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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

THE "HARTFORDITE"

I spoke with WFSB's Dennis House at last nights Budget Hearing at Bulkeley High School.

He told me that he had done a posting on his blog and put a link to "We the People" on there. While looking at his blog, he had a posting directed to the taxpayers of Hartford and questions they should be asking regarding "economic development", or the lack thereof in Hartford.

Here are his suggested list of questions:

The City of Hartford is beginning budget hearings to talk about Mayor Perez’ proposed tax hike. Citizens aren’t happy about paying more taxes and there are some questions taxpayers should be asking city officials.

1. Why has the city lost so many taxpayers since 2005? ING, Mass Mutual, Met Life, WFSB, the Goodwin Hotel, T.J. Maxx, and the list goes on, and on.

2. Rather than raise taxes on an already burdened citizenry, why not attract new business to the city?

3. Why have dozens of companies opened stores and restaurants in the surrounding towns, but avoided Hartford?

4. What is the city doing to recruit new business to the city?

5. Why are there so many empty storefronts downtown?

6. What additional services will we get in exchange for paying higher taxes?

7. Does the administration feel responsible for the loss of thousands of jobs in the city, and the loss of millions in tax revenue?


To view Dennis's blog click below or he can be found at wfsb.com under "blogs"

Click here to go to wfsb.com and read "the Hartfordite"

DO YOU RECEIVE HARTFORD 2000'S H2K "E-LERTS'


If you aren't receiving them you should be.

Linda Bayer from Hartford 2000 and Richard Frieder from the Hartford Public Library have been providing an e-mail service for a while that has proven very beneficial.

The "e-lerts" usually consist of a common sense, plain English notice of Council meeting agenda's in advance of the meetings followed up by a "council re-cap" of action taken by the council a day or two after the meeting.

Occasionally "e-lerts" include notices of upcoming community meetings of interest to subscribers.

Overall it is a great service, and well worth signing up for, it is free of charge.

To subscribe, e-mail Linda Bayer at htfd2000@aol.com

DON'T FORGET, SAVE THE DATE


Someone gave me the church bulletin from Saint Peter's Church on Main Street from this past Sunday.

On the back page was a notice for a "vigil of support" for Mayor Eddie Perez.

Didn't they learn a lesson the last time the Mayor's "spiritual supporters" tried that on the steps of the Courthouse?

And the next question I have is whether it is really appropriate for a church to be holding a vigil for a man charged with criminal activity. Would it not be more appropriate to hold a vigil and pray for the future of Hartford and the monumental hurdles it faces?

And not to be judgmental, I'll leave that to a higher authority, but isn't the first step toward forgiveness and reconciliation actually repentance? If he has done nothing wrong, why the need for a vigil? Shouldn't the truth be enough to avoid any problems.

Maybe an "anti-corruption" vigil outside the Church might be appropriate.

It seems as though the priorities might be a little out of line here. Maybe a vigil to support the Mayor's family as they struggle with the stress he has put them under. Maybe a vigil to pray for guidance for Mayor Perez to do what is best for Hartford and its people. Maybe even to pray for the jurors and prosecutors and Perez's attorneys to give them strength and guidance and for justice to prevail.

I guess it is probably just easier to pray for a one sided subject with closed eyes to the truth. But, I think we all have a tendency to do just what Saint Peter's Church and Sacred Heart Church are doing.

When the situation seems hopeless and nothing else will work, we turn to God and prayer. It might work out more favorably with Eddie having a one on one conversation with the "Big Guy", that usually seems more genuine than using "Him" for a media spectacle.

A request for comment from the Archdiocese of Hartford went unanswered. A person in the Archdiocese Office of Radio and Television said spokesperson Father John Gatzak "was in production, and unavailable"

Perez Vigil 5 3 10

A LIGHTNING ROD OF A QUESTION

One of the things I've really enjoyed about this blog is the increase in comments that are posted regularly as "We the People" continues to grow in popularity.

Just following the comments yesterday regarding the failed Charter revision attempts was an eye-opener into some of the "behind the scenes" maneuvering and explained a lot. The time and effort that is put into the comments is also encouraging.

Today I was doing my daily web "checking" and found the video below, it made me think how this would translate outside of Alabama. With the new legislation passed regarding Arizona's enforcement of immigration laws and now this video, I was just wondering what others think.

As the title of this posting says, it is a "lightning rod of a question" but I'd like to know what other people think.

I'm not opposed to immigration, although I think I would have to say I am opposed to "illegal" immigration. If not for the opportunities open for immigration to this country, I can safely say that my family history would most likely be much different. Who know's, I'd probably be headed to a pub somewhere in County Cork, Ireland about now.

With that being said, my original family members on my mothers side actually stepped off the Mayflower before there were any immigration laws here. But once the laws were enacted, millions of immigrants came here in compliance with those laws.

I'm not hinting that all "illegal" immigrants are here to hurt our country, but if 9/11 taught us anything at all, it should be to point out the gaping holes in our security as a nation and the need to know who is living within our borders.

