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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

IS IT "HARTFORDGATE"

Hartford Police were called to Hartford City Hall this morning to investigate an apparent burglary into the Corporation Counsel's Office on the 3rd floor.

No information is available at this time as to what area was entered or what might have been taken.

Could this be another scandal in the making? Only in Hartford.

Monday, July 12, 2010

RESPONSES TO A FEW BLOG COMMENTS

As I have been laying low for the past few weeks focusing on what was concern number one, my health, I am now ready and full of energy to spout off about a new era in Hartford's history.

I can't respond to all of the comments that have been posted here, but I just want to say thanks to "Bruce", "Matt", "GiGi" (I have been assured it is not that GiGi) and all the others, especially that guy (or gal) "Anonymous" who have kept the conversations flowing while my postings were at a minimum.

And to all the well wishers, thanks again for your concern. I do have a couple of regrets though that I didn't take some of the people up on their offers. Imagine what I could have done with a picture of Chief Roberts bringing groceries up my stairs after he asked if "there was anything I needed?". And to Bishop Selders, thanks for the prayer beads. I know I'm not supposed to pray for such things, but they worked great during jury deliberations.

Ok , on to the comments.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "YOU MIGHT BE ASKING WHY EDDIE A. PEREZ IS GONE.......":

So, Kevin, what is the scoop??? Which Dept Heads and Directors were NOT invited to stay by Mayor Segarra???


The answer is pretty simple, your guess is about as good as mine. I know what my recommendations would be, but that's about it.

If nothing else, we see Mayor Segarra as someone who doesn't operate from the seat of the pants and you have to look at the total picture. The elimination of John Rose and Susan McMullen were pretty safe bets right from the start. I am somewhat surprised by the survival of Sarah Barr, but who knows, that might be a short lived survival.

Barr was responsible for many of the dirty deeds put forth for Eddie as she authored and preached the "Gospel of Perez". Many people still see her as the face of the Perez Administration and this will be an impediment to regaining any one's trust in Hartford as long as she is around.

Chief Daryl Roberts is another question mark, but I think Roberts deserves to be let loose to do what he was hired to do and that is run the Hartford Police Department. Ironically, as I sit here and write this, today is the four year anniversary of the Chief's appointment as Police Chief. Chief Roberts survived four years under some of the most difficult times in Hartford's history.

My great, great uncle (I probably need another great in there) was a former Hartford Police Chief back when Hartford was an entirely different place. I have read stories about him, Chief Michael Godfrey. He was actually Chief at the time of the Barbour Street Circus Fire. At that time Police Chiefs, in Cities like Hartford, were chauffeured everywhere in large sedans and were more powerful than most elected officials.More importantly, no one said no to them or dared cross them and they usually got what they needed.

Now in our present day era, Chief Roberts is being told to do more with less in a society that seems to become more and more violent everyday. A prime example was this weekend,an 18 year old boy leveling a rifle at a police officers chest and firing.

When Chief Roberts made his comments a couple summers ago that our city had a "toxic relationship" with itself, a firestorm erupted. The firestorm wasn't in the community, most people loved his honesty. We all know it but most people are afraid to say it. No, the firestorm erupted at 550 Main Street in the Mayor's Office. How dare Chief Roberts express his (and many others) honest thoughts. That was not in line with the Gospel of Perez.

That wasn't the start, but it sure escalated the contentious relationship between the Chief and Perez.

At the very least, Chief Roberts deserves a 6 month extension on his contract with the instructions from the Mayor that the leash from City Hall is off, go do what we hired you to do, and lets review that in 6 months.We have already seen stepped up enforcement action citywide. Maybe coincidence, maybe the result of HPD being allowed to do their job without interference from a prison bound Mayor, only time will tell.

The results will tell the story, but in 2 weeks time there have been numerous arrests for drug dealing at the Washington Street McDonald's, 30 people arrested for drug sealing in Keney Park, bodegas having their "after-hours" permits revoked or suspended. All within the last two weeks under the Segarra Administration.

The Fire Chief is in good shape I think. Ed Casares is an honorable guy and I think will steer the HFD in the right direction. The only major question is the Dan Nolan case hanging out there and how that will be resolved and what impact that will have on the Department. Much of the testimony from Nolan's Labor Board hearings has the potential to far from flattering for the previous Administration and the transcripts will make for some good reading.

Hopefully Casares and a new Corporation Counsel can come together and resolve the situation favorably without any huge settlements. It is only my opinion , but Dan Nolan will be a rich man in the end if they don't. The same can be said about Police Officer Matthew Secore who the Labor Board ordered his reinstatement after Perez fired him, only to be disregarded by John Rose and Perez. Another big settlement in the making.

