPD officer has interactions with an outside Police agency. Where was the CIR ( report) as required after any City vehicle accident? The incident report claims COO Thea Montanez was notified after the accident, How and when did she document the incident, maybe as a first hand witness?

If  Thody did call CSP as he claims, the recording would be very interesting to hear. What did Thody relate to them to get them to decline responding? And where are the documents submitted to the HPD Fleet manager to facilitate repairs and notifications or did Thody just take the vehicle to a Southend towing company vendor , an HPD contracted tow company to try to get the repairs completed "under the radar" quickly? Where are the photographs taken by the HPD Crime Scene Division to document the damage?

Too many questions for either myself or anyone else to maintain trust in Chief Thody's leadership of HPD. Mayor, it is within your power and obligation to resolve these questions and if you are any kind of leader with integrity you will already be well  underway to be answering these questions and not approving a coverup to protect your allies. I have confidence in Commissioner Rovella that he is already working to maintain the integrity and reputation of his agency, and Mayor Bronin needs to do the same. I have many of the answers to my own questions already and it isn't pretty. Much more to come on this, rest assured.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

IS ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION ?


Hartford Police Crime Stats as of June 20, 2020


I know most everyone is preoccupied withy Covid-19 and trying to get back to normal. In the meantime Hartford is in a serious crime crisis.

By their own admission and documents, homicides in Hartford are up 33% and shootings and shooting victims are up over 45%.

What is the plan and what is being done to combat these numbers?

What is the plan Chief Thody , Mayor Bronin, and Hartford City Council? A simple question and Hartford deserves answers

HPD CHIEF THODY CRASHES CITY VEHICLE



I today obtained a Hartford Police incident report for HPD case number 20-16619. Although I had requested the report through an FOI request to HPD, they did not provide it. The report was obtained through "alternative means".

The report details a crash by Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody on May 31, 2020 while he was driving his City of Hartford vehicle, a 2019 Chevy Tahoe.

The report, written by Thody's Chief of Staff at the time, Lieutenant Brian Bowsza, The report states  "on the above date and time", but no time is noted. The narrative states that  Thody was on Route 154 in Chester , Connecticut when "the vehicle"  momentarily crossed the right lane boundary marker and made contact with the guardrail.

There is no mention of damage estimates in Bowsza's report, but sources familiar with the crash estimated that repairs would be in excess of $5,000.

The report further states that the "Connecticut State Police was immediately notified, but declined to respond or provide a case number". That sounds a little odd, but it is easy enough to verify with the Connecticut State Police as far as incident reports, Dispatch entries and actual phone recordings. Much more on that in a future post.

In the meantime, this incident raises more questions than answers. Why did it take almost 13 days for a report to be generated by Bowsza. Hartford's 911 Dispatch Center's records apparently show that the case number wasn't requested until June 12, 2020.

Is the Chief allowed to override policy and procedure and Connecticut State law on reporting an accident? Why is there no mention of the Headquarters Lieutenant being notified as required if there was any interaction with another Police Agency such as CSP? Why was the Crime Scene Division not requested to take photographs of the damage as is normally done with a police vehicle accident?

Who else was in the vehicle with Thody and what City business was being conducted in Chester Connecticut at approximately 6:00PM on a Sunday evening. Was alcohol potentially involved or what "distracted" Thody to veer and hit the guardrail?

Much more to come on this I am sure. Another case of leadership by example at HPD.

FROM HPD: ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT

HARTFORD, CONN. - (June 25, 2020) On Thursday, June 25, 2020 at approximately 3:21a.m., patrol officers responded to a serious motorcycle collision in the area of 500 Hudson Street.

Officers located a seriously injured 28-year-old male and seriously injured 22-year-old female on the roadway alongside a motorcycle. The male and female were transported to the Hartford Hospital Emergency Room by Aetna ambulance.

 The male was later pronounced deceased at Hartford Hospital. The female was listed in serious, but stable condition.

The crashed motorcycle, a blue 1999 Yamaha, was the only vehicle involved. Detectives from the Crime Scene Division responded to the scene and assumed control of the investigation. Preliminary investigation of the crash indicates that the motorcycle was traveling northbound in the area of 500 Hudson Street.

Video footage appears to indicate that the motorcycle operator lost control and struck a light pole located on the east side of Hudson Street. Both the male operator and female passenger were ejected from the motorcycle.

 Further reconstruction and investigation of the incident is being conducted. The deceased motorcycle operator has been identified as Carlos Alexis Rivera, of South Windsor, CT. Anyone who may have witnessed or have footage of the incident is asked to call CSD Detective Eric Lemke at 860-757-4125, or the HPD anonymous tip line at 860-722-TIPS (8477)

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE WAKE-UP CALL FOR POLICE ADMINISTRATORS

Anyone whos has seen or heard of the George Floyd video should be rightfully appalled. There are most likely many such incidents that don't result in deaths or are not  recorded, that occur many times each day.

As long as we hire human beings as Police Officers, we will see some bad behavior. We probably don't hear very often about the things great Police Officers do every day, but that's the nature of the beast.

