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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Deputy Chief Nolan Update #2

The following comment was posted today on the blog:

Nolan was dishonest. You should get all of the facts before you print your tripe.

Well, that's the beauty of the Freedom of Information Act. Although the City of Hartford and Corporation Counsel John Rose have made a mockery of FOI during the Perez Administration, eventually the truth does come out. I filed the following FOI request yesterday with the City:

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act I am requesting the following:

Any and all investigations and/or investigative reports conducted regarding Daniel Nolan related to his employment with the Hartford Fire Department and the City of Hartford, including but not limited to written documents, e-mails, memo's and correspondence as well as any witness statements and supporting documentation.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter


Once the documents are received, they will be posted here in their entirety and we will see where the truth lies. You will be able to read them and make your own decision. A couple things make me suspicious though of the City of Hartford's intent. First, if you conduct a legitimate investigation, I would think that it would not be a problem to outline your allegations for a termination and give those to the employee that is being terminated, it only seems fair. Second, I have yet to have anyone point out to me any other time in the history of the Hartford Fire Department that such an investigation has taken place, especially in the way that this has been handled. Almost a year long investigation handled by the Corporation Counsel's Office under the direction of John Rose. It just seems odd, and to me a conflict of interest, for the investigation to be conducted by Rose, the decision to terminate not handled by the Human Resources Director or Fire Chief, but by Rose and any legal action will be handled for the City by Rose. The FOI documents may prove differently, but we'll see.

John Rose sent me the following response today to my FOI request submitted yesterday:

Mr.Brookman, I have the attached FOI request and have acted to advise
the parties who have access to any disclosable documents to collect them
and to deliver them to Att'y Ramos of this office. He will coordinate
whatever disclosure there will be. Once he has secured the documents he
will notify you and you should then contact this office to obtain copies
or to inspect same. The number here is 757-9700. We will bill for any
copies provided at the per page rate prescribed by law. JohnRose


This is their standard response, and most likely will not be complied with easily.
There are a couple exclusions that they could try to use to deny releasing the documents. 1.) That the request involves an ongoing investigation. Since the termination has taken place, that most likely won't float, any competent individual would complete the investigation before taking any action. 2.)The incident involves pending litigation and the release would undermine their defense. According to Nolan no "intent to sue" has been given to the City, so that won't float either. Also, the City could claim that to release the report would be an invasion of privacy for Nolan or that the investigation is not of legitimate concern to the public. Those two also won't float because the accusations appear to involve on-duty conduct by Chief Nolan and didn't carry over to incidents in his private life that would be extremely damaging to him if they were released. As an example WFSB Reporter Len Besthoff and Courant Reporter Dan Uhlinger partnered in a complaint against the East Hartford Police Department (Docket #FIC 2007-702, can be found at ct.gov/foi). In that decision, it involved an internal investigation used for the demotion of an East Hartford Police Lieutenant who was accused of sexual harassment of another officer and the report detailed sexual activity both on and off duty. That report was eventually ordered released to the public by the Commission. Essentially, there are very few instances where internal investigations conducted by a public agency of a public employee are not open to the public's review.

As soon as the documents are received, you can be sure they will be posted, which ever way they go. I'm betting on the guy who has served a couple tours in Iraq, but if I'm wrong, I'll admit it.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF DAN NOLAN UPDATE

More on this as I can develop information, but I spoke with Dan Nolan by phone today to see if I could get a copy of the "internal investigation" that was used as justification to terminate him. Nolan stated that he has not seen or been offered the opportunity to review the report, nor has he been given any specific charges that were used to terminate him. Since the termination has been completed, the investigation for all intents and purposes is complete, and I have filed a Freedom of Information request to review the investigation and related documents. Nolan has not filed an intent to sue the city, so there is no legal reason to withhold the report under FOI laws, in fact Nolan welcomed me getting it and asked me to provide him with a copy when I get it. It makes me believe even more in Nolan's innocence, if he knew there would be damaging information in there , I don't think he would want me to see it.

I spoke with Human Resources Director Santiago Malave to get a copy of the report. He stated that the "investigation" report was done by the Corporation Counsel's Office and he didn't have it. This makes me wonder even more about the legitimacy of this termination. My first thought is that if City Attorney John Rose was in charge of the "investigation" , then of course it must be fair and impartial. I'm sure John Rose would stand his ground and tell Mayor Perez that he can not be influenced and would issue his report based on the facts he develops.

Ok, time to get off the floor and stop rolling around laughing,I know as well as most do, that John Rose's strings are being pulled by the master puppeteer at City Hall, the Dishonorable Mayor Eddie A. Perez. You have to laugh at this stuff or you will go crazy thinking about the lives that Perez has ruined. The only saving grace is to keep in mind a key lesson my parents always taught us- what goes around comes around and people like Perez will get their day. The dawn of Eddie's day has begun and I for one intend to follow it right through until that great sunset on the Perez Administration, when the next chapter begins in Somers for King Eddie and his cast of characters.

