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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

MESSAGE TO SARAH BARR: "THE BIG DOG IS ALWAYS GOING TO EAT"


Sarah Barr, Mayor Perez's Director of Communications and author of the "Gospel of Perez"



In an administration that has focused on delivering the "Gospel of Perez", it seems that the Mayor's mouthpiece Sarah Barr just can't get a break. Try as hard as she might, the punches just keep flying delivering black eye after black eye to the Perez Administration. And many are wondering if the knockout blow that will render Perez down for the count is about to be delivered by a jury of his peers.

Many of the punches that have landed though have been assisted by Sarah Barr herself.

It seems hard for me to understand how someone who was once considered an actual journalist could make a 180 degree turn and now do everything she can to stifle the media. From a journalist who once built stories through FOIA requests to now be a constant roadblock to those requesting documents through FOIA requests makes me wonder.

At what price does someone change from what they were to what they are now. At what point do the ideals and beliefs you lived by and cherished a few short years ago now become irrelevant? And once the gig at City Hall comes to a screeching halt, will her media colleagues forgive and forget and once again label her as a credible journalist? I would most likely say not.

I learned my lesson of Barr's integrity, or lack thereof, early on once I began this blog. I had asked to be added to the media list for press releases from the Mayor's Office, that request was ignored, and as aggravated as I was at the time, it has paid off. Once the word got out to other media people that I was being refused access to the press releases, they started forwarding them to me once they received them. That worked out well for a while until I started getting a dozen or more "press releases" forwarded to me every time they were issued by Barr.

It also helped in developing sources. When people realized I wasn't beholding to Barr or relying on her for information, the good information began coming in regularly. And I mean the good information that has led to some very interesting blog posts, not the spoon-fed garbage from Barr about things like the hawk landing on the Mayor's windowsill and the forecast for Hartford.

Barr has almost never responded to my request for comments when I ask for them. That's fine with me because I usually have my facts confirmed long before I would ever ask her for comment. I request comment out of courtesy, not that they deserve any courtesy. Just because the City doesn't comment doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Lieutenant J. Paul Vance from the Connecticut State Police is a master at the media game. Lt. Vance regularly gives talks about how to handle the media from his viewpoint and experience. Although I have never attended one of his talks, I know a few people who have, and they have all repeated the same comments that Vance makes.

Vance tells those attending that the "big dog" is always going to eat one way or another, it is your choice whether you feed him and keep him happy or does he go through your garbage to find what he needs. Personally, I've gotten used to going through the garbage and found that the meal is much more satisfying than being spoon fed by Sarah Barr.

So Sarah, keep ignoring my e-mails and calls, it is no big deal. Ask anyone who knows me, I'm definitely well fed.

Oh, and it gives me a reason once again to use that great picture.

IS CITY HALL SERIOUS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY?

In my opinion, and the opinion of many people I speak with, the one major issue keeping Hartford from any significant turn around is the perception of crime and public safety in Hartford.

I like Chief Roberts, I think he is an honest man who really cares about the city he was raised in. I know that he is constantly being told to do more with less. He has many empty promises made to him by Mayor Perez. The most notable probably being the false promises of hiring new officers. At the rate that new officer's are being funded, the Hartford Police Department is just barely keeping up with attrition.

The staffing levels could also jeopardize stimulus funding that has been given to the City for new officers. Under the contract, HPD and the City of Hartford committed to maintaining the number of sworn Police Officers at 460 minimum. Police sources familiar with the numbers tell me that by years end the number of officers could be well below that and jeopardize the stimulus funds.

A few things that really make me wonder about the Perez Administrations commitment to Public Safety in Hartford are quite obvious. One recent example is yesterdays posting about the conditions at the Southend Police substation on Maple Avenue. The are covered by this substation, the Southeast District of the city has seen some of the most impressive numbers in crime reduction and stability for the entire city.

These improvements haven't just happened by luck. A new lieutenant was assigned to the area and strong accountability was put into place. This also was accomplished by building a strong team effort by the officers working in the district. That can only be done by building morale among the officers, and forcing them to work in an office with no heat or air conditioning, to me, doesn't build or maintain morale.