Sadly, I think any Police Chief or Police supervisor worth their salary, knows immediately who their problem Officer's are. The real question is what have they done to curtail their problems and address bad behavior before it escalates.

 The problem is many Chief's and supervisors are unwilling to deal with the consequences of taking bad Police Officer's head on before the next George Floyd.

Police Union's have become more about protecting bad officer's and winning their job's back than in actually looking out for the good officers and protecting them

The "no snitching" mentality is alive and well in just about every Police Department. Good cops, for whatever resaon tend to cover for "bad " cops. Its just the nature of the culture and good Officers who do go beyond and report bad behavior, usually find themselves as the outcasts because they reported a bad cop.

Last summer I received calls from Officer's about an incident on a Northend street. When I asked to see the body cam footage of the incident, I was told by two high level HPD officers that the officer's in question "left the office and forgot their body cameras" Now isn't that convenient, and what discipline or corrective action was eventually taken to make sure it doesn't happen in the future? None is the most likely answer.

I have had conversations with many Police Chief's and high level supervisors regarding bad behavior by Officer's and there seems to be a common theme when dealing with problem Officers...Police Union's and bad Labor Board decisions.

One Police Chief told me he didn't want to terminate a bad Officer, with well documented racist behavior, because he didn't want to face the officer in the hallway in 2 years when the Labor Board would order him to hire the officer back.

Recently HPD was ordered to hire a detective back after he was terminated as the result of his DUI arrest and his well documented racist tirade, repeatedly using the "N" word during his arrest, all caught on dashcam and bodycam in real time.

Where is it acceptable to now assign a documented racist Officer? Is he only a racist whwn he is drunk?

 What about the racist Sergeant who was recently returned to the streets as a supervisor  after he was documented previously referring to Hartford's African American men as "Gorilla's in the mist". Did he serve enough time in  the bowels of HPD in the booking Department that he relinquished his racist viewpoints? Did assigning him to the Southend  ensure he can't exercise his racist behavior. I sure hope so because that is the last thing we need right now and no one can come back and say "geez, what a surprise, we never knew"

Or do we just wait until the next time he has a bad day and boils over in a racist rant? There is too much riding on the Public's trust of Police Officers to allow, or even risk,  continued bad behavior.

It doesn't serve anyone's best interest and it may require Legislative change to address the options.Again, Police Officers are human, but maybe the Legislature should require a Labor decision that keeps them employed, but maybe not in a Police capacity. Somerwhere in a Office is the basement of City Hall might work, with limited public contact.

We also need to do a lot more for mental health support for Officers who see things everyday that no human being should have to see or deal with. It is no wonder some officer's eventually "snap", or worse. Supervisors need to be much more in tune with identifying problems and risk factors and not be afraid or intimidated to address these issues.

More on this in the future. This can't be the dirty little secret that no Police Chief wants to address. It is out in the open now, deal with it and work to fix it. Denial now is futile.

Friday, May 29, 2020

IS THIS A "LEADER"?


The screenshot above is a posting apparently from the personal Facebook page of Connecticut's Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz posted earlier this week. I don't think I need to comment much on this except to say it shows a total disregard for the Constitutional and First Amendment rights of his constituents to express themselves. 

 As the saying goes,"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it"

 Apparently the Speaker doesn't agree with that and wished harm , and possibly death, on Connecticut residents that expressed their displeasure with the States handling of the Covid 19 Pandemic.

Whether meant as serious or off the cuff remarks, Aresimowicz should be disgusted with himself for such a lack of any display of leadership and showing a total disregard for human life.

Even though some Democrats take every opportunity to tear down President Trump and discredit him, some of them sound more and more like Trump every day , Aresimowicz included.

Isn't it about time we demand leaders that actually lead by example?

 The comment was eventually removed from Aresimowicz's Facebook page and replaced with a half hearted apology.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP, WHAT'S THE TRUTH?

I was a little surprised yesterday to read media reports that Connecticut Senator Len Fasano was being stonewalled by Governor Lamont in his request for the Boston Consulting Group's recent contract with the State of Connecticut.

I wonder why?

I also wonder why Governor Lamont thinks that he can operate in secrecy when spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money under the guise that we are in an emergency.

Corrupt activities are corrupt whether during normal times or during a pandemic emergency. Regardless, they should be open to public scrutiny either way.

 Through a source at the Capitol, I was able to obtain the contract that apparently the Governor's Office was afraid to or unwilling to share with Senator Fasano.

My source also told me that people should be looking into how the contract was issued and which person on the Governor's reopening committee has ties to Boston Consulting and apparently worked for them at one point.



Friday, May 15, 2020

A GREAT RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT

Earlier this week, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont seemed to reluctantly answer a question from a NBC Connecticut reporter when he acknowledged the contract to Boston Consulting Group. The contract was for $2 million dollars for Boston Consulting to guide the State of Connecticut through "re-opening" the State.

Didn't the Governor put together a panel of so-called "experts" to guide the re-opening goals. To the best of my knowledge, these experts all volunteered their time to spearhead these efforts and didn't cost us anything, let alone $2 million dollars.