The next court date for the Dishonorable Mayor Eddie A. Perez is scheduled for March 19, 2009 at 101 Lafayette Street, Hartford at 10:00am. Feel free to join me there.

LEADERSHIP BEGINS AT THE TOP



I have received many comments and calls regarding my posting about Jose Silva, the 14year city employee, laid off from his job the day he closed on his first home. Every single comment has been about the same as I felt last Sunday when I left the Silva home after meeting and discussing the layoff. One e-mail pretty much said what all of us are feeling after hearing his story;

The story actually teared me up because for folks like us who are foolish enough to believe life is supposed to be fair and bad things are not supposed to happen to good people, this is just offensive. It also just frustrates me because it just makes you feel so helpless to stop what's going on. And the more stories I hear like this, the more I wonder if things will ever change.

It aggravates me even more when I hear Sarah Barr trying to justify some of the hiring going on in the middle of a hiring freeze and layoffs. On one hand you have people like Jose Silva, making around $34,000, who just wants to do his job. On the other hand you have people like former state Rep Evelyn Mantilla, pictured above at the Perez prayer vigil last week, during city working hours. Mantilla stepped aside from her seat in the Legislature to make way for Perez puppet Kelvin Roldan to run. During that time Mantilla was paid tens of thousands of dollars by the Perez campaign as a "consultant". This is all documented in campaign filings of the Perez campaign required under state law. Subsequently, Mantilla was put on the City payroll in the Mayor's office as a "consultant" for approximately $60,000 for a temporary contract. Once that contract came time to expire, Mantilla has now been hired, according to Barr, to implement new software in the Health Department for $69,000 a year, plus benefits. Just a side note, Jose Silva bought his home in Hartford, Evelyn Mantilla moved out of Hartford when she left the legislature. No need to remain in Hartford if she could still feed from the Perez trough without actually having to live here. Also in the picture above (top center, with the coffee cup in his hand, his wife next to him, she runs Family Life Education, a non profit in the city)) at the prayer vigil during city business hours, is Genaro Sepulveda. Sepulveda is the City of Hartford Public Works supervisor who created a stir last year when he lost his license due to a DUI. Sepulveda's job requires him to travel about the city inspecting various facilities. it would seem to most observers that this would require a drivers license. Yet, since Sepulveda is a close ally of Perez, it was revealed to the public that his job didn't require he have a valid license. Although he apparently didn't need a license or use of a city vehicle to perform his duties for a year. Yet now that his license has been re-instated, he has been rewarded with his take-home city car again. Hopefully safeguards have been put in place to avoid the possibilty of a third DUI arrest , especially while driving a city vehicle. We have had enough Crown Vic's wrecked in the last year,I'd hate to see us lose one of the new hybrids, so much for zero tolerance for alcohol in city vehicles. The other person in the pic on the left is Francis Davila, another Perez ally and a State of Connecticut DCF employee, at the vigil, also during working hours, but we have enough problems in Hartford to focus on, the State can deal with its problems.

When you see people like Jose Silva getting laid off but the perpetual feeders at the trough keep their positions, whatever those positions are besides propping up Perez, it makes you wonder. I am not typically a big union supporter, but in this case I hope the city employee unions use a line out of the Jim Calhoun playbook when asked for concessions... "not a dime" with the caveat that once Perez sets the example and scales back his staff and spending, the union membership will gladly follow and do their part, as they always have. And one final thought; Eddie do you really think you will be around next year to give back that raise? I'm not a betting person, but I would take the odds in favor of probably not

THE MAYOR MICHAEL P. PETERS CONVENTION CENTER

It has a nice ring to it I think. After listening to Mayor Perez Monday night claim that he was naming a firehouse after Mayor Mike, I took it as a decent gesture by Perez, but far from being enough. Mayor Mike may have been a career firefighter, but no one can deny that his vision and enthusiasm for the city he loved and called home his entire life, brought the Convention Center to reality. His ability to actually work with Governor John Rowland and others and get things done was a credit to his life and love for Hartford. It seems only fitting that one of the largest development projects in recent Hartford history should bear the name of someone truly worthy of such an honor.

I have spoke with a couple legislator's and a high ranking state elected official over the last 24 hours, and they have all offered to help get this done. Any ideas, comments or support would be greatly appreciated to move this forward, please feel free to e-mail me at krbrookman@earthlink.net or call me with your ideas.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Even though I have been pretty tough on the Dishonorable Mayor Eddie A. Perez and his Director of Mis-Communication Sarah Barr, it's hard to not be when they hand you things on a silver platter. Barr's messages have been about as inconsistent as our weather lately, and her facts and information leave a lot to be desired, especially for what she is being paid.

