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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

HERE WE GO AGAIN...MORE CHANGES AT HPD COMMAND LEVEL

It seems like it will never end, but once again, the deck chairs are being re-arranged on the sinking Titanic known as HPD. In a city suffering from extremely violent crimes this year, I'm not sure anyone on the command level at HPD gets it.

When approving this years budget, the Council seemed to send a clear message that they thought the Hartford Police Department was top heavy with "leaders". The Council cut $300,000 from the budget specifically from the Chiefs Office and , again, seemed to make it pretty clear that they wanted two Assistant Chief positions cut. As of tomorrow, one position will be eliminated and resulted in the termination, retirement,resignation or whatever you want to call it, of Assistant Chief Lester McKoy.

Now as a result of that, one other Assistant Chief position that the Council wanted cut remains still filled by Assistant Chief John Horvath, the lowest in seniority of the two remaining Assistant Chiefs.

In reassigning the tasks that Chief McKoy was responsible for prior to his termination, retirement, resignation or whatever you want to call it, it has resulted in a full scale shake up of the Chief's Complex.

Not only was Chief Horvath's position "saved" through the efforts of Chief Roberts, it also resulted in two new police officer positions being cut from the new recruit class to find the money to save Horvath. If that wasn't bad enough, Assistant Chief Horvath has now been assigned a Lieutenant to serve as his "Executive Officer". From what sources are telling me, this is the first time that an Assistant Chief has had an executive officer assigned to them.

If the Council was trying to send a message to the Chief, it seems like the message isn't being heard. The two remaining Deputy Chiefs have also had their assignments redefined. Since the creation of those positions at the start of the "Neighborhood Policing Plan" several years ago, one Deputy Chief was responsible for the North half of the City and the other responsible for the South half of the City. That will no longer be the case.

Also, at least two Lieutenants have had their responsibilities increased in addition to the Lieutenant who has been assigned as Horvath's executive officer. Lt. Mac Hawkins, who was supervising Major Crimes for the last few months, has been assigned as the "XO" to Horvath. Hawkins played a key role with his performance on the Pawtucket Street shooting video.

Lt. Brian Foley has been assigned as the new Commander of the Major Crimes Division and the Evidentiary Services Division. This move seems to make sense as the two divisions typically work hand in hand after almost every major crime incident. Foley is a capable supervisor that will hopefully take full advantage of the opportunity. Foley comes from a family with a long line of law enforcement professionals.

The interesting part is that Foley currently has a lawsuit pending against Chief Roberts. It might be hard to prove any discrimination on the part of Robert's against Foley now that Foley has been given what many would consider the prime assignment for a Lieutenant at HPD. Foley's claim was that Roberts had made homophobic and unprofessional comments publicly directed at Foley.

Lieutenant Lance Sigersmith, who had commanded the Major Crimes division until recently when he was transferred to the Intelligence Division will also apparently take on the responsibility of the Crime Analysis Division. Sigersmith is also a very capable and professional supervisor and probably one of the most well educated members of HPD, having attained his Masters degree.Lt. Sigersmith would be one of those at the top of my list if I had a choice for the next Chief at HPD.

I think the expansion of the areas of responsibility for Foley and Sigersmith make sense in streamlining the Department. The assignment of Hawkins to shadow Horvath does not. Supervision and uniformed bodies on the streets are what we need right now, not another layer of management to prop up an Assistant Chief.

City Hall should really look at the issue of cutting the two new police officers to save Horvath's position. Horvath will most likely retire and be gone in a couple years, the two new recruits who were cut would be serving the City, quite possibly for the next 20 years or more. As the numbers of officers continues to drop, we need every body on the street possible. Although the number of Officers came close to 460 with the addition of a new class last July, the numbers are now back to around 428 officers.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE? LET ME KNOW


Is it possible to stimulate business growth in Hartford? Is there any hope for real "economic development" with a mill rate almost 30 mills higher than the next closest Connecticut city, New Haven at approximately 43 mills?

One of the challenges in running for Hartford City Council is trying to figure out what to do if I am successful in my campaign and actually get there.

One of the things that I think is necessary is a plan that will actually allow us to compete with other towns to attract business back to Hartford. What business owner would locate or start a new business in Hartford with a tax rate of 73 mills when they could travel probably a mile in any direction and see their tax rate almost half of that in our neighboring suburbs.

I know this plan would need a lot of work, but Hartford has had a history of giving tax breaks and incentives, primarily for large corporations, to move into Hartford. But shouldn't that also be done to encourage more small business development. The reality is that small business, typically the businesses with under 50 employees, are the engine that drives any City, not just Hartford.

As an example I use Sunshine Laundry on Maple Avenue. Sunshine Laundry employed probably over 40 Hartford residents, many of whom actually walked to work from the surrounding neighborhoods. After a devastating fire, Sunshine Laundry did not rebuild on their site primarily because the property taxes on a new building would have killed the business's profit. The owner actually looked at properties outside of Hartford and considered moving his operation to a neighboring town where the taxes would be close to half of what they are in Hartford. The fire site is now basically a vacant lot and the business operates out of a few storage sheds on Prospect Avenue, near the West Hartford town line

Now my question. Does it make sense to develop a program that any business willing to move into Hartford, or anyone starting a new business in Hartford, and willing to make the commitment to hire Hartford residents would receive a tax abatement to equal the mill rate of comparable suburban towns? This would hopefully make Hartford able to compete with Windsor, Bloomfield, West Hartford, East Hartford and every other town that is willing to make the effort to lure small business away from our City.

