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Wednesday, July 25, 2012
REACT, REACT , REACT
I think everyday our leadership vacuum becomes more obvious as our so called leaders go into reactionary mode every time there is a crisis.The vision we would hope to expect just doesn't seem to be a trait of most of our elected officials.
After a recent violent weekend , Mayor Segarra reacted by a media stunt walking "On the Beat " with Hartford's Police Chief James Rovella. I think it would be a fair question to ask Segarra how many times did he walk Hartford's violent neighborhoods prior to that night and how many times has he been back since that night. I think most of us already know the answer to that question. Leadership requires vision... where are we going and how are we going to get there.
Instead , unfortunately far too often we realize we have arrived, now what are we going to do?
If not for the severity and sadness of the Aurora shootings, it would almost be comical for the politico reactions..
Former Governor John Rowland was on his radio show last Friday talking about an executive order he issued after the fatal shootings at Connecticut's lottery Headquarters several years ago. Rowland spoke of how the next day he immediately issued an executive order banning any state employees, except law enforcement officials, from bringing guns to work
I have to ask myself what goes through the mind set of someone planning a mass murder spree. Hopefully I will never know , but I know one thing for sure, an executive order from the Governor or anyone else probably would not enter into my decision . "OHH, I can't walk in and execute my co workers today because the Governor has banned me from bringing my deadly weapons into the workplace". Purely reactionary and definitely not preventative
How many of Hartford's gun toting thugs do you think have actually obtained letters of reference to properly obtain their pistol permits so that they can carry them on the streets of our City? I know one thing though, they definitely have not obtained the firearms instructions required, otherwise their accuracy might be much more deadly.
Going back to the vision thing, I have to wonder after the Hartford Distributors shootings of a couple summers ago, what steps have been taken to prevent another such event. Maybe an executive order banning co-workers from shooting each other?
Maybe we should look at the real problem, rather than reacting by the seat of the pants. What training has taken place with unions and employers to be able to recognize the first sign of potential workplace violence or improper behavior? Have the labor unions conducted any kind of training to identify the next potential Omar Thornton or is it just being left to chance for the next time?
And finally to get to my point and back to vision. Hartford is an extremely violent city, but what are the root causes and how do we attack the problem? The immediate solution might be hiring more police officers , but what about long term? How are we losing the moral compass of our young people who think it is acceptable to put a couple slugs into someones brain to settle a dispute?
Long term one of the solutions seems to be a better societal interaction with our youth and intervention where our parents and schools might be failing them. It is no secret that a strong family structure, critical to raising any child , is lacking in many of Hartford's homes. No father figure, mother's or fathers that are not present or incarcerated all lead to a lack of direction on the part of our young people.
Many grandparents are trying to take up the slack and raise their grandchildren when the parents aren't, but I know some days I don't have the energy to deal with my dog, never mind the responsibility to raise a child and I would assume the same is true for the energy level of many grandparents.
Some of you reading this are probably saying to yourselves that he isn't singing the praises of Chief Rovella once yet, so here goes ,the whole reason for this posting is "vision"
I constantly talk about how impressed I am with the "vision" of Chief Rovella and his passion for Hartford. One area of his vision that seems to outweigh many of the others is his interest in the PAL program, the Police Athletic League. Rovella seems to be paying close attention to the very successful PAL program run by the City of Waterbury
The City of Waterbury has an extremely successful PAL program which serves over 3400 youth in the City, From their website The Police Activity League of Waterbury, Inc. (PAL) provides the youth of the Greater Waterbury area with positive guidance during their crucial childhood years. It has been proven that a strong support system, such as PAL, has a direct relationship with lowering crime rates, and has a powerful impact on a child's future.
You can view more about the Waterbury Program by clicking here
Waterbury is comparable to the size of Hartford , give or take 10,000 residents, yet their most recent homicide numbers for 2008 were a total of five murders compared to Hartford's 32. I can't say it is all because of PAL, but clearly something is working right with Waterbury's youth when it comes to violence.
Rovella's plans for PAL include a greatly expanded use of the Quirk Middle school and its facilities, which would seem to be a no-brainer. A partnership between the Board of Education and the police Department to reduce youth violence in a very violent City is something that would most likely gain national attention if operated properly.
It would seem that if Mayor Segarra shares in the vision and actually appoints the majority of the Board of Education members, there should be no impediments to a plan that could potentially save the lives of Hartford youth from senseless violence. It's called leadership and vision.