In Monday's State of the City Address, Perez quoted Abraham Lincoln and attributed it to Lincoln 200 years ago. Lincoln was born 200 years ago in 1809. I have admired Lincoln, and if he was making such profound statements at 3 weeks old, is it any wonder he stands out to many as one of our greatest President's.

Then today, I read Jeff Cohen's comments at Courant.com/cityline and he mentioned the presentation folders that Barr handed out to "credentialed media" Monday night.

The old Hartford Image Project was going to throw the folders out last year, said Perez spokeswoman Sarah Barr.

"In an effort to 'go green' and to save money and not buy new folders," she got a few boxes of unused folders and "repurposed" them with stickers, she said in an email.

"In fact, when the mayor went before the Courant editorial board last year, I used them for the handouts and gave the editorial board the very same explanation that I am giving you and they seemed very pleased with our recycling efforts," Barr said.


Details again, I know, but Eddie Perez never went before the Courant Editorial Board last year (unless it was for a reason other than his re-election endorsement, thanks J). It was 2007 that he was unfortunately re-elected. I was able to check the date because he was interviewed by Dave Medina and the Courant's Editorial Board shortly after his home was searched by Inspector's from the Chief States Attorney's Office in August of 2007. This past year when the Courant's editorial Board interviewed candidates for State Representative and State Senate, Dave Medina was already rewarded by Perez with his position at the Board of Education.

And as far as going "green", recycling a few folders doesn't even come close to balancing the "carbon footprint" being left by Perez and his staff members and their gas guzzling luxury SUV's running around the State at the taxpayers expense.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

HARTFORD, CT - FANTASYLAND PART 2



The more I look at the press releases for the Dishonorable Mayor Eddie Perez's "State of the City Address", the more I wonder what this guy is thinking. The press release was titled "NOW IS THE TIME FOR BOLD ACTION". The only bold action that this City needs right now is for Perez to resign as Mayor, and let someone competent begin to regain control of Hartford city government. And yes, I said someone competent, so I guess we need to go searching beyond the heir apparent to the Mayor's throne, Cal Torres.

In the press release, which is attached below, initiative number one states that in the next 90 days, more than $175 million in construction projects will flow into the City's neighborhoods. I don't mean to shout here, but MAYOR PEREZ, ARE YOU INSANE? First of all, I realize there is a huge disconnect between the Mayor and the City Council, but apparently word hasn't filtered back to Perez that the Council has suspended all capital projects. Every municipality around us with a leader with an ounce of common sense and/or intelligence have suspended essentially all spending. Yet Perez is going to spend $175,000,000 in ninety days and put hundreds of "residents" to work in union jobs. No word if he is talking Hartford residents, but I tend to doubt it. Hopefully those "hundreds" of jobs can be filled by the "hundreds" of city employees laid off due to Perez's incompetence and mismanagement. I know we are all counting on our share of the stimulus money that Eddie thinks will flow into Hartford. A couple of key points to consider though. I don't think President Obama went to the same management style classes that King Eddie attended, and I don't see President Obama as a vindictive, "tyrant" type leader as Mayor Perez is. But I seem to recall that during the Presidential election, Barack Obama made a stop in Hartford, where he filled the XL Center to capacity. Surprisingly, from what I understand, Eddie Perez was still at the learning Corridor with the candidate he was supporting, Hillary Clinton, and both Eddie and Kelvin Roldan were busy trying to get her campaign to pay her bill. Apparently Perez was too busy to return repeated phone calls from the Obama campaign regarding the visit, and in typical Perez style, another bridge was burned. Combine that with a couple of felony arrests, and is it any wonder that Eddie Perez wasn't at the White House recently with 500 other big city mayors? I really don't see any photo-ops involving Perez and President Obama in the near future.

Perez may want to focus on providing core city services to the City of Hartford. Providing money to the Arts is great, when your budget is on track, revenue is flowing in and the future looks good. But how can anyone in good conscience continue to lay-off essential city workers while giving dollars away to non-essential programs?

Also, Eddie Perez is no fool when it comes to payoff's and raising campaign money. Was it any wonder Perez played to the Carpenter's union at Monday nights speech? The rank and file may want to ask their reps about meetings help between them and Perez and City Council "leadership". Ask them about the deals hammered out at those meetings and find out who personally benefitted. What Perez fails to realize is that the unions may dump money into his campaign chest, but they do very little for the city overall. The construction jobs they fill are great, but the "engine" that drives Hartford is small business. The majority of these small businesses are not union shops, yet generate more for the local economy day in and day out than any construction project could.

State of the City Release 09