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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

OK, TIME TO VENT A LITTLE, SORRY

I regularly get phone calls from upset individuals regarding the way the City of Hartford is being run. But yesterday was a day with many more calls than usual. It started early in the day and after the Mayor's announcement that he was being arrested again, the calls were almost non-stop. The blog was extremely busy, with the best numbers ever with over 638 hits logged for the day (today isn't far behind with 312 as of 2:00pm) Many of the calls and e-mails were from people appreciative of the information posted, but the theme of the calls and e-mails are usually pretty constant,"keep doing what you are doing, keep speaking out". I am flattered by that, but I have to ask, where is everyone else. There are a small handful of people who regularly speak out besides myself, the Hyacinth Yennie's, the Ron Armstrong's, the Stan McCauley's, the Nick Carbone's and a few other faithful gadflies. We are usually at Council Meetings speaking publicly, although I'm sure we would all prefer to be somewhere else. I know there are plenty of people outraged by Mayor Perez's activity, plenty of outrage over the lapdog council, plenty of strong opinions regarding taxes, public safety, education, opportunities for youth in our city, the list is endless. But where is the public outcry, where is the outrage over these issues. Recently, when a Mayor (and others) were arrested on corruption charges in New Jersey, the reaction of the citizens was swift and decisive. Resignations were demanded and change was implemented. I can count on one hand the number of people I am aware of who have called for the resignation of Eddie Perez after his first arrest, and I am not holding out a lot of hope that I am going to have to start using the other hand to count after tomorrow's arrest. Where are the Union leaders whose members sacrificed, suffered layoffs, furlough days, increased insurance costs and wage freezes to do their share to reduce City spending as a budget disaster loomed. For what? So Matt Hennessey could get a $12,000 bonus? So that the highest paid city employee James Keaney of the Mayor's staff could get an $18,000 "ESI" bonus on top of his $180,000 a year salary? Where is the outrage from the City Council members who essentially have been trivialized and rendered irrelevant by their lack of action to keep Perez in check? Where is the outrage from residents and business people who call the police and receive a poor response due to a dwindling number of Police Officers and a lack of resources? Where is the outrage from homeowners who are being taxed out of their homes by increased taxes due to reckless spending by the Perez Administration? Where is the outrage from some of these homeowners who were behind on their taxes and made payment arrangements with the Tax Collector, only to find out their liens had been sold to XSPAND and they now face foreclosure? Where is the outrage from people who were forced out of their city jobs on bogus charges without any hearing or due process as Eddie Perez pleads for open minds until his "day in court"? Where is the outrage from people who are seeing facilities expand in their residential neighborhoods without any zoning hearings such as the CRT Headstart program on Douglas Street, even though the zone change was denied in 2007?

I could go on and on, and I understand that many people have seen first hand the vindictiveness of Perez and his administration and may be afraid to speak out. People have been forced out or terminated from city employment because of their being outspoken or because of their political connections not supportive of Perez. Just ask people like Clarence Corbin who was terminated. Ellen Nurse who was laid off. Carol O'Connell, wife of former Councilman John O'Connell, laid off as John laid in a hospital bed fighting for his life, just to name a few. Ask the business owners who have suddenly had health inspectors show up for inspections because a fundraiser was scheduled for a Perez opponent.

I guess what I am saying is that this is our city, and the time is now for us to take it back, rather than being sheep led to the slaughter. I don't intend to stop doing what I have been doing, but it sure would feel great to have a lot more people in line with us to speak out for the city we all love and see the potential in. We have a huge challenge in front of us after what this administration has done to Hartford over the last 7 years. ( I will give Perez 1 year of credit since he entered office with so many people expressing hope in his potential as our Mayor)

Please, speak your mind and stand up for Hartford. Be part of the solution rather than remain silent and be part of the problem. In the meantime, keep calling and I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

TAX COLLECTOR EVICTION UPDATE #1

If you follow my blog, you are familiar with the posting I made yesterday regarding Hartford's Tax Collector Marc Nelson facing eviction from the home he has rented in Canton for non-payment of rent. The Judicial Branch Docket sheet was posted showing the Court activity as of August 28, 2009.

Jeff Cohen from the Hartford Courant had posted a story yesterday on his blog, which can be viewed at http://courant.com/cityline, about Tax Collector Marc Nelson selling tax liens to his former employer, XSPAND. Today on Jeff's blog he had an explanation from Mr. Nelson as to why the eviction process was taking place and Nelson laid out a series of financial hardships that resulted in rent not being paid for one month, July 2009. In the meantime I had contacted Attorney Ronald Petosa, who is representing Mr. Nelson's landlord. Attorney Petosa painted a somewhat different picture. Although he would not go into detail, he stated that the money owed was "substantially" more than the one month Nelson was claiming and that no attempts were made to pay the money back. I offered Mr. Nelson the opportunity of an explanation, and he did call me back and stated that he "was not sure what the dollars are" and that "we are hoping we can get caught up". After speaking to Mr. Nelson I received a call from Charles Bevilacqua, the homeowner and Mr. Nelson's landlord. Mr. Bevilacqua related to me that Nelson's explanation was not accurate. Mr. Bevilacqua stated that Nelson has been late on his rent payments every month since signing a lease in late 2008 and that Nelson is currently four months behind and no payment arrangements have been made nor have any payments been received.

