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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

SHOULD MAYOR PEREZ RESIGN?

Should Mayor Eddie Perez resign as Mayor of Hartford ? That was the question posed by the Hartford Courant last week on their website, courant.com. According to the poll numbers below, people overwhelmingly answered yes. Almost 60% answered that Perez should resign because he has been a disgrace to the City. Another 13.8% answered that he should resign because he can't be taken seriously. The "yes, he should resign" votes amounted to 73.4 percent, or almost 3/4 of the people responding think Perez should resign.Only 4.4% of those responding think Perez is doing a good job and should stay on. This poll is by no means scientific, but it was also by no means close, it seems pretty obvious what people are thinking.

Poll
Should Mayor Eddie Perez resign?

Yes. He's been a disgrace to the city. (779 responses)

59.6%

No. He is innocent until proven guilty. (290 responses)

22.2%

Yes. Who can take him seriously? (180 responses)

13.8%

No. The voters elected him and the city is running well enough. (58 responses)

4.4%

1307 total responses

(Results not scientific)

Sunday, September 6, 2009

HUBIE SANTOS IS A LEGAL GENIUS

Yes, you read that right. The more that I watch the antics surrounding the Perez arrests, just when I thought I was totally confused by Santos' actions, I read the Hartford Courant today and it all began to make sense. After the first arrest of Perez on felony charges, Santos stood in court and said he was ready to go to trial that afternoon. I thought that was the height of lunacy, what about preparing a defense, what about all these "discovery" motions we see the television lawyers doing? Then we didn't want a trial right away because they needed to tear down this racist attempt on the part of the State of Connecticut to remove a strong hispanic Mayor. Then it went back and forth a few times, we want a speedy trial,then no we need more time, then we want a speedy trial, no we need more time. Finally, jury selection is scheduled for September. Then, that racist State's Attorney's office has the audacity to use information obtained from an 18 month Grand Jury investigation to obtain arrest warrants for Perez and others. Apparently it was clearly obvious that this was another attempt to remove a strong Hispanic Mayor for purely political reasons. Since Perez was now apparently the victim, Santos made the argument that all charges should be dismissed. Unfortunately for Santos and Perez, the judge hearing the motion immediately dismissed it. Then, after Santos had said the day of Perez's first arraignment that he was ready for trial that same afternoon, the dismissal changed all that. Santos stated that a trial at this point would be "suicide" and now the date has been moved to February 2010 at the earliest.

See what I mean? All very confusing, "we want a speedy trial, we don't want a speedy trial"

And then this Sunday, the following statement from Perez appeared in the Courant:

Every day I work hard for the people whose names you never hear and faces you wouldn't recognize — the people who open the doors of their businesses every day, send their children to school here, the people who make up Hartford's 17 neighborhoods. The job that they elected me to do is not complete.

Every day, I work to make people's lives better through education, jobs, housing and, of course, newfound hope. Since my arrest in January on unfounded charges of bribery and with my subsequent arrest Wednesday on allegations of extortion, my critics have taken the opportunity to question my ability to continue as mayor.

Some have asked me to step aside. I am eager to have the full truth surrounding these allegations revealed in court and am confident that I will be exonerated. I asked to go to trial and get this ordeal over with in January. The state did not honor that request. I have not, and will not, let the court proceedings impede the progress we have made in Hartford. This administration has 2 1/2 more years to continue to make a difference. I made a commitment to the people of Hartford and I will not walk away from that promise.

The people who raised me in this community have always said that if you work hard, good things happen. I came to Hartford as a boy and lived and worked in virtually every neighborhood, where people provided me with gifts of hope and opportunity. One person at a time, the people of this city have given me the drive to carry on their dreams. They have lifted me up and expect me not to give up. Because of their passion, I started public service at 14 years old and I'm not finished giving back as a man or as a mayor.

To be mayor, you need to be passionate, persistent and patient — all in the name of progress. When nobody believed in Hartford, I believed and Hartford has believed in me. Together, we are doing great things and great things can still be accomplished. As long as we are passionate about people, persistent in putting a long-term vision in place and patient when progress doesn't happen fast enough, we will continue to turn the corner.

The residents of Hartford made history in 2001. Three elections later, I am still humbled that people see in me the essential qualities to lead Hartford to new heights with a broader and bolder outlook that goes far beyond our city borders. We must be competitive globally and that commitment starts — and ends — with the CEO of Hartford.