The solution to that situation is simple, a directive from the Mayor to the Public Works Director... get it fixed and get it fixed immediately. I guess that might take some leadership and we all know who is Mayor.

And if you want to talk about morale, how about the carrot on the stick that keeps getting dangled in front of members of the Department. A new state of the art Public Safety Complex that was started at least 5 years ago, if not more, and is now further behind than it ever was.

I remember the first groundbreaking was held years ago under the administration of Chief Harnett. Then the second "groundbreaking" was again held toward the end of the tenure of Chief Harnett. Then the third "groundbreaking" was held under the tenure of Chief Roberts. For those that recall, Chief Roberts wasn't at that dog and pony show because it was shortly after his public comments that Hartford had a "toxic relationship" with itself and we had "lost our moral compass" and he was not in good favor with Perez.

Now, several million dollars later, the new Public Safety Complex is a pile of rubble and a testament to the Perez Administration's commitment to Hartford's Public Safety.

These things all add up to a total lack or respect and no effort to build morale in the Police Department. But one of the most glaring issues that confirms that Perez just doesn't give a damn , is really a simple fix.

For the last few years, Hartford has suffered from a lack of police cruisers. This is due to several reasons, the most popular thing for community people to throw out is that the cops abuse the vehicles and they crash them as soon as they get them. Point taken, but it is also a stark reality that police cruisers get damaged and crash. The solution may go back to training and more defensive driving classes for officers who have a problem driving. Save older vehicles for newer officers coming onto the street until they have proven themselves as capable drivers.

I don't want to see any officer wreck a car, but I'd rather see them wreck a dog of the fleet with 200,000 miles than a brand new vehicle with 1,200 miles on it. The other problem when a cruiser is wrecked is that it is not always the officers fault.Even if someone elses insurance pays the city for the loss, the money goes back into the City's General Fund, rather than replace the vehicle.

The reason for writing this is because of tonight's evening shift at the Police Department. The PD is so short of vehicles, tonight's evening shift had 9, yes nine, cruisers "doubled up". That means that because of the shortage of cruisers, 9, yes nine, officers were riding with another officer because they had no car. So, in essence where there would normally be 18 cruisers patrolling, there are instead nine cruisers with two officers in them.

That drastically effects police response times and police coverage when you cut the number of cruisers able to respond to calls in half. Some calls do require two officers to respond, but many do not. It also cuts police visibility in neighborhoods in half.

There is a lot more, but I think the point is clear that the lip service of the Perez Administration doesn't translate to a strong commitment to Hartford's crime problems and efforts to correct Hartford's image.

I guess it is difficult for a Mayor under arrest and on trial and possibly facing prison himself to welcome law enforcement with open arms.

THIS SHOULD WORK OUT WELL MAYOR, GO GREEN, CARPOOL TO COURT

Just an update to the previous post regarding the Mayor's driver being arrested for Operating Under Suspension.

The driver, Pedro Bermudez, was released at the scene of the accident on a "Written Promise to Appear" next week in court at 101 Lafayette Street, the same Courthouse that Perez is currently on trial at for corruption charges.

This could work out well though for both Perez and Bermudez. Carpooling saves energy.

Oh, and still no comment from Sarah Barr.

ANOTHER FROM THE ONLY IN HARTFORD FILE, MAYOR'S DRIVER ARRESTED FOR OPERATING UNDER SUSPENSION


For anyone that reads this blog, you know that I am very critical of the position for the driver for Mayor Perez being funded when the city is in dire financial straits.

And now, in a move that makes you shake your head in disbelief, it seems that the Mayor's driver should not even be on the road in the first place.

From what police sources are telling me, the Mayor's driver, Pedro Bermudez, 51, had dropped his precious cargo off at the Courthouse for the afternoon session of the Mayor's corruption trial.After leaving the court, the Mayor's driver was involved in an accident at Park and Lafayette Streets. The other vehicle evaded and left the scene, and from what sources are telling me, it actually is believed to belong to a court reporter. UPDATE: 6/2/2010, 4:30PM the evading vehicle was operated by Juan Garcia, a clerk at the Court at 95 Washington Street, he has been charged with evading responsibility.