Several others in the Mayor's Office need to go also. Many are back peddling now and saying they only did what they had to to remain in good standing and keep their jobs. Nice try, but I'm sorry. You are adults, you made decisions, now live with the consequences. The Office of Constituent Services was, I feel, essentially run as a political backroom and a polling operation for Perez. That entire operation needs to be revamped and actually provide a service to Hartford's residents.

The Finance Director, as I said in a previous post, needs to be scrutinized. If he knowingly played games with Hartford's budget and allowed budget projections and revenue collections to be over inflated at Perez's insistence, he needs to be gone.But even if the Director stays, the Deputy Director Lydia Rosario needs to go. Rosario has hired several family members and relatives bypassing Hartford's hiring practices as well as covering up large thefts of cash from the Tax Collectors Office. Rosario and Tax Collector Marc Nelson are now orchestrating a witch hunt against an employee who brought the issue to light, attempting to terminate him.

Human Relations Director Lillian Ruiz....gone, gone, gone. Much of the Perez corruption operations happened under her watch. She might not have been found criminally liable, how I don't know, but she held the responsibility for Carlos Costas oversight as far as his minority hiring and reporting. Her employees were wheeling and dealing with Costa to cover up his poor performance. She should have known what was going on in her department. Plus I don't like the comments she made about me in a couple of her staff meetings. (yes, sources are everywhere)

Health Department....Eddie did a good job of burying Evelyn Mantilla there and protecting her as a civil service employee. What she does no one actually knows, but she does report to work to collect her $70,000 a year plus salary, thanks to Eddie Perez. The Director should be pretty safe though.

Public Works...the verdict is out on Kevin Burnham. Overall I think he has proven ineffective and is slow to get out of the box and accomplish anything. Hartford's streets are a mess, I haven't seen any milling or street rebuilding , to the best of my knowledge, so far this summer. Hartford's Parks and cemeteries are a mess and an embarrassment to Hartford's image. In Burnham's defense, it is hard to accomplish anything when you can pretty much count your staff on one hand.

Mayor Segarra has been speaking about pumping money into a summer intern program to hire people for maintaining our parks, hopefully by rebuilding the bridge to the Capitol some money can be found for such a program. But first up for Burnham is to get in the habit of returning phone calls or at the very least designate a responsible person to call people back on his behalf. That includes other department heads as well as city residents. Ignoring problems doesn't solve anything.

And we have way too many Deputy Directors in DPW. One such person is Deputy Director Marilyn Cruz-Aponte who landed here in Hartford courtesy of Perez's Chief of Staff Susan McMullen. McMullen and Cruz-Aponte worked together in New Britain before McMullen was let go by the City of New Britain. I know Mayor Segarra isn't vindictive, but Cruz-Aponte is the person who singled out Segarra's half brother to be laid-off in last years first round of terminations. From what sources have told me , she has also had some very unflattering comments about our new Mayor and voiced them in a meeting the same day Segarra was sworn in.

And you probably thought I forgot about MHIS Director Eric Jackson, another one...gone, gone , gone. I have already written too much in this post, but I'll get into Jackson in depth again soon. But suffice it to say, he has been another huge drain on Hartford's resources with nothing in return.

Human Resources Director Santiago Malave, the jury is still out on him. Personally, I like him and I know he was doing Perez's dirty work, but like I said before, they are all adults who made decisions for themselves that they must now live with. Many personnel decisions have been made and are still pending that may cost Hartford millions of dollars in the end for unsubstantiated allegations and charges that haven't held up before the Labor Board and most likely won't hold up in court. Malave was supposed to be the voice of reason when it came to personnel matters and I'm not sure that has always happened when it came to pressure from Perez.

Let me know if I left anyone out and I'll try to respond with my thoughts.

And to "Dave", I know you are waiting for my response, you will be up next.

TONIGHT'S COUNCIL INTERVIEWS...TRANSPARENCY OR TRAVESTY

Tonight Hartford's Democratic Town Committee will be holding interviews to potentially find a replacement for Mayor Pedro Segarra's open seat. Segarra's seat on the Council was opened after he moved up to the Mayor's position to fill the vacancy left after former Mayor Eddie Perez became a convicted felon after his corruption trial.

The effort to conduct public interviews could be a good start to restore the public's confidence in a "corruption free" city government. Or it can show that nothing is going to change at City Hall.

Word around this weekend has been that the interviews are just for show, and that the replacement has essentially already been chosen by Hartford's power broker "wanna-be's". Only the decision after tonight's interviews will show if change is imminent or if the whole process was a sham.

Hopefully it will be the first scenario and some people with integrity will be involved to make the right choice. Not a choice determined by who is the most politically connected or who can play the game the best.

A couple of the names I have heard floated are not without baggage and some tough questions need to be asked of the candidates to avoid any more potential "black eyes" for our image as a city.

