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Friday, January 29, 2010

THE MIRACLE ON MAIN STREET


I have to say I think I witnessed a miracle on Main Street today, that's 550 Main Street, Hartford City Hall to be exact. As if that wasn't enough, I was lucky enough to witness this miracle in the presence of my newly adopted grandmother Prenzina Holloway. Gramma was ranting about something and kept saying "no one intimidates me, I don't care what color they are". I'm not really sure what she meant, but she kept looking at me as she said it.

Gramma, weren't the Christmas presents enough?

Anyway, back to the miracle. As the previous blog entry said, on January 27, 2010 at 4:00PM the deadline had expired for the submission of petitions to qualify for the March 2, 2010 Democratic Town Committee elections. Unfortunately for team "Arena" and team "Giles" discrepancies were noted, essentially clerical errors that none the less would invalidate those petition sheets that were incomplete.

Now I've always wondered how miracles are actually validated and after today it is all much clearer to me. Apparently on Wednesday just before the 4:00PM deadline for any changes or submissions, someone had photocopied the petitions clerical errors and missing signatures and everything else. Well, for some reason after the mistake was realized the documents in question left the City Clerks vault and made their way back to the Democratic Registrar's Office. Apparently the documents arrived in the Registrar's hands with mere minutes to spare.

Now here is where the miracle begins. Even though the circulators who had failed to sign the petitions were not in the Registrar's Office, she apparently laid her hands on the stack of forms and by some miraculous power, within seconds all of the missing signatures appeared on every single document in question. I know it happened within seconds, because if the documents were changed after 4:00PM it would have been illegal.

And as anyone who follows City Hall knows, nothing illegal would ever happen in that building.

Myself and Grandma were there when the petitions were turned back over to City Clerk John Bazzano, and lo and behold, as I turned over page after page, the documents that just 2 days before were verified incomplete, were now 100% complete. I knew it had to be a miracle, things like this just don't happen on their own.

I guess I'm an optimist because I prefer to see the glass as half full and I want to believe that a miracle has happened. If it was closer to Christmas I could almost be convinced that it was a gift to team "Arena" and team "Giles" from Santa Claus, but we all know he is back at the North Pole now. And after what the Arena's have done with their taxes, Santa might just be giving them a bag of coal next year.

But you'll always get the pessimists who see the glass as half empty. They might claim that the signatures that suddenly appeared are the result of fraudulent activity on the part of certain individuals wanting to win an election at all costs with no regard for the law, integrity or honesty. Did they even consider that the copies showing the missing sections that would invalidate them could also be part of the same miracle and the copy machine deleted those sections?

Well, it's time for a nap, it's not easy witnessing miracles, not to mention spending time with Grandma. Besides, Easter is fast approaching and I need to get ready for the Easter Bunny, not to mention St. Patrick's Day and the leprechauns.

I believe, I believe, I believe.

THIS WEEK ON "1 HARTFORD"



This week on the "1 Hartford" program we discussed the recent actions by the Executive Director of Hartford Access Public Television Billy Scruse. The program airs weekly on Hartford Public Access Channel 5 Saturday's at 10:PM and Monday's at 11:00PM

After HPATV producer Sasha Hunter made comments that were less than flattering regarding Scruse and her operation at Hartford Public Access Television, Hunter's programs were immediately removed from the air for at least the next three months. We discussed Hunter's right to say what she did and Scruse's retaliation.

We also talked about Hartford's impending budget disaster and the way it is being handled, or some would say ignored, by the Perez Administration.

If Sasha Hunter's comments got her show taken off the air, let me be the first to say good-bye and thanks for watching "1 Hartford". This program is hard hitting and lays it all out about the mis-management of Hartford Public Access Television.

If Billie Scruse disliked Sasha exercising her free speech rights, she'll go ballistic over this.



