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Monday, February 28, 2011

EVEN MORE LIPSTICK ON THE ADAMOWSKI PIG


As more layers of the "onion" known as the Hartford Schools system get peeled back, the picture seems to becoming clearer and clearer.

Hartford Board of Education member Robert Cotto (WFP) wrote the following piece which will appear in tomorrow's Courant

Hartford's Claim Of School Success Flawed

Over the past three years, Hartford public school officials claimed that offering more school choices for parents and students, while holding educators accountable for results, improved standardized test scores. That story is incomplete. The next superintendent must account for this tall tale of school reform and separate fact from fiction.

Fortunately, the next superintendent can end the policy of using standardized test scores as a single measurement for evaluating schools. Along with the school board, the superintendent can transform our district into one that is more inclusive of parents' and educators' opinions.

Test score improvements are not what they seem. In 2009, Connecticut created an alternative test for students with special needs, the Modified Assessment System, called the MAS. For eligible students with an Individualized Education Plan, the state offered the MAS in reading and mathematics in place of the Connecticut Mastery and Connecticut Academic Performance tests. The creation of a modified assessment recognizes that students with special needs learn in different ways.

Districts had to show that such students were receiving modified instruction and — most important — that they would not achieve satisfactory proficiency on the regular tests in math, reading or both because of their special needs. When the state reported test scores, it separated the scores of students taking the MAS from those taking standard tests.

The problem lies in comparing test score growth in 2009 and 2010 with scores in years before the MAS was approved.

The MAS is a legal way to remove low-scoring, special needs students from high-stakes testing. Hartford has a high percentage of special needs students, 12 percent of all students. A large number took modified MAS tests — 815 in math and 880 in reading. So, about one in 12 tested students did not count in the calculation of CMT and CAPT success rates.

Hartford did not exclude a random 8 percent of its test takers, it excluded students who it predicted would fail the regular tests. In some schools, at some grade levels, proficiency rates on the standardized tests would have declined in math, reading or both had these students been included.

To be sure, teachers', parents' and students' hard work resulted in modest gains. But the largest factor in test score increases over the past two years was excluding special needs students from the regular tests.

Hartford's school leaders offered the improved test scores as validation of their reforms. Also, the state Department of Education acknowledged that students who took the MAS did not count in its calculations for proficiency rates. The apparently increased rates became a green light to continue flawed policies — teachers, students and parents were punished or rewarded based on test scores.

If scores lagged, schools were closed, students were dispersed, parents were ignored and educators were fired. If test scores improved, the schools remained open. School and central office employees earned bonuses if test scores increased. In 2010, this "merit" pay amounted to $2.77 million dollars.

Most disturbingly, the test score inflation led the public to believe that the current reforms improved the quality of education. Proponents of school choice, charter schools and test-based accountability schemes point to Hartford as a national model for change. On the contrary, Hartford's model, based on the single-measure of student test scores, is an example of a poor reform policy. It is a model pioneered in the 1990s in Houston and now widely recognized as a fraud — what Walter Haney, a researcher of evaluation systems, called an "illusion arising from exclusion."

The next superintendent must include teachers and parents in determining how our public schools will account for student growth using multiple measures. The policy should be to treat schools and students in different ways; one size shouldn't fit all. Our policy should reflect the value we place on student diversity and democratic practice. Schools should not close based solely on test scores.

Robert Cotto Jr. is an elected (Working Families Party) member of Hartford's board of education. He teaches at the Metropolitan Learning Center. His views are his own.

To read the Courant's on line article, click here


HOW FLAWED WAS THE SELECTION PROCESS?

There seems to be plenty of reasons why the whole selection process should be started fresh. It seems that the Mayor may have been the only one in Hartford who hadn't heard the grumblings that the process to select the new Superintendent of Schools was stacked in favor of one candidate from the start.

When WNPR's Jeff Cohen reported about the Hartford Schools Director of External Communications David Medina's behind the scenes phone calls and lobbying efforts for one candidate, Christine Kishimoto, it seemed to ignite a spark in Mayor Segarra to call the process off. I'm not sure it is within his power to do that, but the end result is he did something that needed to be done to restore legitimacy to the process.

Almost immediately after the press conference held by Segarra, I started getting phone calls and e-mails and text messages giving more details about how flawed the process was. The accusations included one member of the selection committee was being "paid off" with what was called "seed money" and the promise of an Executive Director position for a new non-profit being funded by the Hartford Schools.

I found that charge would be a little too obvious for someone to even try, especially after we just came through the Perez years, a Grand Jury investigation and Perez being convicted and sentenced to prison. It did seem somewhat odd to me that the person that the accusation had been made against, Lillian "Millie" Arciniegas, up until a year or so ago had been one of the most outspoken parents against the Adamowski Administration. Now Millie sings the praises of Adamowski to anyone who will listen.

Maybe there was something to the allegations. Well, there was and the Hartford Courant, as well as others, confirmed it. Here is a link to the Courant story

Then there was the accusation regarding the replacement of the Chairperson of the Board of Education and promises made to a member of the Board that if he supported Kishimoto, he would be named Chairperson.

And finally there was the accusation in an e-mail that another parent on the selection committee, who had been picked by Arciniegas apparently, had some ethical conflicts of her own. The word was that Precious Ross-Ellis owned a uniform company that supplied uniforms to the Hartford Schools. I was given the name of the business as Uniforms and Stuff at 541 Albany Avenue.

I took a shot and called the business. A woman answered and I asked her if the business sold Hartford School uniforms and she answered yes. I then asked her if I could speak to Precious and she replied that I was speaking to her. I asked if she was the owner and she replied yes, her and her sister Hortense owned the business. After a few more questions she then asked who I was and I told her and I told her why I was calling. Suddenly the story changed, she didn't own the business , she just worked there.

