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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

SOME WORDS OF WISDOM FROM AN OLD-TIME POLITICIAN

I honestly thought that I could make a difference in returning Hartford to some of the prominence of earlier years, but I guess the voters of Hartford had different ideas of what Hartford needs. Apparently they haven't had enough of spending Hartford into oblivion yet with no regard to how it is being paid for.

I guess the pressure we put on our small businesses and commercial property owners to pack up and leave Hartford isn't a big issue. Besides, it might just be a status thing to have the highest mill rate in the state as well as some of the highest commercial space vacancies in the region.

As much as I thought I could make a difference on the Council, at least one person who led Hartford during some of its better days put it all into perspective for me. Former Mayor James Kinsella, who served as Hartford's Mayor from 1957-1960, spoke to me outside his polling place after he cast his vote.

Mayor Kinsella told me that he was a regular reader of the blog and he like it. He liked my writing style and liked the issues I addressed. He said he had reservations about me being elected because he thought that I was most likely doing more on the outside through the blog than I could do on the inside as a Councilperson.

Bottom line is he knows the system a lot better than I ever will and his words make sense. As the Courant pointed out when they endorsed me, the blog and the position of Councilperson might not be the easiest mix. I thought about that a lot and eventually realized that my hands might be tied on many issues and how I could approach them.

Well, the voters made it an easy decision for me. I do not intend to go away or have my hands tied and as much as I think I could be a positive force on the Council, everything works out for a reason. Chances are pretty good that by 2015 when Council elections roll around again, I can say I made more positive change from the outside than some of those elected yesterday will have made from the inside.

With your help and support I feel confident that we can continue to expose issues that affect our City and hold our elected officials accountable. Keep the e-mails and information coming as you have been and it should make for an interesting four years

For those of you who supported my campaign, contributed, or even showed your support by voting for me, I sincerely thank you. And to Mayor Kinsella, thanks for putting it into perspective (and my apologies for calling you "an old time politician", that's not a bad thing when you see how the system is run today)

Sunday, November 6, 2011

IN THE HOME STRETCH

Tomorrow is election day in Hartford. I have enjoyed the forums, the meetings, answering questions and generally trying to shed some light on what we need to do to move Hartford forward.

Hopefully I will have an opportunity to put those ideas and changes into effect as a Councilperson if enough people agree.

If you have the opportunity, please remind someone to go vote tomorrow , and if you are so inclined, ask them to vote for me on row D-3. Any support is greatly appreciated .

Rest assured though, no matter how this turns out, I fully intend to keep doing what I have been doing for the last few years to make Hartford a better place.

"VARGAS VS. SEGARRA" HEADED TO COURT

On October 27, 2011, a hearing was held by the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee regarding a complaint filed by mayoral candidate Edwin Vargas against a cross nomination by the Hartford Republican Town Committee which was accepted by Pedro Segarra.To read the previous posting about Vargas's complaint, click here

Last Thursday the hearing committee ruled against Vargas. The next step is for Vargas to head to Superior to see if a Judge will take the politics out of the matter and look at the complaint differently. That hearing will be held tomorrow, Monday, at 11:00am at Superior Court on Washington Street.

The full motion for a hearing by Vargas's attorney is below:

Complaint - Vargas v. Segarra

Sunday, October 30, 2011

LAST WEEKENDS HOOKER DAY PARADE, 2011

Although this weekend we were preparing for a snow storm, the Saturday before brought thousands of people downtown to enjoy the Hooker Day Parade. The video below is just some raw video I shot and I thought I would post it here, maybe you will see yourself if you attended or someone else you recognize .

Enjoy .

Saturday, October 29, 2011

CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER....SNOW AND EVERYTHING



It just keeps getting better and better this weekend.

First, I love snow and winter, most of you may not agree with that but it is just one more thing that makes living in New England interesting. The forecasts beginning Thursday that we might have a major snowstorm had my attention and I looked forward to the first snowflakes.

Then to make the weekend even better, I learned that I was going to get the Hartford Courant's endorsement for my run for Hartford City Council. I haven't been able to verify it 100%, but I am being told that this may be the first time in the history of the Courant that they endorsed a petitioning independent candidate.

Then I get the e-mail with a pretty moving piece comparing me to Batman. I was definitely humbled by that, but it made my day.

This was all capped off by the announcement that Sarah Barr will no longer be living off the taxpayers of Hartford. It is a year late in coming, but welcome news none the less. Barr was convicted felon Eddie Perez's spokesperson and was more about the propaganda and the "Gospel of Perez" than she was about information and any truth or honesty coming out of City Hall.

