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Thursday, September 9, 2010

ENOUGH OF THE GRANDSTANDING

We have a City Council full of opportunists, and unfortunately for Hartford, a vacuum when it comes to leaders on the Council.

Recently Councilman Cotto referred to Caucasians as "lily white", I guess in his liberal mindset that racism only applies to non-white people. As the "self appointed" equalizer for Islamic people, I find it hypocritical that he is championing an Imam's right to lead the Council in prayer while also using racially decisive rhetoric against others.

After his recent introduction of an ordinance to tie the hands of the Police when it comes to intelligence gathering, his apparent explanation was that he wanted to start a discussion on racism. I might suggest that if he wants to start a discussion, then act like a leader and actually organize a time and place for an honest discussion. Cotto's actions only add to the divide and conquer mentality that has been pervasive in Hartford for years, if not decades.

Hartford is perceived as a racist City by actions like Councilman Cotto's. Has anyone ever seen a press release for previous Council meetings announcing who would be giving the prayer at any specific meeting? Why did Cotto see the need to announce the occasion of an Imam giving a prayer before the September meetings? The explanation is simple, GRANDSTANDING, pure and simple.

Wouldn't it have meant more that in the normal course of business an Imam was placed in the mix to give the invocation? But no, just days after the September 11th memorials, Cotto saw fit to interject an Imam. And I don't believe Imam's have been excluded in the past. I don't recall ever seeing a Rabbi in prayer before a Council meeting or a Mormon but I don't proclaim to have attended every Council meeting.

The way that this has been handled is classic of this Council ,unfortunately. No class, no regard to how it affects the City overall and totally lacking in sincerity.

The one shining star that has come out of this issue is one of the people who you would expect to be the most upset. Imam Muhammad Ansari has shown to be a total class act in this matter by saying he doesn't need to pray before a September meeting and is willing to wait for the proper time. This will do more to further any image of Islam than any "in your face" actions Councilman Cotto could dream up.

For anyone that doesn't know Muhammad Ansari, he is probably one of the most genuine, softspoken persons you'd ever meet. He is currently also the acting Executive Director of the Open Hearth Shelter/Mission. I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know Mr. Ansari through the African-American Alliance.

Like it or not, the incidents of 9/11 and the terrorist attacks on our country were spearheaded by Muslim extremists. To brand a whole faith or group of people by these actions is wrong, the same as branding every Catholic priest a pedophile because of the actions of some.

If Councilman Cotto really wants to stem the tide of "Islamaphobia", maybe a frank and honest discussion with the likes of Imam Muhummad Ansari will put a much different face on an image that is being driven by hysteria due to actions like Cotto's. I would argue that Cotto's actions have done more to set back relations with the Islamic community than to move any image or understanding forward.

And Councilman Cotto needs to understand that racism is not a "one-way" street, it cuts in all directions and affects all people, even the "lily" white ones.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

MORE MUGSHOT UPDATES





Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson, Republican, will be making her next appearance at Hartford Superior Court to answer her corruption arrest on September 24, 2010 at 10:00am. It is expected that she will accept or reject a plea deal offered by the State at that time.



Abe Giles, also arrested as a result of the Perez Corruption Investigation is scheduled to appear next in court on October 20, 2010 at 10:00am

PEREZ SENTENCING DATE MOVED

The September 10, 2010 date that had been set for the sentencing of former Mayor Eddie A. Perez after his felony convictions, has apparently been moved back a few days to September 14, 2010 at 10:00am.The updated information appears on the State of Connecticut's Judicial branch website.

Please adjust your calendars accordingly.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

HPD WEBSITE IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE


A couple weeks ago I posted about the Hartford Police Departments outdated information on its website. Last Friday I received a call from Nancy Mulroy the "webmaster" for the site. She had explained that they were transitioning from older design software to newer software and the process had lagged.

After the posting and dealing with MHIS, Mulroy told me that she insisted that the new website go "live" immediately to correct the problem and start providing current information.