I would probably prefer to see the abatement's issued only on new construction or for abandoned or vacant buildings not currently generating revenue for the City, but that could be open for debate. I guess my thinking is that nothing times nothing is still nothing. If we were able to convince businesses to take a chance on Hartford while only asking them to bear the tax liability they would incur if they started in a suburban town, I think that would at least give them a reason to consider Hartford.

Hopefully at the end of the term of the tax abatement, whether 5, 7 or even 10 years, Hartford will have its act together and the Grand List will be growing, the mill rate will be decreasing to a competitive rate and a lot of our vacant businesses will be occupied by companies that can compete and are committed to Hartford.

I know it is just a thought, but let me know how you would tweak it or if you think it would even work at all.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

STRIKE UP THE BAND , IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE

The good news keeps coming from Hartford City Hall. Mayor Pedro Segarra announced yesterday that he has cut Hartford's mill rate 1/2 a mill. That combined with the herculean work of the Council, amounts to a full mill reduction for the upcoming year. Since the mill rate has increased over 30 mills in the last ten years, any decrease is good.

Luckily for Hartford's business community, at the rate of 1 mill a year reduction, in 30 years we can once again compete with most other Connecticut municipalities. The next highest mill rate compared to Hartford's 73 mills is New Haven at 43 mills.

To the business community, please hang in there, 29 years to go at this rate.

A "mill" equates to $1.00 taxed per thousnad dollars of assessed value, or at 74 mills, $74.00 per every thousand

A SIGN OF THE TIMES?


Now that we have a new Superintendent of Schools starting in Hartford, hopefully there will be a focus on the basics. Maybe we can concentrate on the little things that make a difference, like proper spelling.

The sign above is at Noah Webster School on Whitney Street. The proper spelling for more than one bus is "buses".

Don't we pay supervisors to catch things like this?

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW ON WOODEN'S PREMATURE WITHDRAWAL

For those that feel starved for their Hartford news, another good source that tends to focus on Hartford issues is the Hartford Guardian. If you aren't familiar with it, click here and take a look. The Guardian is more than a blog, it has the feel and look of a more "on-line" newspaper.

Several people sent me the link to their piece today on Wooden's withdrawal from the Mayoral race. The piece is on point and says what many, myself included, had said directly to Wooden.

Skin color or race alone doesn't make a candidate. It is what is behind the skin that matters and voters are smart enough to realize that.

To read the Guardian's story, click here

Monday, July 4, 2011

MORE THOUGHTS ON LAST WEEKS POLITICAL ANTICS, BUT NOT BY ME

I don't usually do this, as far as posting other peoples thoughts, unless it is in the comments section. The reason I am posting this letter which was posted first on Facebook by J. Stan McCauley is that I think it says what many of us were thinking last week after Shawn Wooden dropped out of the Mayor's race. A move which Governor Malloy openly admitted was orchestrated by him.

Here is Stan's letter, and although Stan is a friend of mine, I am posting it because it says what most people are thinking and it is right to the point.

Open Letter to the Hartford Democrat Town Committee
by J Stan McCauley on Monday, July 4, 2011 at 1:18am.

I was asked by the HDTC: In what way will you, as Mayor work with the HDTC?

Let the following reflect one of the ways:

On Thursday July 21, 2011, the Hartford Democrat Town Committee will cast votes to endorse its candidates for the next Mayor, Treasurer and City Council members of Hartford. This is an awesome responsibility for those HDTC members that represent you the residents of Hartford. They must give this serious consideration because their vote must reflect the will of the people. It is after all the people's government.

Last Sunday July 3, 2011 on my weekly radio address I talked about this awesome responsibility. You can listen to it by logging on to www.mccauleyformayor.com click on the “Listen to radio show” link.

While I believe that I am the best choice for Hartford's next Mayor, that is not for me to decide. That decision is up to you the people of Hartford. I encourage you to call your Hartford Democrat Town Committee members and tell them to vote for who you think will make the best Mayor for Hartford. Because they can not afford to get this wrong.

There are some who believe that the answer to that question is NO. Can Hartford residents govern themselves? This is the question that has been put forth. Recently, the Governor weighed in on the subject and said that he was doing so for the good of the Democrat Party. It is telling when the “Head” of the party directly gets involved in a municipal election, even if the municipality is the capitol city.

The bottom line is this.

■The HDTC must send a solid message that it is in control of Hartford politics and that it is in touch with the electorate.

■The message must be sent to Connecticut and the world that Hartford can and will manage it's own affairs.

■The message must be sent that the HDTC will not have it's choices made for it by anyone other then the people of Hartford.

■Help your town committee stand strong. Call them and tell them who you want as your Mayor, Treasurer, and City Council members. Together we as One Hartford - the residents, businesses large and small, the Hartford Democrat Town Committee, City Council, Treasurer and Mayor can make Hartford one of the top 10 small cities in the United States.

CALL TODAY

■You can call your HDTC member because they are your representatives and they work for you.

■Tell the HDTC that the world is watching and Hartford's future depends on them.

■Tell the HDTC that you sincerely hope that their vote reflects the communities they represent.

■Remind the HDTC that if their vote doesn't reflect the results in the primary on September 13th that it will be clear that they are not the voice of the people.

■Tell the HDTC that you want a Mayor, Treasurer and Council that is accountable and demonstrates real leadership, real governance, and real vision.

END OF McCAULEY LETTER

And to my readers, this is in no way an endorsement of Stan's campaign for Mayor. There is a long way to go and I hope that the frontrunner will not be whoever raises the most money, but will be the one who shows the best vision for Hartford