Barr will be leaving for a position with Webster Bank. Like I mentioned in a post a week or so ago, those Credit Unions are looking better all the time.

Maybe with the right person we can actually start trusting the information that comes out of the Mayor's Office now.

Here is the City's press release:

PEDRO E. SEGARRA

MAYOR



STAFFING CHANGES



NEWS AND COMMUNITY RELEASE



(October 28, 2011)--- After almost seven years serving the residents of the City of Hartford, Sarah Barr, the Director of Communications and New Media, will be leaving her position to become Vice President of External Communications at Webster Bank.



“I can’t imagine City Hall without Sarah,” praised Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra. “She is the consummate communicator and a true professional. While I am very sad that she will be leaving our team, I am very happy for her and her family. Sarah is a dynamic leader and she assures me she will continue to be very involved in Hartford’s communities. I look forward to her continued passion and participation.”



“My experience serving the residents of Connecticut’s Capital City has been very rewarding. I have established many strong relationships and will continue to find ways to serve the community. However, I have always put my family first regarding future career decisions and this new opportunity is no different. It is the right move at the right time and I am looking forward to this new and exciting professional challenge at Webster Bank,” said Ms. Barr.



In addition to her duties as Director, Ms. Barr served as Chairperson of Hartford’s 375th Anniversary celebration. She is currently a member of the Carousel’s Countdown to 100 Committee.



Her last official day with the City of Hartford will be Friday, November 11th.

HARTFORD'S BATMAN ?


It continues to amaze me the recognition I am getting as I am out meeting people during my campaign for Hartford City Council. One young person who I met recently is someone that has grown up in Hartford and continues to call Hartford home after graduating from college. These are the people that we have an obligation to mentor and bring along as the future leaders of our City. I think that is where we have failed miserably, and the main reason our "leadership" is the mess it is.

We have adults who continue to maintain their strangle hold on power into their 70's and 80's without bringing along any young people to fill our leadership vacuum. To be successful we need young people with new and fresh ideas and a better understanding of an ever changing world to be encouraged to get involved in our city governance.

The person I mentioned above sent me this message below in an e-mail today and I have to admit I am extremely flattered by his opinion as well as his writing style, I think he is boosting my ego, but a lot of his comments are true, even though I was never a big batman fan, maybe I should watch the movie on this snowy night.

And as far as I can remember, this is the first time I am posting someone else's writings on the blog, but then again, how often do I get compared to a "super-hero"

Brookman: Hartford’s Dark Knight

Most people who have seen the movie, Batman: Dark Knight, vividly remember the final scene. As Batman is running away from the police, Detective Gordon’s son, a symbolic character representing innocence and honesty, asks why Batman is running away from the police. Gordon responds, “Because we have to chase him.” The son says, “But he didn’t do anything wrong.” Gordon responds with the final words of the movie, “Because he's the hero Gotham deserves. But not the one it needs right now. And so we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight.”

Like Gotham, Hartford is broken and like Gotham, Hartford also has a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight. Kevin Brookman is not always liked but he is overwhelmingly respected by the political class that governs us and the citizens that bond our communities together. Over the past few years, Brookman’s ability to make an honest effort to hold our city leaders accountable for their actions has enabled the residents of the city of Hartford to become more aware of the problems we face and, more importantly, the consequences we will reap if the city does not change course and head in a direction that promotes a healthy and sustainable environment to live in, work hard, produce capital, and attract investors to our state’s capitol.

Is he Perfect? No.Is he a hero? No.Does he claim to be? No. Does he have a plan? Yes and its simple: Raise the awareness of our past and present problems and return our city back to fiscal sanity, moral responsibility, and a multitude of opportunities for every citizen of Hartford.

Without our Dark Knight, we, like Gotham, will continue to breed corruption, and sacrifice our liberties for short-term security that places band-aids on gashes and screen doors on a floating submarine unaware of and not seeing the dreadful consequences of what will happen when the body runs out of blood and the submarine, like our economy, takes a dive and falls beneath the sea.

Brookman is and will continue to be chased. He will be hunted and he will be persecuted but Brookman knows that truth and justice are never to be sacrificed for power and privilege and the potentiality that our city has is a cause that he will continue to fight for, protect, and honor even if that means the light he sheds must live in a shadow, a dark shadow, a dark shadow protected by a dark knight.


And before the comments begin, no, I will not be wearing the outfit any time soon