The driver of the Mayor's vehicle apparently called police and an Officer arrived to complete the accident report.Upon beginning the investigation, the Mayor's driver handed the officer a drivers license from Puerto Rico, which was invalid. It seems as though the Officer explained that to him, at which time the driver reluctantly handed the Officer a Connecticut license.

Somewhere around that time a verbal exchange took place between the Officer and the Mayor's driver and the driver voiced his displeasure with the officer wasting time checking on his license when he should be searching for the evading vehicle.

Ultimately it turned out that Bermudez didn't want the officer checking on his license for a good reason. His Connecticut license had been suspended over 8 years ago and he was not allowed to be driving any vehicle.

Why is it that these things happen when we have so many high-priced members of the "Perez Management Team" that should be watching out for things like this?

Immediately after the Officer finished with his investigation he was summoned to the Mayor's Office by the Mayor's Chief of Staff Susan McMullen. Can anyone say interfereing with a Police Officer?

As soon as the report is ready, it will be posted here.

In the meantime Mr. Mayor, might I suggest that you let your fingers do the walking, try Yellow Cab at 666-6666.

A request for comment has not been returned by Sarah Barr, the Mayor's spokesperson.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

KEVIN BURNHAM, PLEASE RETURN YOUR CALLS

For months now I have been calling Hartford's Director of Public Works Kevin Burnham regarding the Southend Wellness Center and the conditions of the building and the Police Offices housed in the building. Even before he was named permanent Public Works Director he has seemed to have problems returning phone calls, and not just from me, but others in the Community also. At one point in March I spoke with Burnham at City Hall and he stated it would all be fixed in two weeks. In fairness to him, he didn't say two weeks from when.

Possibly Burnham has received his training in message handling and returning phone calls from the John Fonfara Training Academy.

Anyway, according to several Southend residents I have spoke with, the heating and air conditioning systems at the Southend Wellness Center have been a problem ever since the City of Hartford purchased and renovated the building.

In January I was in the Southeast Police Substation, housed in the building on Maple Avenue, and since there was no heat, the temperature was 45 degrees. Last week I was in there again and since the air conditioning doesn't work and the windows don't open, it was 91 degrees.

The Department of Public Works solution to the heating problem was to place two small space heaters in the office and run wires up into the ceiling. A definite fire hazard as well as a very inefficient way of heating the offices. The solution for the air conditioning problem from DPW were two small residential air conditioners vented into the space above the ceiling. The air conditioners only run for a short time before they fill with water and shut off and then the holding containers have to be emptied to restart them.

Typical of the way the City handles construction projects, the Heating and A/C units were possibly installed by someone who used to run a hot dog cart on Union Place and was given the contract for the project. It worked on the Park Street bidding process. One would think though that at the very least some sort of warranty would be in place for rooftop units that are less than a couple years old. But then again, if the City holds the contractor accountable for their work, the campaign contributions might not be as large down the road.

On top of that, in January the Wethersfield Police "were attempting to stop" a vehicle headed north on Maple Avenue when it crashed into the front entrance of the Police office. They used to call them pursuits, but I guess that term is no longer politically correct. A light post, fencing, and shrubs were knocked over as well as the front doors being knocked out and replaced by makeshift plywood and a single door.

The intercom that visitors would ring to get into the Police Office was also broken and hangs by wires at the plywood entrance. A large plate glass window above the front entrance was also shattered by flying debris and that window is now held together with duct tape.

From what I understand, the vehicle that crashed into the building was insured, so where is the money to pay for the repairs and why does it take almost 6 months to get the building fixed and where did the money go?

I can almost guarantee that if this was the A/C or heat in the Mayor's Office or Kevin Burnham's Office, it would not take month's to fix. Maybe this is another argument for getting Department Heads to actually live in Hartford, as the city's ordinances require. Maybe the Mayor can send his "Energy Czar" to witness the inefficient use of energy and make some suggestions.

Mr. Burnham, you should have the number from the numerous messages I have left, but it is also at the top of the blog if you need it. Maybe I should try calling 311 instead.

Hopefully DPW will correct this mess as fast as they did the graves in Soldiers Field when WFSB exposed that neglect. I-team please take note :)

GOING, GOING ....GONE

Just an update, the final remaining walls of the Public Safety Complex were knocked down today.

Kudos to the Perez Management Team for another fine job well done. Efficient government at its finest.