In the few short weeks, actually two weeks and three days,since Mayor Segarra has taken office, I see the tide turning in favor of Hartford's image. It could be the "honeymoon" period, but I doubt it.

Tonight's interviews could assist the Mayor in our image rebuilding or they can reinforce the mindset that Hartford's politicos don't want to change. Only time will tell.

Depending on the choice, maybe the tough questions will have to be asked here.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

YOU MIGHT BE ASKING WHY EDDIE A. PEREZ IS GONE....FROM THE BLOG

To my regular readers, you are well aware that when this blog started it was to focus on the actions of Eddie Perez and his corrupt organization at Hartford City Hall.

Whether it was alleged criminal activity, attempts at covering up his actions through refusing FOI requests or just improper conduct, much of it was first reported here. I am proud of the accomplishments that "We the People" has attained and the people who have stood along side me to take our City back.

The work is far from done as we dig out of the mess that our former Mayor,and now convicted felon, Eddie A. Perez has put us in. But I have decided, at least for me, that the Perez era of corruption as it relates to Perez as an individual is done.

We do have another elected official, Republican Council Person Veronica Airey-Wilson headed to trial on felony charges and I will focus on her trail also.In the over all scheme of Hartford's resurrection though, her performance is insignificant, as has been most of her tenure on the Council.

But in getting back to Perez, I have decided to remove the reminders of his arrest, trial and conviction. The revolving cube with his first mugshot, the TIME magazine "mug shot's of the year" picture and his second mugshot.

The reason, for me, is simple. Job number one is done, Perez is gone and most likely headed to prison. It's time to focus on the more important job now. That is the job of rallying behind our Mayor, Pedro E. Segarra. In order to regain our position as the once proud and prosperous Capital city of our great state, we all need to pull together.

That can take many different aspects for most people. Number one is being involved in our government and not letting another "Perez Era" happen again...ever. First and foremost get out and vote and encourage everyone you come in contact with to vote. It is time for us to begin placing the best possible candidates in elected positions. Not the best politically connected people, but the best qualified people who love our city and are willing to unselfishly put their hearts and souls into true public service.

Not everyone has the same strengths, but we all have something to offer. Not everyone can get up at Council meetings and speak their minds, but you may be able to take a neighborhood child under your wing and mentor them as Mayor Segarra urged our new police officers at Friday's graduation. Not everyone has the time to be involved in a public office or to volunteer to be on a Board or Commission, but if you do, I would urge you to contact the Mayor's Office and put your strengths to work for bringing our City back.

Even something that seems minor, like sweeping in front of your home or business and picking up litter makes a difference. And you might even start a trend in your neighborhood.

If your streets aren't being swept because people ignore the "No parking on trash day" signs, organize your neighbors as a group of residents recently did in the Congress Street/Morris Street area. After they held a neighborhood meeting with police supervisors and their Community Service Officer a simple solution was arrived at. Residents would let their neighbors know what was coming, tagging and towing of improperly parked vehicles. Flyer's were put out and the following week the Police department and Public Works worked as a team and the illegally parked cars were towed and the streets were swept for the first time in a long time.

A simple solution when we all work together.

Even something as simple as taking the time to pick up the phone and call the Police when you see something unusual in your neighborhood can make a big difference. Many burglary sprees or pattern crimes are ended by just one phone call.

The days of the "Divide and conquer" style of the Perez Administration have been brought to an end. There is great promise and hope that a new day is dawning in Hartford. Only time will tell, but I have confidence in the leadership style of Mayor Segarra ,even though we are only one week and a day into his administration.

Great cities aren't made by one individual, they are built by a diverse group of people all bringing their strengths to the table and working together. We have that potential, now let's get it done.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES


Last year I attended the graduation of a recruit class from the Hartford Police Academy that was held in the auditorium of the Aetna on Farmington Avenue. At last years graduation the keynote speaker was Hartford's Mayor Eddie A. Perez. I had a hard time not getting up and walking out listening to Perez as he spoke to Hartford's newest police officers about honesty, integrity and them being held to a higher standard. And yes, it was the same Eddie Perez that was under arrest on corruption and extortion allegations at the time and now has the label of convicted felon.

Yesterday I entered that same auditorium for the graduation ceremony of the latest officers to gain the title of "Hartford's finest". I have to keep reminding myself that I am biased against Perez, but an air of hope and promise seemed to permeate the room. The Perez cloud had been lifted and the Segarra sunshine was filling the room.

The usual speeches took place, the prayers were said and then Mayor Segarra took the podium for his address. Mayor Segarra has a distinct advantage over Perez when it comes to public speaking. For one thing, Segarra, as an attorney, knows how to speak without notes and seem believable. Perez never seemed comfortable and was obviously always reading from a prepared script.