I fully expected to hear a click as she hung up the phone, but that didn't happen. We had a conversation about conflict of interest and her business having a relationship with the Hartford Schools. She tried to convince me that no business relationship affected or influenced her vote. That may be true, but even if there is a perceived influence, it affects the integrity of the entire process, the same as Arciniegas and the seed money.

What surprised me the most though was the ensuing conversation that probably lasted for at least twenty minutes. Putting my thoughts of the conflict of interest aside, I felt as though I was talking to someone who really did care about Hartford's children and was willing to fight for better schools.

She started to describe her involvement as a parent and I was frantically taking notes because I wanted to make sure I got all this correct. Precious said "five years ago they came into our district, tore our schools apart and disrespected us" she went on " they told us they needed 10 years, they came to Weaver and promised us a new school, they need to deliver what they promised us".

I asked her if she felt Adamowski had delivered on his promises, and she said no. She said she had to have Adamowski walk through Weaver, accompanied by the media, to get his attention to the deplorable conditions in the school, rats...roaches...trash and all. She said after the walk through Adamowski claimed he was "appalled" by the conditions. Not much has changed though and she said that everytime she questions the progress she says that "red-tape" is slowing the process down.

I would think that if the Superintendent was truly "appalled" by the conditions, the red tape would be dealt with quickly.

As we talked more, I was more confused than ever why Precious would support an Adamowski clone if she felt so disrespected by Adamowski. She detailed how she went to every Board of Education meeting and everything was a fight to get anything done for the kids. She detailed how Adamowski had pushed parents out of the decision making process and continually disrespects the parents. She said that typically when the Weaver PTO meets, maybe four parents show up.

Everything Precious spoke about sounded like a concerned parent that would welcome a change in direction for parents that feel disenfranchised when it comes to their children's schools. Then came the part that still has my head spinning.

Apparently, Precious said "I would have gone to Tim" referring to the other considered candidate Timothy Sullivan. She said that she was convinced by other members of the selection committee, who she wouldn't name, that the only way to hold Adamowski accountable for the schools was to give Kishimoto the next five years to complete what Adamowski had claimed would take ten years to complete.

She definitely wasn't happy about the progress of the first five years and I asked her what she thought would change in the next five years under Kishimoto. Maybe nothing, but at least they could then hold Adamowski accountable. More head spinning for me.

I asked if she realized that Adamowski would be long gone and the last thing he would care about was any accountability for Hartford and if Kishimoto made it through a five year contract, I would be greatly surprised. She said she understood all that, but she claims she told Kishimoto that if the job wasn't finished she would follow Kishimoto and make sure the people wherever she went would know what she was like.

Somehow, I don't think that matters to some of these people. In the meantime we need to offer some courses on ethical challenges and conflicts of interest, real or perceived. We need to do better if we are ever going to be taken seriously

Thursday, February 24, 2011

HOW DO YOU SAY HYPOCRITE IN MANDARIN CHINESE?

KELVIN ROLDAN, PICTURED ON THE RIGHT

Hartford Schools employee, bonus recipient and 4th District State Representative Kelvin Roldan could probably answer that question and provide the translation without any difficulty.

Roldan, who rose up quickly through the Perez administration and until he landed his lucrative Board of Education job, was one of the behind the scenes henchman for Perez. Roldan, also known as the fictitious creator of Perez's phony e-mail address "willienunes@hartford.gov", has now seemed to have appointed himself as the champion of truth and justice.

Roldan once again chose to take a shot at Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra today, insinuating that Segarra made a special deal for a payment to Carlos Costa, the contractor in the Perez corruption case.The press release is below.Maybe Roldan needs to be reminded that he is where he is today because of his close allegiance to a corrupt official and a corrupt system that is still alive and well today.

Oh, and one more thing Kelvin to be spelled correctly "Segara" has two "r's"...S.E.G.A.R.R.A.

ROLDAN CALLS ON SEGARA TO RELEASE DOCUMENTS ON PAYMENT TO CONTRACTOR ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION
2/24/11
CONTACT: Kelvin Roldan 860-656-7918

Hartford State Representative Kelvin Roldan called on Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra today to release all city documents concerning the decision of his administration and the city council to authorize the payment of $485,000 to Carlos Costa and his firm USA Contractors in September of 2010. Costa was denied Accelerated Rehabilitation today in Hartford Superior Court for his alleged role in a bribery scheme involving the very contract the Segarra administration authorized additional payments for in 2010.

“Mayor Segara defended this $485,000 payment to Costa in September by stating it was in the financial interests of the city. However most citizens find it hard to understand why the Mayor and city council would think it was in the best interests of the city to pay nearly half a million dollars to a contractor accused of bribery, who was at the center of a scandal that seriously damaged the public trust in city government. Segarra should release all documents concerning this settlement to the public as immediately. Only through full disclosure of all documents, including e-mails, letters, briefs and memos will the public have the chance to make their own judgment about the soundness of the decision by the Mayor and council to authorize this nearly half a million dollar payment.” Roldan stated

THE MONEY TRAIL FOR THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BONUSES

When the information on the $2.7 million in bonuses given out by the Adamowski administration was revealed here, I was given a 25 page list of names and dollar amounts. I thought the whole process was wrong, especially for a City facing the deficits and budget gaps we have on the horizon.

Still though, I fully understand that some of those receiving bonuses were very deserving of them, Principal's and teachers and those day to day educators working in the trenches to teach Hartford's students. After more research and more help from people familiar with the system, it seems like many of the bonuses were given to people who never set foot in a classroom but rather are Central Office bureaucrats.