TO VIEW THE PROGRAM ON ACCESSTV.ORG CLICK HERE

Thursday, January 28, 2010

OH WHAT A WEB THEY WEAVE


For a couple weeks now, Democratic Town Committee members have been circulating petitions to qualify for the Democratic Town Committee elections scheduled for March 2, 2010.

Many people that I spoke with were concerned about one of the candidates running for a position on the Democratic Town Committee in the 5th House District. Hartford's Democratic Registrar of Voters Olga Vasquez apparently was on the "Giles" slate and was in the running for a Town Committee seat.

Those that I spoke with, as well as myself, were concerned about a conflict of interest between running as a candidate for town committee as well as being the person charged with administering and overseeing the same election.

The "Giles" slate consists of Olga Vazquez's mother-in-law Juanita Giles, Vazquez's husband Radames Vazquez, Olga Vazquez herself as well as nine other individuals.

Although one would hope that any official that would put themselves in such a questionable position, would have the common sense to remain as "hands off" as possible. The issue of a conflict of interest seems to have become the reality as serious questions are now being raised.

Apparently Registrar Vazquez was responsible for overseeing the petition forms and her office was required to validate the signatures of Democratic voters who had signed the forms. Once the forms were delivered to Vazquez's office, each petition was checked and the signatures were verified and then turned over to the City Clerk to be kept and filed as official documents.

All seemed to go well until a member of the 5th District challenge slate, the "Kirkley-Bey" slate noticed an irregularity in the "Giles" slate's submitted petitions. I have used the names of Kirkley-Bey and Giles to identify the two 5th district slates, only to make it easier to follow.

Apparently Mark DiBella was checking petitions that were already filed with the City Clerk's office and noticed that "section C" on the majority of the Giles' slates petitions were incomplete or not filled out at all. Although a small percentage of the petitions were filled out properly, the majority were not.

That seems to raise the question why Registrar Vazquez would sign some, but fail to sign the rest. Although sources had told me Vazquez said the section wasn't required and had apparently instructed circulators not to complete it, I would think the question has to be asked why you would sign any of them at all if you thought it wasn't required.

After DiBella noticed the error, he requested photo copies of the documents. At approximately 3:50PM yesterday, January 27, 2010, Vazquez and her Deputy Registrar Garry Coleman retrieved the documents from the City Clerk's vault and took them back to Registrar Vazquez's office.

After the documents were received by City Clerk John Bazzano, the petitions, according to an FOI representative, then became public documents. The question then arises as to what right Vazquez had to take the documents from Bazzano's care and control take them back to her office. To most people discussing this today, it is the general consensus that Registrar Vazquez should not even be able to touch the documents in question, especially since she is a candidate, and in light of the allegations of potential irregularities or the perception of a conflict of interest.

Apparently City Clerk Bazzano felt less than comfortable with the direction this was going, and by e-mail requested a clarification from the Secretary of the States Office. One of the staff attorney's that the Secretary of State apparently supervises in her "active practice" of law responded through e-mail to Bazzano's request. That e-mail is posted below.

Theodore Bromley, a staff attorney in the Legislation and Elections Administration Division of the Secretary of the State's office stated that, essentially, if Registrar Vazquez had noticed the problem before the petition deadline, 1/27/10 at 4:00PM, the circulators could have come into the office and signed the forms.

Obviously, since DiBella had copies of the documents and Vazquez did not retrieve them until 3:50PM. ten minutes before the deadline, they were not corrected in time.

In Attorney Bromley's response to John Bazzano, he summarizes that "if this does not happen, however, the petition pages would have to be rejected pursuant to the state statute".

SECRETARY OF STATE STAFF ATTORNEY'S CLARIFICATION
DTC Petition SOTS E-mail

Although Registar Vazquez refused to let anyone review the petitions today, even though they are public documents, other sources provided more information. Apparently the "Gile's" slate petitions may not be the only ones in jeopardy of being disqualified.

The 4th District slate, the "Arena" slate, led by Hartford's Democratic Town Chairperson Sean Arena apparently also has submitted petitions without section "c" completed.