After checking today, the Crime statistics are current and up to date. The stats also paint an interesting picture overall that in almost every category, except for aggravated assault, crime is down in the City compared to last year.

It is also important to note that according to the stats the Northeast section of the City is showing some good reductions in what traditionally is Hartford's "high-crime" areas. Almost every category of serious crime is showing large decreases in the Northeast section.

Southeast is also showing some large decreases in overall crime with sizable reductions over last years numbers. One area that Southeast isn't showing decreases is in the number of Motor Vehicle stops taking place. I am a strong believer that active motor vehicle enforcement reduces overall crime. First off is the visible police presence as they conduct traffic stops. Second is the number of contacts that result in the discovery of guns and weapons in the vehicles, persons wanted for more serious crimes and even drugs.

As most criminal activity doesn't like to be detected by the persons committing them, knowing that there chances of being stopped and detected makes a difference.

To view the HPD website and the current crime stats, click here

On the last page of the report is "police activity by area". The last column, "10-34's" is the column for traffic stop activity and is shown by neighborhood. As you can see, Barry Square leads the city for the current weeks report. More traffic stops were made in the Barry Square neighborhood than were made in other total districts.

It seems like a relatively small matter, but the Southeast's traffic enforcement could be one reason for it's impressive crime reduction numbers.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

HUMAN RELATIONS DIRECTOR'S POSITION TERMINATED





In the continuing effort to clean out City Hall, another resignation has been accepted by Mayor Pedro Segarra. Lillian Ruiz, Hartford's Director of Human Relations was shown the door yesterday and escorted out of Hartford City Hall.

Ruiz's department played a large part in the Perez corruption scandal according to testimony at former Mayor Perez's trial. Contractor Carlos Costa had testified that he was not in compliance with contract requirements and had reached out to at least one employee in Ruiz's office as well as Mayor Perez and Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson to intervene on his behalf.

Ruiz is another one of the "Perez Allies" who is being purged from City Hall. In more changes announced today by Mayor Segarra it seems that several programs that drew criticism are being jettisoned. Aside from Dora, I mean Lillian Ruiz, her entire Department of Human Relations will now be under the Office of Corporation Counsel. Another sensible choice since the majority of what Human Relations does is deal with compliance in City Contracts and federal equal opportunity requirements.

Another change that definitely makes sense is the re-assignment of the Office of Capital Assets, also known as James Keaney and Charles Crocini, to be under the supervision of the Department of Public Works. That is where it should have been all along, not in the Mayor's Office. The only difficulty here is that James Keaney is most likely making close to $50,000 more than the Director of Public Works.

This could be an interesting match up since the DPW Director Kevin Burnham took away Keaney's SUV with the heated leather seats and assigned him a smaller vehicle shortly after Burnham became Director. I noticed last week that Keaney's city vehicle is now also adorned with the City of Hartford seal on it's doors now. So much for the stealth missions in the City's car. Maybe he has them on with Velcro.

The "311 Center" is also being moved to come under the Office of Policy and Management rather than directly under the Mayor's Office. This could be a problem at election time since "311" was also believed to be the unofficial polling operation for Perez.

City Hall sources are telling me that more changes may be coming in the near future, but my "hit" list for City Hall removals I posted earlier this year is getting smaller by the day. These changes are not only removing problems from the Perez administration but they are also removing a lot of the "fat" from a top heavy City Hall that we can not afford.

The official version :

MAYOR SEGARRA OUTLINES STRATEGY OF RESPONSIBILITY

FOR CITY OF HARTFORD GOVERNMENT

ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL STAFFING CHANGES/REORGANIZATION



---NEWS RELEASE---



(August 31, 2010)--- Today, Mayor Pedro E. Segarra made a 45 minute presentation to Department Heads to demonstrate how his administration is focused on four key goals that will move the City of Hartford forward during his tenure. He outlined the role of his Cabinet and announced that staffing changes and structural reorganizations are underway in order to reduce the cost of government and to achieve an increase in efficiency and effectiveness.