Education of our youngest residents is the cornerstone of my administration. What started with developing the Learning Corridor has blossomed into new schools, new curriculums and new uniforms, with a new attitude toward learning.

As a member of the board of education, with more than three years as its chairman, I have been in the forefront of raising the standards of academic excellence and expectations. We cannot jeopardize the reform we have started together. Young people graduating from college, achieving world-class employment and reinvesting skills in our neighborhoods are all crucial elements for our future. That is why I am so persistent with my vision for job training.

Our residents need jobs. Our school construction projects have not only yielded buildings with award-winning architecture and positive learning environments, they have given employment and skills for life to thousands of Hartford residents.

On another front, homeownership, which stabilizes and revitalizes our neighborhoods, continues to be a key to our city's growth and potential. This is the toughest economy in 80 years, however, so we must demonstrate patience and be persistent in finding ways to keep people in their homes and provide opportunities for new homeowners.

This patience must also be extended to our business community. Small business owners are the backbone of our economy. Without them, Hartford would lose the traction it has gained in economic development along with some of the city's quaintness, uniqueness and diversity.

That diversity is on display every day in our shops and restaurants and is highlighted through our history, culture, architecture and arts. It is why my administration is such a strong supporter of our arts community — to grow jobs and to put more feet on the street.

The increased vibrancy on our streets also comes with a major decrease in crime. Hartford is the safest it has been in decades, thanks to neighborhood policing and strong community partnerships. However, there is still a perception of crime and perceptions must be overcome with the facts. In the end, the truth prevails.

Which leads us back to the original question: Why am I mayor and why do I want to continue to be mayor?

The answer is simple. I was raised never to give up. If one person does, it is a domino effect. I will not be responsible for setting the ripples of defeat into motion. We have accomplished so much, but the progress is not yet complete. There's a vision for the future and sometimes you don't realize how far you've come until you look back to see where you have been.

With that, I invite people to come see for themselves and rediscover Hartford — its faith and its future — as well as the man who wanted to be, is, and will continue to be mayor.


After reading this statement and wondering what Perez is thinking, and even further thinking that anyone who believed this garbage must be crazy, the little bulb went off on my head. It all made sense now, Hubie Santos is laying the foundation for an insanity defense for Perez.

Hubie Santos is brilliant, it just might work.

THE BULLY ON THE PLAYGROUND


This past Friday I posted an entry regarding the case of Officer Matthew Secore and the way his "due process" rights have been trampled by the City of Hartford as Mayor Eddie Perez demands his due process rights for himself as he faces potential jail time on numerous felony charges. Keep in mind, Perez's charges are all felonies, Secore's one charge was a misdemeanor, which has been dismissed by the court, but unfortunately for Secore, was committed against the Mayor's nephew. There have been a few replies to that entry, one from Matthew Secore himself, and yes I verified it so I know it's from him.

Below is the text of Matthew Secore's comments:

Matt Secore said...

Hi Kevin, it was nice meeting you. It's also my opinion based on how my case was handled that the Hartford Police Union has been compromised by city politics. I often wondered why some of the veteran cops refused to deal with our union. I now know why. Regardless, of what you think of me or my case the fact is I had my day in court and won. My charge was dismissed and I won my job back through arbitration. It appalls me the Mayor could care less about my due process yet has the nerve to ask the public for his day in court. You have my full support exposing this double standard and I would be happy to appear on your show to answer any questions.