Over 97 of the payments were made to paper pushers and individuals working out of the Board's Central Office at 960 Main Street. Some of those payments should definitely raise eyebrows as to why they deserved to get bonuses for just doing their jobs that they are being paid very well to do.

Here is the list below of the "big money" earners, you decide if you think this makes sense. Why the "media spokesperson"? Why the Superintendent and the Chief Fianacial Officer who are by all reports running the district into a deficit? Is the Director of Strategic Partnerships not content with almost a $130,000 a year?
BONUS AMOUNT
Dr Stephen Adamowski...Superintendent...................$16,412
Alexander Nardone......Chief Operating Officer..........$11,306
James Thompson.........Asst.Superintendent..............$12,327
Miriam MoralesTaylor...Asst.Superintendent..............$10,152
Christina Kishimoto....Asst.Superintendent..............$11,904
Paula Altieri..........Chief Financial Officer..........$10,955
Penny McCormack........Chief Academic Officer...........$11,300
Kelvin Roldan..........Director,Strategic Partnerships..$7,961
Jill Cutler-Hodgman....Chief Human Resources Officer....$10,152

Here is the entire list of the 97 Central Office recipients:CENTRAL OFFICE BONUSES

I REALLY THINK WE ARE MISSING THE POINT


The reactionary finger pointing that we have sadly become accustomed to in Hartford government is running forward at full speed. Was it Mayor Segarra showing that he does have a spine and standing up to the Board of Education that torpedoed the appointment of Dr. Kishimoto? Or was it Board President David McDonald proving that he doesn't have a spine by knuckling under to Segarra's demands?

The answer is probably quite simple, but I think we have lost sight of the real culprit. If Mayor Segarra expects us to believe that he first learned that the selection process was flawed just moments before the cheese and cracker platters were being delivered for Dr. Kishimoto's coronation, he really needs to rethink that. The talk in the community for weeks has been how Adamowski was hand picking his successor and if the Mayor wasn't privy to any of those conversations, he is drastically out of touch with his constituents.

The wrangling that went into the selection process and even the e-mails flying back and forth between parents, councilpeople and others painted a picture of a done deal for Kishimoto from day one.

The revelation of the $2.7 million dollars in bonuses revealed here a few weeks ago I'm sure didn't ease any tension between Segarra and Adamowski. The Mayor was actually forced into addressing the issue publicly after it was posted, even though I find his claims of ignorance to the process somewhat surprising.

The final straw though in the derailment of Kishimoto's appointment wasn't Segarra or McDonald. It was from the Trojan horse hiding within the Adamowski/Kishimoto inner circle. It was from one of their own loyal and faithful apostles of the Gospel of Perez, David Medina.

For those not familiar with the name David Medina, here is a quick education. David Medina is a former editor from the Hartford Courant. Medina was a member of the Courant's editorial board at the same time that the editorial board surprised many when they endorsed former Mayor, and now convicted felon, Eddie A. Perez for re-election in 2007. Even though Perez's home had been searched by State Inspectors and even though they were aware that a criminal investigation was in full gear, the Courant's Editorial Board endorsed the future felon Perez for re-election.

After that endorsement by the editors, it wasn't a huge surprise when one of the reported authors of the endorsement, David Medina, landed a $100,000 a year plus job as spokesperson for the Hartford School System. Actually his official title is "Director of External Communications".

From what I hear from most media people I speak with, former media people make terrible "spokespersons" or "external communicators". That seems to be true with the "former media person" in the Mayor's Office as well as the Board's choice of Medina. They both seem to have forgotten where they came from.

In Medina's case, boundaries and ethics seem to be foreign to him. That lack of boundaries on Medina's part was most likely the straw that broke the camel's back in the Kishimoto appointment.Not McDonald and most likely not Segarra either as the finger pointing would suggest.


On Tuesday, WNPR's Jeff Cohen reported on Medina's antics in his willingness to make phone calls and political arm twisting to garner support for Kishimoto's ascension to the Office of the Exalted Ruler at 960 Main Street. You can read Jeff's initial story here, and his follow-up story here

It seems that only after Jeff's story was posted that Mayor Segarra was forced to play his hand and step up and address the issue. The timing was highly suspicious and no matter what the Mayor's intentions were, it just looked like a political move to most peeple. And as you can tell, I am not a supporter of Kishimoto or Adamowski, but to eliminate the choice in the final hour is a showing of a total lack of respect for Dr. Kishimoto.

I do agree that a larger search is definitely in order.Did Mayor Segarra suddenly have some miraculous epiphany at lunch on Tuesday to call a hastily planned "media event" to derail the selection process that he had weeks to weigh in on? Who knows.

The one thing that makes me think it wasn't political on the Mayor's part or re-enforces that Segarra has terrible political advisors is this: If Segarra was actually interested in using the process for political gain, the smart choice would have been to support the only other candidate, Tim Sullivan. Sullivan's mother, Geraldine Sullivan, who also happens to be the sister of the late former Mayor Mike Peters, is still a political force to be reckoned with that can deliver votes.

Most people I have asked have told me that Tim Sullivan is a capable and qualified individual to be the Superintendent of Schools. Not all teachers support him because he apparently sided with Adamowski on the hotly contested issue of assigning seniority for teachers by individual schools rather than by district wide rankings. But even teachers that disagreed with his position on that issue agreed that he could be a good Superintendent.

My point is that if it was a political move, it would have been a no brainer for Segarra to push for Sullivan and most likely garner vote support for making the hometown kid and product of Hartford's Schools himself, the next Superintendent.