In both cases, any petition forms disqualified would most likely result in the slates not meeting the minimum number of signatures required to qualify for a position on the March 2nd ballot. This would result in the challenge slates in both districts winning by default and promising a major shakeup in the make-up of Hartford's Democratic Town Committee.

This shakeup would have wide ranging repercussions for the Hartford political scene, including whether or not Eddie Perez would be able to garner the party's nomination if he were to choose to run again. With the upcoming trial for Perez on his corruption charges, that is a big if as to whether he will be capable of running.

Again it is a big if as to whether Perez can or will run, but the shakeup would, according to most observers, benefit Town Committee Chairperson challenger Bruce Rubenstein. Rubenstein is running on an anti-corruption agenda and vowing to return integrity to Hartford City Hall.

As of this time no decision has been made by Registrar Vazquez as to whether she will obey the law, or follow in the footsteps of her political mentors, father-in-law
Abe Giles and Mayor Eddie Perez.

It is safe to say though that if Mark DiBella and others have their way, the matter will be on a fast track to be decided by a Superior Court Judge. From what sources are telling me, DiBella and the others have contracted the services of Hartford Attorney Bob Ludgin. For those who don't recall Bob Ludgin, he is a former City Councilperson and comes from the City Hall era when Councilpeople were bulldogs, not lapdogs. The days of council people like John O'Connell and Bob Ludgin.

Although I attempted to contact Registrar Vazquez for comment, she was sequestered in the bunker known as the Registrar's Office in the basement of Hartford City Hall and didn't return my calls. At the same time, her husband was in the Political Strategy Command Center on the 2nd floor, also known as the Mayor's Office, presumably trying to figure out their next move.

As I said in the title, oh what a web they weave. Luckily though for DiBella and the "Kirkley-Bey" slate, Mark DiBella has one thing on his side that the "Giles" slate and the "Arena" slate don't.....the truth. Superior Court judges tend to prefer dealing with the truth and the facts.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STAN McCAULEY



Happy 50th birthday to J. Stan McCauley. Stan hits 50 today, January 22nd.

Hopefully on his 52nd birthday he'll be serving the people of Hartford as their new Mayor

ANOTHER IRONIC TWIST




The Connecticut Post is reporting tonight that former Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim has been released early from a Federal Prison and will be living in Hartford at a half-way house to serve the final six months of his sentence. Ganim began serving his sentence in 2003. He will be residing at the Watkinson House on Collins Street.(FYI Prenzina, I think that's your district, he might need an absentee ballot to vote in the upcoming Democratic Town Committee election)

Once again Hartford can be proud that we now have not one, but two corrupt Mayor's calling Hartford home, oh yeah, allegedly corrupt for Perez, confirmed corrupt for Ganim.

Due to pending court actions, both of their claims to residency in Hartford are most likely temporary.

In the mean time, might I suggest a "Mayoral" lunch to compare notes on prison life

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

CORRUPTION, CORRUPTION AND MORE CORRUPTION... WHERE IS THE OUTCRY?


Over this past weekend I had posted and raised the issue that if some of the things that happen in Hartford were to occur in almost any other town, the outcome would be much different.

That posting was in regards to Hartford Democratic Town Chairperson Sean Arena and his 4th District Town Committee delegate brother Ralph Arena and their efforts to avoid Hartford's burdensome mill rate on motor vehicles. The Arena's have been registering their vehicles in New Canaan to avoid Hartford's 73 mill tax rate. New Canaan is 13 mill's, sixty mills less than Hartford.

In that post I had mentioned such behavior would be unacceptable in any other town, except maybe Waterbury and Bridgeport. But I doubt even those two towns would turn a blind eye to such behavior.

And now to my point, where is Council President Segarra? Where is Councilperson Kennedy? Where is Councilman Ritter? And just for the sake of argument, where is Councilman Boucher? So as to still appear serious in my thoughts, I'm not even going to mention Councilpersons Torres or Winch, we know where they stand in the land of "see no evil" "hear no evil" "speak no evil".