September 5, 2009 3:52 PM

I too have heard the same comments that the Hartford Police Union has been compromised by city politics and know several veteran officers that have questioned the Union leadership. I also have heard the same thing about the other Municipal Employee Unions as well as community groups and individuals . Although I understand the frustration, consider the alternative. In 2007 at a time when the Police Union was preparing for, or already involved in, contract negotiations, do you think they endorsed the best candidate they thought for Mayor? Or did they stand behind the candidate they knew they had to support or suffer the consequences. Myself and others have referred to this administration as an organized crime operation. Mess with a loan shark or a drug dealer and you might get your legs broken or worse, mess with the Perez Administration and you might see your job eliminated, a sudden termination, the funding eliminated for your non-profit agency, loss of your city contracts or worse. I'm sure there are many instances when the Union's would have liked to have spoke out on issues they thought were wrong or they didn't agree with. I have the luxury of being able to speak out without fear of Perez, he has already exercised his pressure over me and it hasn't stopped me yet. I have no family members working for the City for him to terminate, I am not affiliated with any non-profits that he can cut their funding and most importantly, although Eddie talks about "truth", I do have the truth on my side and I am able to prove what I say with documents. I would also argue that the union leaders, not just the Hartford Police Union, do have a strong sense of right and wrong, and for the most part the leaders and their membership do care about Hartford. They must weigh their actions in opposing the Perez regime and the consequences of their actions. This is not about the five or six members on the executive committee of the Hartford Police Union, but is more about their members and protecting their well being. The Police Union could see jobs eliminated on a moments notice if they issued the wrong press release or made a statement in opposition to the "Gospel of Perez". Just ask Clarence Corbin or Dan Nolan, and most likely if the truth were known, Tom Morrisson, Matt Hennessey, Bhupen Patel and Lee Erdmann.

I do fault the Unions as well as the Council and others for allowing this situation to develop essentially unchecked, but for any of them to come out challenging it now would be suicide, for the Unions and their members. Just ask the leadership of the Hartford Federation of Teachers who are facing legal action by the Superintendent of Schools after he hired an outside law firm to threaten them.

I understand your point 100%, but remember , in a perfect world you would be back to work already re-gaining our trust in you as a police officer, and proving your actions were a one time misdemeanor "lapse of judgement". Instead , we are too busy trying to prove that our Mayor's numerous felony "lapses of judgement" were just that and that he is not a crook as the evidence might suggest.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

WEEKEND TELEVISION VIEWING

Just a reminder for two television programs I recommend for this weekend.

First off is our weekly program, "1Hartford" which can be seen tonight at 10:00PM on Hartford Public Access Television channel 5 and repeated tomorrow at 10:00AM on Channel 5. It can also be seen at any time on www.accesstv.org, just click on the "1Hartford" screen.

Also tomorrow at 11AM watch "Face the State" on WFSB Channel 3 with Susan Raff discussing the arrest of Mayor Perez and his future with Council President Calixto Torres, Councilwoman Rosezina "rJo" Winch and Democratic Activist Bruce Rubenstein

Friday, September 4, 2009

IS "DUE PROCESS" A ONE WAY STREET IN HARTFORD

We keep hearing about the rights of Mayor Perez as he continues to fight criminal charges against himself. After his second arrest this week on felony charges, immediately both he and his attorney insisted on his day in court to plead his case and asked for people to keep an open mind until such time. When Perez was arrested in January of this year he claimed his alleged felonies were nothing more than a "lapse of judgement".

This call for "due process" and another "lapse of judgement" brings me to think about another situation that Perez has overseen that has turned out much different and due process has been totally ignored. This story is difficult because I have mixed feelings, but in the end what's right is right and for Eddie to request his due process rights, I guess it has to apply to all.

In the spring of 2007 a tow truck driver from Whitey's Towing, Slade Secore, was towing a vehicle out of a private parking lot. As he began to leave the lot, a crowd formed and people supportive of the vehicle owner, tore the driver from his truck and severely beat him. The driver eventually identified one of his assailants as Ruben Perez,21, the nephew of Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez. Perez was eventually arrested,(no, not that Perez, the nephew Perez, but yes they were both arrested once or twice)and was detained at the Harford Police Department booking facility.Here is where the decision for me gets difficult. I believe in peoples rights, holding police officers to a higher standard and all that.Slade Secore, the tow truck driver, happened to be the brother of Hartford Police Officer Matthew Secore. After police arrested Ruben Perez for the assault and he was being held at HPD, Officer Secore, while off-duty, made a decision to visit Perez in booking. Apparently Officer Secore had seen his brother's bloody face, eyes swollen shut, and hearing that his brother could potentially lose sight due to a crushed eye socket. It probably wasn't the best time to be making a visit to Ruben Perez in a jail cell, but it involved, what shall I call it...maybe "a lack of judgement". I have to say, after seeing the picture of Slade Secore, if that was a family member of mine, the spineless person conducting the assault might become a victim themselves at the end of a baseball bat. I don't say that lightly, but it is human nature. We're not talking here about someone sucker punched in a bar fight, were talking about someone who was just doing their job and their face was beaten to a pulp.

