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Saturday, January 15, 2011

ANOTHER STUPID QUESTION.....

Sometimes I think I am a little too rigid , I try to look at the total picture, but that doesn't always happen. I also know that I have some great readers with good common sense. With that being said, I'm throwing this question out there to solicit your responses.

I fully understand that Wednesday's storm was a record snowfall. Although most city streets have been plowed, it seems that the response was far from stellar. Most major streets are opened to only one lane each way, but at least they are open.

I can't seem to figure out the strategy behind Hartford's plowing operations and the number of plows I saw during the storm driving on city streets with their plow blades up in the air and not moving any snow. I posed that question to Mayor Segarra during a conversation Friday evening. He said he had the same question and when he posed it to Hartford's D.P.W. Director Kevin Burnham, he was told it was to save wear and tear on the plows as they traveled to their assigned routes.

I would file Burnham's response in the "do you really think we are idiots" file and move on. Some things will never change in Hartford. I also told the Mayor that even with the record snowfall, it was quite clear when you cross the Hartford city line. Entering into any of our neighboring towns, the streeets were plowed "curb to curb" and looked much better than Hartford's.

Ok, so now to the question I would like your comments on. If you were the Director of Public Works for the City of Hartford and knew that a sold out UCONN Women's Basketball game was being held Saturday at 12 noon at the XL Center, how would you handle snow removal surrounding the XL Center?

A.) Since Hartford's streets are pretty much empty after 1 or 2:00am, that would be the best time to remove the snow and make Hartford accessible and clear out all intersections so that the area would be clear in advance of the sold-out crowd and traffic and pedestrians could move about properly

B.)Why worry, spring will be here soon enough and snow eventually melts.

C.)To show that Hartford D.P.W. does actually plow snow, do it at the height of the crowds arriving and tie up as much traffic as possible and show the 16,000 people coming into the city that something is being done. People are used to being inconvenienced by Hartford's incompetent leadership so at least it will show consistency to everyone.

D.) Both B and C would combine for a reasonable solution.

Not to influence your decision, but C was apparently Burnham's solution.

Needless to say, Hartford's DPW crews were making a nightmare of traffic as the sold out crowds arrived and I'm not even going near downtown as they leave the City after the game. Maybe it is a decision to keep them all gridlocked in Hartford to visit Hartford's restaurants downtown.

At least we can be comfortable in knowing that the DPW Director is enjoying the day in front of the fireplace at his home in East Haddam, free from the troubles and worries of Hartford. If only he lived in Hartford, he might see what many of us see day in and day out.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

SIMPLY INEXCUSABLE

This past summer I posted about Whitey's Towing and their predatory practices. In that case they had towed a vehicle from the wrong property and when they realized their mistake, they still refused to give the woman her car back. To read that posting from April, click here.

Now Whitey's has shown once again the type of business they are according to police sources who wish to remain anonymous.

Earlier today, a Hartford resident from 777 Park Street had asked someone at the Hartford Fire Department's Engine 8 Firehouse on Park Street where she could park to be in compliance with the city's parking ban. She apparently was directed to the Maria Sanchez School on Babcock Street and told to park in their parking area. That was also the message put out to the general public by the Mayor's Office, Hartford School parking lots were to be utilized for off street parking during the storm.

Anyone without off street parking was encouraged to use the school lots to free up Hartford's streets and avoid a $100.00 ticket and potentially the cost of the tow.

The resident at 777 Park Street heeded the call to do the right thing and parked her vehicle in the parking area at the Sanchez School. Apparently someone at Sanchez School didn't receive word that residents were being encouraged to park at the schools. The Hartford School's system is not typically known for its communications skills internally.

So anyway, the person at Sanchez School proceeded to call Whitey's Towing and have the offending vehicle removed as a "trespass tow". Even though the resident was doing what the Mayor had asked every other resident to do, at 5:30 PM her vehicle was towed to Whitey's Towing.

Apparently when the resident realized what had happened she contacted the Hartford Police and the Hartford 911 dispatch center. They all agreed with the woman and went out of their way to get the car back. They realized the woman was doing what residents had been asked to do under the parking ban. Unfortunately though, with Whitey's it apparently is never an issue of right or wrong, it is all about "who's gonna pay the bill".

Even after the Hartford Police had offered to drive the woman to Whitey's to retrieve her car and have the City square it away tomorrow, Whitey's still refused to give the car back.

Whitey's did originally tow the car legitimately, somewhat,but once they realized it was a mistake the car should have been released. The resident trying to do the right thing should not have been inconvenienced, especially after the police promised to "make it right" tomorrow.

Maybe a 30 day suspension from Hartford's towing rotation would make Whitey's think twice about how they treat Hartford's residents and how they respond to the Hartford Police Department.

Mr. Mayor, I hope you make this right for a resident trying to work with you.

DON'T FORGET THE HYDRANTS


As you dig out from today's snow storm, don't forget to clear out any fire hydrants on or adjacent to your property.

The time it takes firefighters to locate and dig out fire hydrants in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death.

And once you are done, enjoy this great New England ambiance.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

COUNCILMAN APONTE DONE? NOW WHAT?