“Changes need to be made for the betterment of the organization. By clearly stating goals and objectives and the means of achieving these results, Hartford will be able to be proactive and progress towards common goals. The City Charter does allow for experimentation by the CEO of the City during the fiscal year in order to meet new demands and goals,” said Mayor Segarra.



By strategically working with all levels of governments, businesses, and community entities, the City of Hartford will address long-standing issues and opportunities to create sustainable changes that improve the City.

1. Ensure that each City office and department is held accountable for operating in a fiscally accountable manner and for getting results that advance the City’s interest.

2. Safeguard the health, cleanliness and safety of the community in ways that reflect the wants and needs of the people who live, work and visit Hartford

3. Create jobs and improve the quality of education and for Hartford’s children and adults

4. Pursue opportunities to accelerate and expand the economic vitality of Hartford’s business community and neighborhoods.



Internally, the size of the Mayor’s Office will be reduced, returning operations to departments where possible while holding them accountable for results.

1. The Office of Capital Assets will be merged with the Department of Public Works.

2. The Office of Human Relations will be merged into Corporation Counsel, eliminating the position of Director of Human Relations

3. Workforce and Minority and Women Business Enterprises certification moves to Procurement, to be overseen by the Chief Operating Officer.

4. The Office of Management and Budget will oversee 311.



“Change for the better is already underway and the Segarra administration intends to expand and accelerate it. A new standard for effectiveness and success is being established,” said COO David Panagore.

Friday, August 27, 2010

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE, DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE SECRETARY AND LEGISLATURE CANDIDATE ANGEL MORALES UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION


Angel Morales, pictured above, 2nd from right

So many things are going through my mind right now, but here goes. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I had supported Angel Morales in his run for State Representative from the 4th District. Eventually I also served as his campaign manager. Shortly before the primary, several incidents drew Angel's integrity into question as far as I was concerned and we parted company. Morales lost the primary by a handful of votes.

Although I saw several things that questioned his integrity, nothing prepared me for the calls I began receiving last night. Several sources began calling me after 7:00PM and talking about Angel being caught up in some sort of investigation that was the result of a "sexual" type allegations.

The police report below speaks for itself, but apparently Morales approached a young man in the area of the Washington Street Post Office and offered him a job. Morales was apparently driving the Lincoln he had rented with campaign funds when he picked the young man up. That in and of itself is another issue as to why he still has the car so long after the primary and is he still using campaign funds for the rental. Morales also apparently has no drivers license to be driving a car.

The young man, according to his statement, freely got into the car at which point Morales went to his campaign headquarters at 21 Franklin Avenue with the man. Again, that raises another issue as to why Morales is still maintaining the Headquarters with the Campaign election funds which should have been closed after the August 10, 2010 primary.

Once inside the headquarters Morales apparently locked the door behind them and stated he needed to use the bathroom. According to the victim, after a period of time, Morales came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his blue boxers with an exposed erection (the incident report states "unexposed" but police sources have confirmed the mis-type, it was "exposed").

After Morales asked the young man to time him as he did pushups, the man became upset and uncomfortable and fled from the building. He ran back to his home and reported the incident to his mother. His mother described her son to the police as "mentally retarded". Whether Morales knew that he may be taking advantage of a mentally challenged person is unknown at this point.

Morales has not met with or cooperated with investigating detectives at this point.Although the final line of the report states that the officer found no violation of Connecticut laws, HPD supervisors thought differently. The Major Crimes division is actively pursuing the case and sources have told me an arrest of Morales is likely.

Morales' future as Democratic Town Committee Secretary is unknown. Repeated calls to Hartford Democratic Town Chairwoman Jean Holloway for comment have not been returned. According to Hartford DTC minutes from their March meeting, State Representative Minnie Gonzalez nominated Morales for DTC Secretary and he was elected with 40 votes of the 64 member Town Committee.

HARTFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT INITIAL INCIDENT REPORT

Morales Case Report-redacted