Anyway, Officer Secore, suffering from that same "lack of judgement", left his severely beaten brother and proceeded to the HPD lockup. The police officers working at the booking desk also suffered their own "lack of judgement" and allowed Officer Secore to enter into the locked facility. Officer Secore apparently had an exchange of words with Ruben Perez and let it be known that the assault victim was his brother. Ruben Perez apparently responded with "f*** your brother" and the culmination of the "lack of judgement" occurred. Officer Secore punched Ruben Perez once. No broken eyesocket, no threat of losing his eyesight, not even any blood, no need for any treatment. Again, I am not trying to minimize Officer Secore's actions, but it is something I think many of us might be driven to under the circumstances. And I have to admit in all honesty that I have met and talked to Officer Secore, and he doesn't seem like the quick tempered type, just my gut feeling. Well , Officer Secore was eventually arrested for his actions and this is where the whole due process thing comes in. After his arrest for one misdemeanor charge of Assault 3rd, (not multiple felonies as are Mayor Perez's charges) Officer Secore was suspended and then terminated from the Hartford Police Department. The case worked its way through the courts and Officer Secore was afforded the same "due process" rights we keep hearing Mayor Perez mention. The end result was the one, single misdemeanor charge was dismissed by the Court and then it was a matter of trying to win Officer Secore's job back through those same "due process" rights we keep hearing the Mayor mention. At a hearing of the State of Connecticut Labor Department Board of Mediation, it was ultimately determined that the punishment of termination for Officer Secore was too severe for his actions, and the State of Connecticut ordered the termination be reduced to a 90 day suspension, and that Officer Secore be reinstated as a Police Officer, and receive all back pay less the 90 day pay loss. The City of Hartford has chosen to ignore the order and is appealing the case in court.

I find it somewhat hypocritical for Perez (the Mayor, not the assaulter) to insist on his due process rights so vigorously when he has no process denying others their rights. If Officer Secore's case isn't enough of an example, why not ask former Public Works Director Clarence Corbin, Deputy Fire Chief Dan Nolan, former Tax Collector Donald Lefevere or many of the others that Perez (the alleged felonious Mayor, not the tough guy assaulter) has had no process trampling on their due process rights.

Oh well, only in Hartford I guess. An FOI request has been submitted to Corporation Counsel John Rose for the full file on this case, but I suggest you not hold your breath waiting to see the documents. This case stainks and the City knows it. But in the meantime the back pay for Officer Secore keeps adding up with interst , and when he prevails it will all be due. In the meantime, a good Police Officer who suffered from a "lack of judgement" is off the job at a time when we need every one of them on the streets.

If Eddie Perez's lack of judgement should be forgiven, shouldn't Officer Secore's? I think they call that "due process" rights.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE--- MUD WRESTLING HARTFORD STYLE


Sorry, but after Helen Ubinas threatened to punch me in the head while we were watching Wednesday's perp walk, I'm in a fighting mood. I offered to mud wrestle Helen on the lawn of Troop "H" with the caveat that el Jefe be the referee. I thought that would be fair because we're probably both pretty close in Eddie's level of affection for us. Helen politely declined as her co-worker walked away cringing at the mental image he was having.

An event that promises to be almost as interesting, is tonight's taping of WFSB's "FACE THE STATE", scheduled to air on Sunday. Although Dennis House is out on "maternity" leave after the birth this week of his and Kara's new son (Congratulations to the House's), Susan Raff will be refereeing this weeks smack-down grudge match. One segment tonight will consist of Council President Calixto Torres and Council Majority Leader Rosezina "rJo" Winch joined by Hartford's latest version of the Lone Ranger, Bruce Rubenstein. Although it is only about a 10 minute segment, it promises to be a very lively one. From sources at Channel 3, apparently last minute renovations were required to the anchor desk to be able to accommodate Eddie Perez fitting underneath to control his two puppets without being seen. The second segment will have WFSB reporter Len Besthoff talking about the corruption investigation and his continuing coverage. Besthoff was one of the first to break the story Monday of Perez's pending arrest, resulting in a hastily called press conference where Perez proudly announced his impending Wednesday morning arrest and afternoon campaign rally in the Function Room of City Hall.

"FACE THE STATE" airs Sunday mornings at 11:00am on Channel 3,(not in high def though, that's Channel 30)