This is another one from the "You can't make this stuff up file".

Apparently according to the resolution passed on August 23, 2010 by the Hartford Court of Common Council, Councilman Alexander Aponte was appointed only until January 1, 2011. According to legal sources , even though it most likely was a typographical error, once the resolution is certified by the City Clerk, the exact wording becomes official.

The document was certified and Aponte's term is now done as of January 1, 2011 according to the official certified resolution. A copy of the resolution is attached below. It seems that legally the only way to correct the mistake will be to "re-vote" Aponte back onto the Council.

That could prove to be an interesting task though since a lot has changed since the original Council vote and Aponte's appointment. First up is the matter of how Aponte got his five votes.

If you recall from other posts here, Aponte got the fifth vote he needed from some old fashioned "horse trading". The night before the vote, Councilwoman rJo Winch had stated that she would never vote for Aponte to be appointed. Less than 24 hours later, Winch changed her opinion, voted for Aponte to join the Council and the Aponte in turn voted for Winch to become Council President.

Winch would have never become Council President without Aponte's vote. Nowthat she has her position, it will be interesting how she proceeds now that all bets are off and she is not obligated to Aponte.

Another critical piece is that at least three of the Council members at the time of the vote felt deceived by Aponte. At the time of the vote, myself and others had raised the issue of a Federal Investigation involving Aponte for Food Stamp fraud as well as other issues. Aponte denied any knowledge or involvement in the investigation when asked by Council members prior to the vote. That turned out not to be truthful when documents released and an article in the Hartford Courant showed a rather deceptive case against Aponte.


This could all be very interesting to watch as this plays out for Aponte's next shot at getting voted onto the Council.

UPDATE 4:40pm:

I had originally called City Clerk John Bazzano to see how this matter was being handled. He called back at 4:35PM and said that the matter was "being corrected". I asked how and he stated that his staff had told him that "Certified Resolutions" had been corrected in the past. I asked for a specific instance and the legality of doing that. Bazzano said that he was told by "people in his office" that it had been done before and he didn't think it was a big deal. He also stated that the previous corrections were done before his time so he couldn't give me any specifics.

He further stated that he believes the mistake was noticed at the time of the meeting, but for whatever reason it was never corrected. Bazzano stated that he was waitng for a video copy of the meeting from Public Access to verify what happened. I asked if that meant the matter was corrected and he replied "not yet, not until we get the tape".

Requests for comment from Corporation Counsel Saundra Kee-Borges and Aponte will be posted if and when they are recieved.

Aponte Resolution

TO READ THE OFFICIAL COMPLAINT REGARDING APONTE'S FRAUD AND MALPRACTICE ALLEGATIONS, CLICK BELOW

APONTE MALPRACTICE -FRAUD COMPLAINT

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

CAPITAL FELONY MURDER CHARGES IN NEW YEAR'S HOMICIDES

Hartford Police have obtained arrest warrants for Capital Felony Murder charges related to the New Years Day homicides.

The wanted flyer for Angel Rivera is attached below.

Wanted Info Flyer 2009 1

Saturday, January 1, 2011

COUNCILMAN RITTER'S FINAL PRESS RELEASE

I received the following press release from Councilman Ritter's office:

HARTFORD COUNCILMAN BIDS CITY COUNCIL FAREWELL

Newly Elected Legislator To Be Sworn In Next Week





HARTFORD - Less than a week before he is to be sworn-in as a state legislator, Councilman Matthew Ritter submitted his letter of resignation to Hartford Town Clerk John Bazzano and sent an email to all City employees thanking them for their support and dedication during his three years on the Council. "Serving on the City Council has been an extremely rewarding experience, as it has given me the chance to help our families, neighbors and business owners with their issues and concerns. I would not have been able to accomplish that without you." Ritter , whose resignation is effective on January 3rd at 4:30 PM, also wrote to city employees: "As I enter this new chapter as State Representative for our city, your words and deeds will guide me in doing what is best for Hartford."

One of the youngest people ever elected to the Hartford City Council, Ritter was elected State Representative for the 1st Assembly District in November. Ritter learned yesterday that he will serve on the Connecticut General Assembly's Banks, Planning and Development and Executive and Legislative Nominations Committees. The Banks Committee reviews all legislation dealing with secured and unsecured lending. The Planning and Development Committee has oversight of housing, urban renewal and economic development programs impacting local governments. The Executive and Legislation Nominations Committee will review all executive and legislative nominations requiring action of either or both Houses, except judicial and workers' compensation commissioner appointments.

"I am honored to serve the residents of the 1st District, and excited to serve on committees that will impact issues that affect them," Ritter said. "I want to thank Speaker Donovan for these important assignments which will allow me to work on issues such as foreclosures, property tax reform and revenue diversification for municipalities."

While on the Council, Ritter chaired the Legislative Affairs and Planning and Economic Development Committees. He will be sworn in at the Legislative Office Building at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.



Now the games can officially begin to fill his vacant seat on the Council. This should be very interesting to watch, I'm sure I will have plenty of information to post on the maneuvering for this, keep the phone calls coming