Stay tuned for more information. In the mean time though,just a suggestion, there are many affordable rents available in the City of Hartford, and the commute to City Hall is much easier.

Monday, August 31, 2009

PEREZ CORRUPTION ARREST, CHAPTER 2

Good things come to those who wait.

After weekend denials by the Mayor's Director of Misinformation (aka the "Mouthpiece")Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez today stepped to the podium at the office of his defense attorney and announced that he will once again be turning himself in to face additional corruption charges. The depth and details of the charges will most likely be public as of Wednesday when Perez turns himself in once again.Although the Grand Juror's Report has remained sealed up this point, many questions may be answered when the arrest warrant affidavits are made public. No one knows whether this will be the last arrest or just another in a series of arrests as the corruption probe continues. Be patient as we wait to see the eventual outcome. The video of the Perez announcement is below, and in the true spirit of "aggregation", feel free to share the video with your friends.

HARTFORD TAX COLLECTOR FACING EVICTION

Millions of dollars in tax liens have been sold to Hartford Tax Collector Marc Nelsons former employer XSPAND. Those liens could result in the eventual foreclosure and evictions of numerous Hartford homeowners who are behind on their taxes as XSPAND moves to recover their investment in the purchase of the liens at all costs.

As the homeowners face possible eviction, Nelson has the same opportunity to experience first hand the eviction process. In court filings dated August 18, 2009, Nelson's landlord for his home in Canton has begun the eviction process to throw Nelson out of the home for non-payment of rent.

JUDICIAL BRANCH DOCKET SHEET BELOW

Nelson Judicial Printout

ESI'S USED TO BEAT THE BUDGET

Last Wednesday when I received a call that Matt Hennessey was given a substantial bonus upon leaving as Mayor Perez's Chief of Staff, I have to say I was surprised. But then again, nothing this corrupt administration does surprises me anymore. The caller informed me it was done through a process known as "ESI", exceptional service increments. The caller also suggested I look at who has received ESI's and that the awarding of ESI's was an easy way to get around the budget process and staying within the parameters of someone's salary range. An ESI can be given for up to 10% of a persons salary. Although, like I said, Hennessey's bonus surprised me, it surprised me even more that someone such as Perez who is under the magnifying glasses of both Federal and state investigators, he seems to not care who is watching. Even more, where is the outrage from both residents and the city's union leaders. Do the unions not realize that the layoffs and givebacks thay gave are helping to finance Hennessey's ESI? Was a $60,000 plus Harvard vacation not enough of a bonus for the Mayor's faithful Chief of Dirty Tricks? A Harvard vacation that we now have only seen barely a years worth of the benefits from since Hennessey is leaving.

Although Hennessey's ESI surprised me, the other names on the list were even more surprising. THE LIST OF RECENT ESI RECIPIENTS IS ATTACHED BELOW .At the top of the list is the City Auditor, H. Patrick Campbell at $10,097.50. It soemwhat bothers me that the person entrusted with locating waste in City Goverment would take a "bonus" above and beyond his $100,000 plus a year salary. Maybe an audit of ESI use is needed to expose the waste for people that are already being paid to do a job. Next is James Keaney, from the Mayor's Office. Since Keaney was given an ESI of $18,172.98, this would indicate his base salary is currently $181,729.80, since the ESI maximum can be 10% of his salary. This is in addition to his luxury SUV Ford Explorer with the heated leather seats that is provided to him as his city vehicle to commute back and forth to his home in Cheshire. Another notable ESI is the $10,096.08 provided to Deputy Corporation Counsel Carl Nasto, most likely for his consistency in his "exceptional" legal opinions from him and his boss John Rose. It pays to always decide in the Mayor's favor I guess. The second largest ESI on the list was to Mark McGovern, who filled in as "acting" Director of Economic Develeopment. McGovern's ESI was $16,000, and although it may have been justified compensation for the extra work he did while "acting", it would seem to be above the 10% allowed , unless he is actually making $160,000 a year in salary.

And while the Police Union was attempting to work with Perez on givebacks,(which Perez rejected) at least two members of the Police Department were moving in the other direction. Deputy Chief Paul Hammick and Deputy Chief John Horvath each received ESI's of over $4200.00.

And a little quiz to see who's paying attention.As you look down the list of ESI's given out, see how many Democratic Town Committe members you can identify off the list.

PARTIAL "ESI" LISTING BELOW

ESI LIST 1

Sunday, August 30, 2009

IS THE END NEAR FOR THE PEREZ REGIME ?