But then David Medina decided to throw all the boundaries and ethics away and let his fingers do the walking as he made his improper phone calls. And as anyone knows, apparently except for Medina, nothing in Hartford stays quiet. The word got out, the Mayor was forced to re-act, the Board and its new President had no backbone to stand up to the Mayor. The cheese and cracker platters and the fruit platters were assembled but left unused because the Kishimoto Coronation was cancelled.

And the rest is history, history as only Hartford can let it play out. And finally, for his role in the whole matter, David Medina has been "reprimanded" according to McDonald. Luckily for Medina, in most other places in the real world, Medina would have been terminated and escorted out of the building for unethical behavior like he showed here, especially when it ruined the appointment of his current boss's hand picked successor, embarrassed the Mayor and the Board of Education, a perfect trifecta.

Helen Ubinas also has written her column Thursday about the selection process,another blackeye for Hartford. Click here to read Helen's column

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

HARTFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING CANCELLED....NO CORONATION TODAY

Apparently the pressure on the Board of Education is being ratcheted up and their meeting for today to announce the Coronation of Dr Kishimoto as the replacement to outgoing Superintendent Adamowski has been abruptly cancelled.

More on this later, but a hopefully legitimate search will now be announced by the Board, according to sources.

It sounds like the bonuses to Adamowski, Kishimoto, Roldan and Medina combined with Medina's improper lobbying and phone calls on Kishimoto's behalf might have backfired.

Monday, February 21, 2011

ANOTHER MAYORAL CONTENDER?

Numerous sources are telling me that Southend businessperson Paul Mozzicato is about to announce his run for Mayor. At a Southend small business group meeting last week, Mozzicato apparently informally announced to the group that he intends to enter the race for Hartford's next Mayor.

An official announcement is expected soon.

Mozzicato ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2007, losing out by a very small margin. Many think that Mozzicato's experience as a small business person in Hartford could play a key role in making retention and development of Hartford's small businesses a critical issue in the election.

EARNING HIS BONUS....ONE PHONE CALL AT A TIME


A couple weeks ago I posted about the $2.7million dollars in bonuses paid out by the Hartford Schools. I agree that some of the bonuses might be well deserved by some teachers and administrators, but it still seems to be poor timing by a school system running a budget deficit and potential layoffs of staff.

A few of the bonuses made no sense to me, especially the one paid to the Hartford Schools spokesperson David Medina for essentially doing his job that he is paid very well for.

This weekend though, the entire picture became clearer when Jeff Cohen reported on the shady behind the scene phone calls being made by Medina to influence people to support Dr. Kishimoto for the new Superintendent of Schools. To read Jeff Cohen's report, click here.

To anyone who has observed the selection process for the new Superintendent, it should be pretty clear that it wasn't about honest competition and selecting the best candidate. The process was clearly designed to select Adamowski's handpicked successor, Dr. Kishimoto.

Medina also has a vested interest in seeing Kishimoto picked to run Hartford's School system. Without her, Medina would most likely be on the unemployment line. Especially when it comes to keeping three teachers or getting rid of one spokesperson. Most superintendent's really interested in the children and their educations would choose the teachers first.

Friday, February 11, 2011

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE....AND IN THIS CORNER...MATT ROLDAN


Jeff Cohen had an interesting post on his blog at WNPR radio yesterday. You can use the link to the right to go to Jeff's blog.

Apparently during an interview with Mayor Pedro Segarra, Segarra referred to former Perez bagman Kelvin Roldan as "Matt Roldan". Whether that slip was intentional or by mistake, most feel he was referring to the connection between Roldan and the former Chief of Staff for Hartford's Chief Crook, convicted felon and former Mayor Eddie Perez.

Roldan apparently has embarked recently on a journey of self discovery. Does he want to be an employee of the Hartford Schools?(employee might be the wrong term since no one seems to be able to identify what he actually does) Does he want to be a State Representative? Does he want to be Hartford's City Treasurer? Does he want to be Hartford's Mayor? Or maybe he just wants to live in quiet anonymity as his alter ego "Willie Nunes"?

So anyway, apparently Matt... I mean Kelvin...didn't take too kindly to the Mayor's slip. Roldan sent a sharply worded e-mail to Cohen after the interview aired.

To: Cohen, Jeff; ddownkowski@wnpr.org
Subject: Re: interview for a story

Hi Jeff,

Sorry for my dealyed response, Busy day.

After quickly reviewing the WWL interview I can only say that the poorly plowed roads in Hartford have kept Mayor Segarra confined to City Hall for too long giving him a very bad case of “cabin fever”. This stream of consciousness performance has Segarra; spending $67,000 for four days to rent a snow machine you can allegedly buy for $250,000, defending a $480K payment he approved to a contractor arrested for bribery, claiming to be a psychotherapist , forgetting the location of the Nelton Court Housing project and finally, calling the “poor people” of Hartford “manipulated” and “incapable of performing the analysis” at election time. I think in this context, any additional comments on my part would just detract from this insightful interview.

Thanks,

Kelvin


The whole exchange seems a little ridiculous. Although Segarra may have made a mistake and forgotten the location of Nelton Court, many of Roldan's constituents would make the same claim that Roldan has forgotten the location of his district. Roldan sent out a press release last week urging his subjects, I mean constituents, to send him pictures of poorly plowed streets so he could document Segarra's inefficiency I guess.

It might have made a lot more sense for Roldan to go out and actually walk his district and take a few pictures of his own. Especially in this age of GPS, Roldan should be able to find just about every street in his district without too much trouble.

And I'm not sure what Roldan meant about defending the "$480K" payment to a contractor arrested for bribery. As we heard repeatedly during the Perez arrest and trial..."innocent until proven guilty". And someone that would set up a phony e-mail name for a convicted felon Mayor to facilitate that Mayor's corrupt activities might want to think twice before throwing around any allegation involving corruption.