With that being said, Mayor Segarra gave a great speech and I have to admit I got "goosebumps" at a couple times during his remarks. It was hard to listen to Perez a year earlier talk about Police Officer's being held to a higher standard when he clearly felt that the higher standard didn't apply to him.

Mayor Segarra spoke about his life experience of his own father being shot and killed by senseless violence. It was tough not to draw the comparison of our former Mayor whose claim to fame was his gang membership and our current Mayor who fled from his home in Brooklyn, New York at the age of 15 and came to Hartford to avoid being drawn into the gang life. A Mayor that even under those circumstances and being on his own at 15 was able to rise above the gangs and eventually get his law degree and go on to serve the City of Hartford as Mayor.

Which Mayor do you think is the better role model for youth and even for our newest Police Officer's?

Back to the speech. Mayor Segarra spoke about his earliest interaction with a police officer in Brooklyn and how he and his buddies were enthralled with the firearm holstered on the officer's hip. He related how the officer spoke to him and his friends and game them their first lesson in what guns are for, and in what they weren't for.

He urged the new officers to take a Hartford boy or girl and mentor them and begin moving Hartford's young people in the right direction, the same way the Brooklyn officer did to him. He also urged the officers to take an interest in Hartford and develop the love for our city that so many of us have.

He encouraged the officers to discover the beauty of Hartford and its gems like our golf courses and Elizabeth Park. He told them when they might be feeling stressed after their shift, take a walk and unwind in Elizabeth Park. Bring their families and children to discover one of Hartford's museums. Take the time to come back into Hartford and eat at one of our many restaurants.

It was a speech that focused on the key to Hartford's immediate future, restoring trust and confidence in the public and that Hartford is going to move in the right direction, despite the Perez years.

If the comments I overheard in the room afterwards were any indication, Mayor Segarra hit a grand slam home run with his comments. I think there were a few hundred more believers in Hartford's hope after the speech than there were initially entering the room.

McGARRY BREAKS HIS SILENCE.....FINALLY......WELL, KIND OF

According to the Hartford Courant this morning, Hartford's Republican Town Chairperson Micheal T. McGarry has finally decided to weigh in on the Perez scandal. Not surprisingly though, he doesn't mention a word about scandal, corruption or even the fact that his only Republican on the City Council is also about to head to trial.Although in fairness to McGarry, the Democrats also seem to have political laryngitis when it comes to speaking out against corruption.

No, instead McGarry is calling for a special election to replace the spot opened by convicted felon Eddie Perez's resignation. This seems rather odd for someone that can't get candidates elected to be calling for a special election. According to the Courant, McGarry was unavailable for comment so we have no way of knowing what is running through that mind of his.

It is odd though that McGarry,and apparently the Republican Town Committee , have decided now to say anything. Throughout the entire investigation, including search warrants, a Grand Jury and even several arrests, not a word has been uttered by McGarry or the rest of his Jurassic Park followers. Although McGarry has made it a point to provide cover for Veronica Airey-Wilson, the Republican Council person arrested along side Perez, he has reamined silent throughout the entire ordeal.

Maybe McGarry feels a share of the blame for allowing his party to be driven into oblivion and irrelevance, empowering Perez to conduct his corrupt activities. Or maybe there were business decisions involved. We know how Perez would retaliate against those that spoke out and advertising revenues could be cut off.

But I would love to hear McGarry's rationale for a special election. A special election that does not appear to be allowed by City Charter. Any other year it might have a chance, the Charter states that a special election for replacement of the Mayor could be called in a year with a "regularly scheduled municipal election". This is the one year in the four year election cycle with no municipal officers up for election. No Board of Education, no Council, no Constables, no Registrars of Voters, not one municipal official.

But even further is the question why? Is he afraid that Pedro Segarra won't play his game? Maybe that Mayor Segarra seems to be a no nonsense leader? Maybe that Mayor Segarra will actually get something done and move Hartford in a new direction without any Republican help?

I might suggest that Mr. McGarry schedule an immediate meeting with Mayor Segarra and get on board with his plans for change. Rather than run to the City Clerks office with useless paperwork, do something productive for Hartford. Provide Mayor Segarra with a list of names of people that can actually make a change in Hartford by being useful assets on Boards and Commissions. Many of these positions have been vacant for years.

Mr. McGarry, agree to work with Mayor Segarra for the good of Hartford and its residents. Use the voice of the Republican party to keep Hartford on a steady and even course, something that hasn't been done for several years and allowed City Hall to veer off course and into potential prison sentences.

Mayor Segarra shows promise of being a solid force for change and stability in our City and the 17 months he will serve for the remainder of his term will be a daily challenge for him. Upending that by calling for a special election and changing leaders once again is lunacy.

And it's not like any Republican even has a chance of winning. What is the real reason for the petition?