This morning my phone began ringing incessantly at 9:07am. The callers all asked me if I had heard the news yet. Apparently a local news station was running a story in their 9:00am newscast that Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez was apparently going to announce his resignation as of September 5, 2009. This resignation would come less than 4 days before jury selection was scheduled to start in Perez's trial for his January 2009 arrest on corruption charges. Although it has been thought for several months that more arrests were coming, both for Perez and others,none have been made as of this date. The Office of the Chief States Attorney has suggested that more arrests were possible since the day of Perez's original arrest.

The sealing of the recent Grand Jury report has led to more questions than answers.It raises the question as to why city officials potentially identified with corrupt activities have more rights to privacy than we have as citizens of Hartford to know if our government is being abused and corrupted. Why is the fact that information contained in the report is so "damning", that if it were released those mentioned in the report might have their reputations damaged. Isn't that the whole idea of the investigation, to expose corruption and corrupt officials? But on the other side of the coin, is it possible that the Chief States Attorney and the Public Integrity Unit wasted 18 months on a witch hunt of the Perez Administration producing very limited results? I doubt it, they must have had cause for two six month extensions, but if the Grand Jurors report stays secret to protect the reputations of alleged corrupt officials we may never know. It seems like a rather strange move on the part of the States Attorney to call his own reputation into question to protect the reputations of individuals potentially involved in corrupt actions.

As many of you know, Hartford's official motto is "after the clouds, the sun". Well, if what sources are telling me tonight proves true, we may see the sun starting to burn through those clouds that have overshadowed our City for several years of the Perez Administration. Sources are telling me, that a deal is close to being announced that in order for Perez to avoid trial, he has agreed to resign in exchange for a possible jail sentence of up to 18 months. There have been so many twists and turns since Perez's original arrest, that I will believe it when I see the press release, but these are very credible sources. The date mentioned to me for the resignation is September 5, 2009,next Saturday, which seems to negate the possibility of a special election for Mayor through "normal means" on this November's ballot. September 3rd was the date that seems to be the deadline date for a special election, although there may be other means available under Connecticut state law to force an election.

When I say the sun may start to burn through the clouds, that is because we have a long way to go to reclaim our City, and just the resignation of Perez will not solve Hartford's problems. First off is the "Mayor-in-waiting", Cal Torres. I don't expect much change during his limited time in the hot seat formerly occupied by Perez.
Torres has been the chief bobble head of the Council and allowed much of Perez's corrupt activities to go unchecked. Real change will only come when a new Mayor is elected and reopens the shades of secrecy that have shrouded City Hall. A new Mayor that is able to read a dictionary and understand the word "transparency", a Mayor that appreciates honest city employees rather than silence and terminate those that are true public servants. A Mayor that understands that "public documents" are truly that, documents that are open to the public, and no resident or even any council member should have to be forced to subpoena public documents. A Mayor that works with every person in this city, regardless of their viewpoints on the new Mayor's policies, and understands that at some times dissenting opinion may be more valuable in forming policy than the support of the "yes men" surrounding them.

And finally, to reclaim our City, another piece of the puzzle missing now, but needed to make the system work, is a City Council with guts and backbone to stand up to the new mayor. We need a slate of council people willing to run their own campaigns, financed by themselves, not like most of those on Council now, elected through Perez's support and financing to be loyal lapdogs, both Democrats and Republican alike. We need Councilpeople to do the job they were elected to do. We don't need more council people tripping over themselves to get to the latest taping of "Face the State" posturing to become the next Mayor. We need council people who can look us in the eyes and answer the questions "what did you know?", "when did you know it?" and "what did you do to correct it?". I think on this council, with the exception of relatively newcomer Dr. Deutsch, the majority of council members could be described as "unindicted co-conspirators". Through their lack of attention and lack of action as Perez ran out of control, they allowed much of the damage to go unchecked. And finally, whoever the new Mayor is, a full clean sweep of City Hall and every department needs to take place to remove anyone that doesn't understand that they work for the residents of the City of Hartford and that the only reason they have jobs are because of the residents and businesspeople of the City. They don't have $80,000 plus a year jobs because they were good at putting up lawn signs during Perez's campaigns. They don't have city jobs because they were good at threatening neighborhood groups and neighborhood leaders and "squashing them like bugs" when they failed to support Perez. They don't have city jobs because they were good at supporting corrupt activities and falsifying bidding documents. Anyone in city employ needs to be reminded that when they receive a paycheck from the City, they are receiving that check because we expect them to strive everyday to make Hartford, its local government, its people and our city overall the best possible city we can be and strive to once again be a leader in the region and the state. A city free of corruption, free of petty politics and free of the activities that have pushed us backwards under Eddie Perez.

It sounds like an impossible task, but I have no doubt that with the proper new generation of leadership we can definitely succeed. Do we need to ask those leaders to step forward or they already in our midst? I think they are already out there, and not at 550 Main Street.