I'm sure that if we looked deeper into how certain people formerly in the Mayor's office who then landed $128,000 a year positions at the Board of Education might not necessarily have the "cleanest hands".I'm just saying.

And criticizing Mayor Segarra for spending $67,000 for snow removal equipment rentals is interesting also. Wasn't Roldan a key advisor to then Mayor, now convicted felon Eddie A. Perez before Roldan landed his $128,000 a year unknown position at the Board of Education? I might be mistaken, but I think I recall a time when Perez and Roldan could claim responsibility for numerous dollars squandered.

One that immediately comes to mind was the "Wireless Hartford" brainstorm that cost the people of Hartford millions of dollars. That was the plan to provide wireless internet to Blue Hills and Downtown, all paid for by the City of Hartford. Most of that equipment is probably sitting in a city warehouse somewhere now collecting dust and the program was a huge failure.

And that $67,000 dollars is a lot less than the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by the taxpayers of Hartford for attorneys representing Roldan and others when they were brought before a Grand Jury investigating Roldan's mentor...yes, you guessed it....the convicted felon Eddie A. Perez.

At least with the money spent for the snow removal equipment rental we are seeing some benefit and results. The streets are becoming passable, little by little. Not Mayor Segarra's proudest hour, but at least something is getting done.

And as far as Mayor Segarra suffering from "cabin fever", that allegation might be true. Luckily for Kelvin, his frequent travel allows him to spend time at country clubs in much milder climates lounging under the palm trees and playing golf, where he can unwind and forget about his constituents. Constituents of his that comprise probably the poorest district of any other in the State of Connecticut.

And Segarra's comments that Roldan referenced...“manipulated” and “incapable of performing the analysis at election time." probably can't be disputed. How else could you explain the corrupt Mayor and now convicted felon Eddie A. Perez being re-elected in 2007 while undergoing the scrutiny of a Grand Jury investigation which was common knowledge at the time and would lead to his eventual arrest and conviction and sentence of prison time?

I'm just saying.

AGGRAVATING THE CHIEF "WE THE PEOPLE" STYLE


Apparently Chief Roberts doesn't like the term "shake-up".

I attended the promotions ceremony for the newly elevated members of the Chief's command staff yesterday at the Hartford Hilton. The ballroom at the Hilton was full of police officers, their family members, dignitaries and well wishers.I was surprised that Mayor Segarra was not there, nor COO David Panagore or even the Mayor's Chief of Staff. But now that I think about it, I haven't seen the Mayor at the last couple promotion ceremonies.This time he was probably out directing snow removal operations and I think the last time he was making the ice in Bushnell Park.

I was just staring to doze off during the Chief's speech when I heard my name mentioned by the Chief. Just kidding Chief, your speeches are usually pretty good, and more importantly usually short.

Anyway, apparently the Chief wasn't happy that Wednesday morning at about 10:15am he was announcing the management changes and as he later tried to make quite clear to me, it wasn't a "shake-up". A short time later the individual who has been appointed to monitor my blog ( one of a couple from what I understand) frantically entered the Compstat meeting to advise the Chief that "we the people" had the "shake-up" on the blog by 10:18am.

So the Chief made the comment during his promotion speech that "As I was making my changes, Mr. Brookman had it on his blog by 10:18am, someone was telling him what was going on". After his speech, the Chief told me he would love to know how I get my information, and I told him that is the beauty of it, he never will know and sometimes I don't even know who they are.

And just to clarify this, the Chief and I do have a very good professional relationship, at least I think so, the Chief might have a different version, but I doubt it. One of the things I have to say about Chief Roberts is that we have a lot of good conversations, but we also have conversations when I can honestly tell him I disagree with some things that he or his Department do.

The picture above was taken after the promotion ceremony, just to show that we really do get along. The picture was taken by Detective Claudette Kosinski, and I am convinced the Chief had her fix the photo so I appeared chubbier than he does in the photo. Sorry Chief.

According to numerous police sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Chief was seen throughout the day wandering the halls of Jennings Road repeating the phrase "10:18, 10:18, Brookman had it by 10:18, someone's talking".

COUNCIL AGENDA FOR FEBRUARY 14, 2011

This Council agenda is e-mailed prior to Council meetings and a recap of the meeting is e-mailed after the meetings.The Council Preview/Review is a joint project of Hartford 2000 and the Hartford Public Library.
If you have any questions about the agenda, please call Richard Frieder at the Hartford Public Library, 695-6365, or Linda Bayer at Hartford 2000, 547-1663 X21.

The agenda and the recap provide an easy to follow "plain English" description of the Council's actions To receive them yourself, e-mail htfd2000@aol.com and sign up.

And don't forget, Monday nights meeting is the first meeting of the month where the public comment session is held prior to the meeting from 6:00PM until 7:00PM

Council Preview 2/14/11

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

THE APONTE CHRONICLES: A JOURNEY OF DECEPTION ?

With the arrest and conviction of former Mayor Eddie Perez, an opening was created on the Hartford City Council when Pedro Segarra left the Council to assume the role of Mayor. After quite a bit of political arm twisting and maneuvering, Hartford Attorney Alexander Aponte was appointed to the vacant seat.

Aponte's appointment wasn't without controversy though. Prior to his appointment a source who had intimate knowledge of an ongoing Federal investigation as well as possible disbarment proceedings against Aponte contacted me with specific details. I related that information to several Council members as well as Corporation Counsel Saundra Kee-Borges

At least three of those Council members have now told me that they felt they were deceived by Aponte when they asked him for clarification before the replacement vote was taken. Two council members had specifically asked Aponte about the info and they stated Aponte had replied that there was nothing to the allegations and it was "just some woman trying to make some money" off him.