I have to ask what expertise Boston Consulting has in this area since the pandemic is unprecedented and no one has expertise in uncharted territory. It seems to me as though Boston Consulting will be receiving on the job training from taxpayers of the State of Connecticut. It also makes me ask why none of the high priced State of Connecticut staff members couldn't manage this, since they most likely have as much experience as Boston Consulting in pandemic response.

I guess the answers may lie in the website opensecrets.org, a website that follows campaign donations. Open secrets lists  the Boston Consulting as a major donor to Democratic campaign operations. Here is their report on Boston Consulting and their donations, https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/totals?id=D000032055.

Apparently Boston Consulting is willing to hedge their bets. The report lists their donations to Democrat's campaign at roughly 80.58% ($244,279 for 2020) of their dollars, they were willing to also donate to Republican candidates totaling 19.42% ($58,874) for 2020.

It doesn't seem like a bad investment, sprinkle around some campaign contributions and get a $2 million dollar contract in the process. It's just too bad Lamont couldn't find a Connecticut company to help.

Monday, March 30, 2020

CIVILITY AND SOME STUPIDITY IN THE AGE OF CORONA

Our society, the last few weeks , to me, seems to have an eerie similarity to the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our Country.

People actually seem to be civil toward each other, good deeds are obvious everywhere and people actually seem to be caring about their neighbors. You can actually be slow to proceed at a green light without the car behind you leaning on their horn.Civility. Why can't we be like this everyday? Even when we aren't facing a pandemic.

W have an elderly family friend who lives alone and she was unable to find toilet paper last week. Me and Mom dropped an eight pack off to her  home. We told her we didn't want any potential exposure so we would leave it on her back porch. She called later to ask how much we wanted and we told her nothing. You would think we gave her a winning Lotto ticket.

I think it made us both feel good. Our friend in knowing that someone she could count on actually was thinking about her and us knowing we did something good, even as small of a gesture as it was.

As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unnoticed, we have received much more back this week than any toilet paper could cost. Neighbors have plenty of free time now and the homemade soups, baked goods, potato salad and much more has been making it's way to our doorstep.  The deliveries are usually prefaced with a phone call asking if we are home and can they leave something for us on the porch.

The doorbell rang the night before Saint Patrick's Day. It was a neighbor who had to cancel her weekend St. Patrick Day party and she showed up with a full corned beef and some vegetables she couldn't use. Mom cooked it and we packaged up Corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots dinners for several other elderly people who were home with the restaurants closed. They were all packaged up and set on  the back porch for pickup. We maintained our social distance,

Today, another neighbor came over to get some of the Irish Bread we baked this weekend, she was carrying Banana bread and a container of potato salad she made for us. We will be baking more, but our grocery delivery with buttermilk won't come until Friday (sorry)

Although the pandemic may be the worst thing many of us will probably experience during our lifetimes it seems to be bringing out the best in many people. I wish, and hope, we can smarten up and continue the civility after this is done.

I only wish that the people that are supposed to be our so called "leaders" would forget the political sniping and start leading by example. That goes for everyone, from our President on down , including our 2 US Senators. There will be plenty of time when all is said and done to figure out who, if anyone, dropped the ball on a situation that no one could have predicted 12 months ago.

 I do have to say though that Governor Lamont appears to be showing some leadership and pulling State resources together and playing very little politics with this disaster. I think Governor Lamont would be well served to continue on the course he has set and resist allowing anyone to hijack his press conferences for their own political gain as was done last week by Senators Blumenthal and Murphy . We all are well aware of their disdain for President Trump, in the meantime people are dying and many more will potentially die while they further their political hatred.

And this pandemic also highlights the stupidity of many people also. I am sure we all, or at least most of us with any common sense, were appalled by the news coverage of "spring breakers" swarming the beaches in Florida, some how figuring they were immune because they were in College and partying. Also the ignorance of Florida's Governor, who waited almost a week before taking action to stop the reckless behavior by closing the beaches.

Most likely out of fear of offending business owners who receive substantial financial benefit from the drunken spring break revelers in their bars and clubs Unfortunately, many of those college partiers are now testing positive and suffering from the Corona virus.

I think another example of Corona stupidity is the testing and reporting of Corona cases in the news. The number of infections reported and the hospitalizations reported are partially due to the low number of initial test results and now that it has been ramped up and more results are received daily the numbers seem to double and triple almost daily. I think those infections were there all along, they are just getting identified and reported on a more timely basis .

TO BE CONTINUED...


Thursday, March 5, 2020

6TH DISTRICT TOWN COMMITTEE RESULTS

The 6th District Democratic Town Committee elections were held Tuesday.

 For the most part , the existing current members of the 6th District slate prevailed and the two challenge slates pretty much went down in flames. One slate was led by Council President Maly Rosado with far less than stellar results.

 Roughly less than 10% of eligible Democratic voters in the 6th District turned out to vote.

 There must be a better way. These DTC challenges are a huge waste of money spent by a cash strapped City. Essentially by people looking for some political power and a title.

 They might actually accomplish more by getting out in their communities and neighborhoods and producing some real results