How is change supposed to begin if no one takes a stand on the corruption seething in Hartford.

And it's not just the Arena's. The only real voice speaking out against corruption at city hall has been Councilperson Deutsch. Dr Deutsch had publicly called for the resignation of Perez after his arrests.

With the revelations yesterday regarding threats being made against individuals running for the Democratic Town Committee in the 4th District, the cloud over Hartford continues to grow. Yet, not a peep publicly from any of our Councilpeople. And now today I've received calls that it is not only the 4th District where the threats are being made. Hopefully some of those people will be fed up enough to speak out and submit affadavitts to elections enforcement along with those already in.

The most disturbing part of this though is that in private conversations, many of our elected officials admit that they are fed up. There are good people on the Council who do know the difference between right and wrong. There are also others that don't, as evidenced by recent City Hall arrests.

I won't name names here, but two years ago when Bill DiBella was being re-appointed to the MDC I spoke with at least four councilmembers who admitted that they knew he didn't live in Hartford and didn't deserve to be on the MDC. One councilperson even went so far as saying they were afraid of losing their "clout" on the MDC if DiBella wasn't the MDC Chairman.

Clout? what clout?. I think "clout" for Hartford might be measured by the number of jobs delivered to Hartford residents by the MDC's "Clean Waters Project". If jobs are the yardstick, then Bill DiBella should be sent to pasture because he has obviously been neutered and can't produce anything by the looks of it.

Let me go back to the Democratic Town Chairman. Has anyone heard any of the Democratic Councilpeople calling for his resignation. The fact that the Arena's vehicle taxes have been put on Hartford's Grandlist retroactive for three years, the maximum allowed by state law, shows that the claims were factual, not just mere allegations.

Any Councilperson who struggles almost daily with how to make Hartford's budget work should be upset by anyone trying to beat Hartford's taxes. Add into the mix that this person beating Hartford's taxes is the so-called "leader" of the Democratic Party in Hartford and they should be furious. Yet, have you heard anyone of them call for Arena's resignation? Nope, not a peep.

One councilperson I spoke with last week said that if they spoke up then the Democratic Town Committee might not re-nominate them for their council position. I guess I have to ask at what price are you willing to sell your integrity? Is a nomination really worth your silence? And do those forty or fifty delegates from the Democratic Town Committee really seal your fate. Give the voters some credit here, they might just rise up to support the underdog who does the right thing. No one saw it coming in Massachusetts, but I think the message is that people are getting tired of machine politics.

And the outrage shouldn't just be from the Democratic Town Committee. Ralph Arena serves on the board of directors for the Maple Avenue NRZ and the last I knew Sean Arena chaired the South Green NRZ. I'm not certain if he still does because I never hear anything about them. Both groups should be calling for their resignations.

Excuse my english, but how do you say you are advocating for the neighborhoods while you are screwing them at the same time while beating the city out of tax revenue. I looked at many of the people at the Maple Avenue NRZ (MARG) meeting last week and wondered how many of the people in the room, myself included, struggle to meet tax obligations to Hartford. But, at least we are trying, we aren't defrauding the city out of much needed revenue.

I guess if we are going to change the way Hartford politics work, we need to know that there are good people in Hartford willing to take a stand against corruption. Leadership begins at the top, and we can pretty much say that there is no shot of that leadership coming out of the Mayor's Office. The Council can emerge as the ones willing to take a stand against corruption in Hartford.

To quote Council President Segarra and his eloquent speech last week before the Council " ... the fact that so many have come to expect so little from elected officials does not relieve us of our obligation to work hard to improve the circumstances of our people. The apathy of many should not be a reason for inaction but rather a motivating force to send a message that we will take our responsibilities seriously."

President Segarra and members of the Hartford City Council, please send a message that you are taking your responsibilites seriously and that corruption in any form will not be acceptable.

The time to say enough is enough is now. It is time to call for resignations.