Documents obtained since that night the vote was taken seem to paint a much different picture. Aside from the actual complaint and investigation, the Connecticut Grievance Panel for the Hartford Judicial District issued their own "Grievance Panel Finding of Probable Cause" in which they determined that Aponte "appears to have been involved in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation".The Grievance Panel's "Finding of Probable Cause" to pursue allegations against Aponte are below:
Aponte Grievance Panel Finding of Probable Cause

Putting all the lawyer jokes aside, attorney's aren't typically known for using such strong language against one of their own. The full finding of probable cause can be read above. That finding was reached on November 23, 2009 and numerous continuances on the part of Aponte and his attorney dragged the eventual grievance hearing before a Superior Court Judge for over a year. Eventually a hearing was scheduled for January 13, 2011 and although Aponte and his attorney attempted to once again delay that hearing with a continuance, that request was denied and the disciplinary hearing was held.

That hearing could take several months before the decision is rendered. The result could be anything from an exoneration, a potential lengthy suspension of Aponte's law license up to disbarment. An attorney familiar with the case told me that considering the severity of the allegations and the strongly worded finding of probable cause, a lengthy suspension of a year or two would be likely but he wouldn't be surprised by the revocation of Aponte's license to practice law.

The documents posted below will paint an interesting picture of the initial fraud perpetrated by an illegal immigrant who had previously been caught up and imprisoned by food stamp fraud. After he served his sentence on the initial arrest he was apparently deported and then once again entered the United States illegally. Once back here, he began his food stamp fraud again.

This time though both him and his wife needed what they referred to as a "straw buyer" to operate under the radar and still be able to accept food stamps at their bodega located at 194 Mather Street. The "straw buyer", Maribel Diaz apparently went along with the plan after she was told that the store was actually owned by a Catholic Priest, Father Michael Galasso. The formerly deported illegal immigrant, who operated under numerous aliases including "Polo" Adames, Polo Collado-Adames,Leonaldo Collado,Jose Adames,David Martin, David Polo and Apolinar Collado along with his wife Lillian Adames, convinced Diaz to put the store in her name.

According to investigative reports and documents, Diaz claimed that Collado told her that they could not put the store in his wife's name because they had a daughter who had a heart transplant and she was receiving government benefits. They couldn't show the income or she would lose her benefits according to their story.

Diaz became suspicious of the operation when she noticed the large dollar amounts moving through the checking account that Collado had opened in her name for the business. On October 23, 2008 Diaz gave her statement to the USDA detailing the operation and her involvement. Her statement is detailed below:
Diaz USDA Statement

Diaz claims that Father Galasso was aware of the family's history but never warned her of their past or their family history in the previous scams. Father Galasso was abruptly transferred out of his parish several years ago by the Archdiocese of Hartford for unknown reasons and attempts to reach him for comment have been unsuccessful.

Although Aponte claimed to represent "Mr. Michael Galazo" in a letter dated November 29, 2004 to the USDA as a result of their investigation into the food stamp fraud. A couple of things make this suspicious as to Aponte's representation of Father Galasso. First off is the application to the USDA to accept food stamps which purports to be filed by Father Galasso. The only problem with that which makes me suspicious is that Father Galasso's name is misspelled on the application and if I were a betting person I would bet that the application was a forgery.

Aponte carries the misspelling of Father Galasso's name through on his letter to the USDA referring to him as Mr. Michael Galazo. It is unknown if Father Galasso and Aponte did actually have an attorney/client relationship and no documentation was available in the Grievance Committee's investigation showing that Galasso had actually retained Aponte as his attorney . Yhe Aponte letter to the USDA claiming "Galazo" as his client and the "Galazo" food stamp application are below:
APONTE TO USDA "GALAZO" CLIENT LETTER

"Galazo" USDA Food Stamp Application

On November 11, 2005 Aponte sent a letter to the USDA claiming to represent Maribel Diaz and appeared to be attempting to gather information regarding the Federal Investigation. The reality is that Aponte did not represent Diaz but actually was working for the apparent beneficiaries of the fraud scheme, Apolinar Collado. Eventually Maribel Diaz did actually retain the services of an attorney when she learned that she had unknowingly been drawn into the heart of the Federal investigation and that she was facing stiff penalties.

Diaz's attorney, Stefan J. Stolarz, sent a letter to Aponte on May 5, 2009 attempting to confirm his attempt to clarify the relationship between Aponte and Diaz. Apparently in a previous conversation Aponte stated to Stolarz that he "did not recall ever representing a Maribel Diaz". Yet, in the 11/11/2005 letter to the USDA , Aponte claimed in writing that he represented Diaz.

In his letter, Stolarz requests several critical documents from Aponte that Aponte would have been required to complete and make his client Diaz aware of if she was in fact ever his client. Specifically, at the time Diaz would have retained Aponte he would have completed an "agreement to represent". If in fact Aponte represented Diaz and also represented Collado/Adames this would have presented a conflict of interest and Aponte would have had to secure a "waiver of conflict" from Diaz verifying that she had been advised of the conflict.

In addition, if Aponte did actually represent both Diaz and Collado/Adames as he claimed, he was required to advise Diaz of Collado/Adames prior conviction for crimes specifically relating to the type of charges she now faced as a result of the Federal investigation. Aponte would have been required to explain to her how that history would relate to her current charges.