Another big issue to me is the unreported crime and mistreatment of illegal immigrants. It is no secret that much, if not most, crime against illegal immigrant's goes unreported for fear of being identified and deported. Illegal immigrants hired by business owners also work in conditions ,in many cases, just one step above slavery. They know that any complaints about wages or working conditions can result in a one-way ticket back to their country of origin.

Is it time to review our laws to streamline the process for people ready to start a better life in the United States? Or is it time to tighten the rules as Arizona is trying?

Please take the 30 seconds to watch the video below and let me know what you think. And yes, I realize it is Alabama, not New England.

Monday, April 26, 2010

DOES ANYONE ELSE REALIZE HARTFORD IS IN A STATE OF CHAOS?


No need for a long post here, the point is quite simple. Whether or not Eddie Perez is a crook headed to prison is not the issue.

Tonight at 9:45pm the Hartford City Council adjourned their regular meeting to go into an executive session. Prior to that, as has become the norm in most council meetings lately, the discussion centered around removing the Mayor from office and arguments regarding the role of John Rose.

Please Councilmembers stop this insanity. There is much more business that is critical to the operation of Hartford as a city. Whether Eddie Perez stays or goes will be decided most likely in the very near future. His damage has been done and by not focusing on the business of Hartford, you as councilpeople are adding to the damage.

And besides, by looking like opportunists who smell blood in the water it just adds to the distractions to draw attention away from the real work that needs to be done.

Has any contingency plan been developed for what most people think will be the inevitable headline in the next few weeks on the front page of the Courant "Perez cuts a plea deal with the State, will resign today". I doubt it. Has any thought been given to cleaning out the Mayor's Office and who will come in to facilitate a smooth transition?

Wasting time on arguing about Eddie Perez and John Rose is just that, a waste of time. Please focus on the budget, focus on the huge deficit Perez will be leaving us with. Focus on how we will begin turning Hartford around once Perez, Rose and the rest are gone. Focus on the needs of city government and making that happen in full transparency so that you can begin restoring confidence in the operations at City Hall.

If Perez is gone tomorrow by some miracle that the Council could garner 7 votes to remove him or if he is removed in a few weeks by pleading guilty to numerous felony charges, does it really make that much of a difference.

Please start focusing on the real remedies and be ready to forge ahead when the reigns of government are taken back by an honest leader. The frivolous resolutions, as well meaning as they may be, are just adding to the distraction that has become the daily standard operating procedure in City Hall.

Lets be ready to make real change when that Courant headline becomes reality any day now.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

AND NOW...A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Julia Pistell, (908) 418-7357 (cell)

HartBeat Ensemble to Perform FlipSide as a Work-in-Progress at Manchester Community College.

HARTFORD, CT. – HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford’s local professional theater ensemble, will perform a workshop version of their newest original work, FlipSide on April 30th, May 1st, 7th, and 8th at 7:30pm at the Manchester Community College Auditorium (MCC). The work is the culmination of hundreds of hours of interviews with the community about the War on Drugs. HartBeat Ensemble will use audience feedback and talk-back discussions to finalize the production for its official premier next year.



Using rhythmic choreography and spoken word poetry from local poets MIRA and MIND EVOLUTION, FlipSide tells the story of two drug warriors on opposite sides of the drug war. FlipSide is a story that uses spoken word, addicting rhythm sticks and

potent characters to portray the war on drugs. To write the play, HartBeat conducted a huge range of interviews and says, “we are excited to present a well-rounded, deeply thought play that will help us all examine this all-to-familiar topic in a new way. We invite the audience to be the final contributors to our new work.”

FlipSide is being work-shopped as part of HartBeat’s New Play Institute in collaboration with Manchester Community College. While conducting the Institute, HartBeat works for a period “in residence” while also teaching MCC theater students to create their own original work on the same topic. The final outcome of the partnership is the debut of a new play in development. The New Play Institute fosters an environment of experimentation and creativity for both the Ensemble and MCC students and offers audiences the chance to experience new theatrical work in its early stages. Admission is $5 general admission and free for students with student identification. Each performance will be followed by a discussion of the play.

During the research phase of this project, HartBeat worked with Dr. Robert Painter of the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy to accumulate empirical information on the topic of drug policy. During this time HartBeat also conducted interviews with many people who have themselves been involved in some way with the underground drug economy. HartBeat interviewed ex-offenders, ex-addicts, health workers, law enforcement, drug counselors, and policy makers. This interview process aimed to create performances that were complex and true to real life.

The performance will be held at the Manchester Community College Auditorium (Great Path, Manchester, CT) at 7:30 on April 30th, May 1st, May 7th, and May 8th.

Reservations can be made by emailing julia.pistell@hartbeatensemble.org.
The mission of HartBeat Ensemble is to create original, professional theater based on stories from the people of our community. Through Mainstage plays, Open-Air performances, and Education programs, HartBeat Ensemble makes theater accessible beyond the barriers of class, race, and gender. Their last major production was Ebeneeza: A Hartford Holiday Carol, which traveled through four of Hartford’s neighborhoods and drew in new and diverse audiences.