Apparently none of that documentation was forthcoming. Aponte's letter to the USDA claiming to represent Diaz and Attorney Stolarz's letter to Aponte are below:
Aponte Letter to USDA- Diaz Client Letter

Stolarz - Letter to Aponte- Diaz Client Letter

On July 13, 2009, Maribel Diaz filed a formal complaint with the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch and set the Grievance process against Aponte in motion. That complaint is below:
Diaz Complaint to Grievance Committee

During September of 2009 both Diaz and Aponte responded to the Grievance Panel in detail. Those detailed responses are below:
APONTE RESPONSE DIAZ COMPLAINT

The documents seem to speak for themselves, but a couple things seem to be very clear. First and foremost, Aponte was less than truthful when he told members of the Hartford City Council that there was nothing to the allegations. Aponte's peers, specifically the Grievance Panel members felt that the allegations were serious and more importantly credible when they issued their finding of probable cause against Aponte.

To accuse one of their fellow attorneys of fraud and deception is not an action that I would think they take lightly and would not be made without strong evidence.
The conflicting statements and letters from Aponte to the USDA claiming to represent Maribel Diaz and then his denial of representing her to Attorney Stolarz draw Aponte's integrity and truthfulness into question.

Aponte is not a new attorney fresh out of law school who can claim he didn't know better. The documents appear to outline a pattern of deception on the part of Aponte in dealing with this matter and his denial to his fellow council members was a further continuance of the deception.

We have had enough deception, corruption and yes even embarrassment by our elected officials to last a lifetime. Council President rJo Winch who refused to originally vote for Aponte's appointment then less than 24 hours later flipped her vote and supported Aponte to secure her own appointment as Council President needs to show how much of a leader she is now. If Aponte won't do the right thing on his own, Winch needs to lead the way to restore confidence and integrity and show that she can be a leader and move to remove

Aponte.

NOT BAD WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT


Some people seem to understand the world of political patronage better than others. Hartford's Democratic Deputy Registrar of Voters Garey Coleman has figured out how to double dip legally, while others who tried it are waiting to be arrested.

In the photo above, Coleman is the hard working civil servant earning his pay while reading the newspaper, bottom center directly under the speakers podium. Coleman apparently is able to perform two separate jobs at two separate locations and still find time to read the paper. It seems that Coleman still collects his full pay as the Democratic Deputy Registrar at the same time he collects his pay as clerk of the Connecticut House of Representatives.Click on the image above to view it full size.

That must be a difficult task, considering how hard he seems to be working in the picture above. Obviously money well spent. It reminds me of the poker playing legislators also caught last year on camera.



The picture was snapped by a Courant photographer and posted on the blog "eye contact". You can view the blog by clicking here

MORE LIPSTICK ON THE ADAMOWSKI PIG


Last week information that $2.7 million dollars in bonuses had been paid out to Hartford School employees seemed to surprise many people, including Hartford Mayor Segarra. It now would seem that Hartford's Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Steven Adamowski, continues to run Hartford's schools like the Captain of the Titanic and choosing to ignore the huge iceberg he is about to crash into, a/k/a the 2011-2012 budget.

Hartford's schools have been a shell game of names under Adamowski with Principals and Vice-Principal becoming "Deans", schools that were paid attention to became "Academies" and now the Human Resources office has become the "Office of Talent Management".

And if any of that makes sense to you, Adamowski is apparently now creating a new Director's position in a cash strapped system while more teachers will probably lose their jobs July 1st to more budget cuts. The position of "Director of Performance Management" in the Office of Talent Management was posted yesterday. The salary is not listed but sources have advised me that it is expected to be upwards of $110,000. Calls to the Office of Talent Management for comment were not answered or returned.

OFFICE OF TALENT MANAGEMENT

MAJOR MANAGEMENT SHAKE-UP AT H.P.D. UNDERWAY

Police sources at the Hartford Police Department are telling me that a major shake-up is underway this morning at the PD. Changes are being announced in this morning's COMPSTAT meeting which is underway now.

Several changes have already been made including Lieutenants being shuffled in most areas including Major Crimes, Juvenile Investigations, Southeast and Southwest zones, Department Advocate, the Chief's Executive Officer, Evidentiary Services and more are expected throughout the morning. Preliminary information is that a new spokesperson for the Department may also be named today

More on this as it progresses and the list of names of those shuffled.

Monday, February 7, 2011

THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Last Friday I posted about the Hartford Police investigating the alleged sexual assault of a five month old child. As sad and disgusting as that allegation is, it still is investigated by a Hartford Police Officer. A Hartford Police officer who has one definite thing in common with every other police officer across the country. The investigating officer is a human being with human emotions.

I don't know the officer that investigated the incident, but I am sure it brought about some strong emotional feelings. And I don't know this for a fact, but it was probably the type of day that ended with the officer trying to get a few buddies to meet for a cold beer after work.

And there lies the problem. Police officers are human and may deal with their problems the way many others do, through alcohol or by taking it out on someone else that they think will usually put up with it. It seems like the two reasons officer's end up on the bad side of the news lately is from alcohol related incidents or domestic violence arrests.

I don't condone either, but until we start employing "robo-cops" who have no emotion and function like a computer chip, we are going to have problems.

The issue hit close to home today when word of Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Timothy Kradas's recent accident and the revelation that alcohol was most likely involved. "Timmy" has been a friend since the days he moved in next to our family in Windsor when he was only a few years old. It seems like he almost spent more time at our house growing up than he did at his home. When our family would head to Vermont for weekends or summer vacations, Timmy was usually there.

Through just about every family event, Tim was there as one of our family. Weddings, wakes, funerals, Tim was there. Even my fathers retirement party, Tim was there.

Tim and I were working together when he went through the application process and was accepted into the State Police Academy and I remember him beaming when he graduated and was assigned to Troop C in Stafford. I remember how proud I was to see him make it to graduation and begin his career.

A couple years later I was with him one Saturday. He was off duty when he got a call and was told to meet another trooper off of I-91 in Windsor. He didn't know it at the time, but his State Police K-9 and his new partner Phoenix was about to be delivered to him to begin canine training.

Tim excelled with Phoenix and they made quite the team. Unfortunately, during a track one night in rough terrain, Tim and Phoenix went off a cliff and Tim's fall resulted in some chronic back injuries. Phoenix fared better from the incident and eventually retired.

That's a little bit about the human side, but it also brings me back to the "dirty little secret". Alcohol abuse is a huge problem for police officers, the same as it is for teachers, priests and probably just about every profession. The problem though is that when alcohol affects a cops career, it usually doesn't end well.

Cops are the tough guys amongst us. They are supposed to always be strong and have their armored defenses up and ready. Their peers and co-workers are expected to be equally as strong and no sign of weakness goes unchallenged. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 the challenge is neither healthy nor helpful.

Did Tim all of a sudden decide to leave CSP Headquarters pound a few beers during a snowstorm (if that is what he did) and hit the highway and drive under a truck. I doubt it. Did anyone at HQ ever look at the LT. and ask "does he look like he has been drinking?". It probably wasn't a problem that started the afternoon of the accident.

Did anyone in a squadroom full of Bristol Police Officers question one of their own on the midnight shift recently before he hit the road drunk? Obviously not, but I find it hard to believe no one noticed.

Hartford has their share also, it isn't unique to Bristol or the state. It is a human frailty and although the officers are at fault for their actions, it is something that no one wants to address. Until it erupts into a problem that is.

Many times with full knowledge of pretty much everyone, alcohol related accidents are attributed to "black ice" or a drunken binge attributed to "oh, he just had a bad day", until the "bad days" seem to become almost every day. Too many good officers, talented officers, are reduced to ruins because no one has the backbone to step up and do what is right. It is easier to gossip over the radio and make jokes about "Sgt. 36" or "Lt.36" being on a binge again. (36 is HPD's radio code for a drunk, DUI)

EAP (employee assistance program)is something that needs to be more than just a program on paper. Someone should have the guts to step up and say "I think Tim has a problem" and be able to do that without being the outcast because they breached "the Blue Wall of Silence". What they most likely are doing is helping a co-worker avoid the embarrassment of front page headlines on the Courant as well as saving their career.

What was an impressive career will now be reduced to being remembered as a crash during a snowstorm with beer cans and some tomato juice concoction containing alcohol. Doing what is right is hardly ever easy, but in the end, this incident probably would have had a much different outcome if someone had the guts to step up and do what is unpopular but also what is right.

Friday, February 4, 2011

CUTTING EDGE ONCE AGAIN, SEGARRA WEIGHS IN ON ADAMOWSKI'S BONUSES

Last week I posted on nearly $2.7 million in bonuses given out by Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski to Hartford Schools employees.

Today WNPR's Jeff Cohen is reporting that Mayor Segarra is concerned that the bonuses might be "inappropriate" and has called Adamowski to task to explain the expenditures.

You can read Jeff's story by clicking here

To read last weeks posting and see the list of those receiving bonuses, click here

HARTFORD POLICE INVESTIGATING SEXUAL ASSAULT OF 5 MONTH OLD CHILD

Our police officers see some of the worst of humanity along with some of the best. Today's incident must be troublesome to even the most seasoned police officers.

A 5 month old child has been admitted to Connecticut Children's Medical Center suffering from what is believed to be trauma suffered from a sexual assault. The child was brought to the hospital after the mother noticed unusual bruising and marks on the child. According to police sources, specialists at CCMC confirmed that the injuries were consistent with an apparent sexual assault and evidence of internal trauma was also found.

HPD sources confirmed that a potential suspect who was also in the apartment at the time of the alleged assault is being questioned. The mother was taken into police custody on an unrelated outstanding warrant. As of this time an arrest has not been made, but sources said that an arrest is very likely. HPD's Juvenile Investigation Division (JID)is continuing their investigation

Please keep this child in your thoughts as well as the officer's and medical staff who have had to deal with this matter.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

ONCE AGAIN, THE LAW MEANS NOTHING IN HARTFORD

Apparently a press release issued this week has raised the hackles of Tax Collectors across the State of Connecticut.

In a press release issued by Mayor Segarra on February 1, 2011, Segarra stated "Due to the inclement weather, the parking ban, and the potential closing of City Hall on Wednesday, the last day to pay City property taxes has been extended until Thursday, February 3rd. A late penalty will not be applied until Friday, February 4th."

According to Connecticut State Law though, CGS 12-169 the city mayor can not waive the interest or late fees due to inclement weather according to several Tax Collectors from other municipalities across the State who exchanged e-mails after the press release was issued.

In the e-mails obtained by "we the people", one Tax Collector expressed her opinion regarding late payments, "People have known right along that their taxes were due. If you want to wait until the last minute that's the chance you take. We live in New England. Wait five minutes and the weather will change".

Once again, Hartford has shown that it is above the law and Connecticut State Law only applies to other Towns. One Tax Collector showed the high regard that Hartford is held in and his comments seem to explain it all...
"No offense to anyone associated with the lovely City of Hartford……but now you can see why things are so #@*$ up there!

Did I miss that day in class where the Mayor has the authority to override state statute or is this new legislation?"


Also, Hartford's Tax Collector apparently has never been certified as a Tax Collector by the State of Connecticut. Most of the others involved in the e-mail discussion have been certified, so they may actually know and understand Connecticut Law. Where was Hartford's Corporation Counsel, COO, Chief of Staff all of our high priced city hall staffers who should know better?

The names of the Tax Collectors and their municipalities have been withheld to protect the innocent. Oh well, at least some towns get it and follow the law.