Let's stop reacting and start showing some vision.
After a recent violent weekend , Mayor Segarra reacted by a media stunt walking "On the Beat " with Hartford's Police Chief James Rovella. I think it would be a fair question to ask Segarra how many times did he walk Hartford's violent neighborhoods prior to that night and how many times has he been back since that night. I think most of us already know the answer to that question. Leadership requires vision... where are we going and how are we going to get there.
Instead , unfortunately far too often we realize we have arrived, now what are we going to do?
If not for the severity and sadness of the Aurora shootings, it would almost be comical for the politico reactions..
Former Governor John Rowland was on his radio show last Friday talking about an executive order he issued after the fatal shootings at Connecticut's lottery Headquarters several years ago. Rowland spoke of how the next day he immediately issued an executive order banning any state employees, except law enforcement officials, from bringing guns to work
I have to ask myself what goes through the mind set of someone planning a mass murder spree. Hopefully I will never know , but I know one thing for sure, an executive order from the Governor or anyone else probably would not enter into my decision . "OHH, I can't walk in and execute my co workers today because the Governor has banned me from bringing my deadly weapons into the workplace". Purely reactionary and definitely not preventative
How many of Hartford's gun toting thugs do you think have actually obtained letters of reference to properly obtain their pistol permits so that they can carry them on the streets of our City? I know one thing though, they definitely have not obtained the firearms instructions required, otherwise their accuracy might be much more deadly.
Going back to the vision thing, I have to wonder after the Hartford Distributors shootings of a couple summers ago, what steps have been taken to prevent another such event. Maybe an executive order banning co-workers from shooting each other?
Maybe we should look at the real problem, rather than reacting by the seat of the pants. What training has taken place with unions and employers to be able to recognize the first sign of potential workplace violence or improper behavior? Have the labor unions conducted any kind of training to identify the next potential Omar Thornton or is it just being left to chance for the next time?
And finally to get to my point and back to vision. Hartford is an extremely violent city, but what are the root causes and how do we attack the problem? The immediate solution might be hiring more police officers , but what about long term? How are we losing the moral compass of our young people who think it is acceptable to put a couple slugs into someones brain to settle a dispute?
Long term one of the solutions seems to be a better societal interaction with our youth and intervention where our parents and schools might be failing them. It is no secret that a strong family structure, critical to raising any child , is lacking in many of Hartford's homes. No father figure, mother's or fathers that are not present or incarcerated all lead to a lack of direction on the part of our young people.
Many grandparents are trying to take up the slack and raise their grandchildren when the parents aren't, but I know some days I don't have the energy to deal with my dog, never mind the responsibility to raise a child and I would assume the same is true for the energy level of many grandparents.
Some of you reading this are probably saying to yourselves that he isn't singing the praises of Chief Rovella once yet, so here goes ,the whole reason for this posting is "vision"
I constantly talk about how impressed I am with the "vision" of Chief Rovella and his passion for Hartford. One area of his vision that seems to outweigh many of the others is his interest in the PAL program, the Police Athletic League. Rovella seems to be paying close attention to the very successful PAL program run by the City of Waterbury
The City of Waterbury has an extremely successful PAL program which serves over 3400 youth in the City, From their website The Police Activity League of Waterbury, Inc. (PAL) provides the youth of the Greater Waterbury area with positive guidance during their crucial childhood years. It has been proven that a strong support system, such as PAL, has a direct relationship with lowering crime rates, and has a powerful impact on a child's future.
You can view more about the Waterbury Program by clicking here
Waterbury is comparable to the size of Hartford , give or take 10,000 residents, yet their most recent homicide numbers for 2008 were a total of five murders compared to Hartford's 32. I can't say it is all because of PAL, but clearly something is working right with Waterbury's youth when it comes to violence.
Rovella's plans for PAL include a greatly expanded use of the Quirk Middle school and its facilities, which would seem to be a no-brainer. A partnership between the Board of Education and the police Department to reduce youth violence in a very violent City is something that would most likely gain national attention if operated properly.
It would seem that if Mayor Segarra shares in the vision and actually appoints the majority of the Board of Education members, there should be no impediments to a plan that could potentially save the lives of Hartford youth from senseless violence. It's called leadership and vision.
Let's stop reacting and start showing some vision.
Monday, July 23, 2012
ENOUGH ABOUT THE "PROCESS"
On Tuesday, July 10th, Mayor Segarra named James Rovella as his pick as the permanent replacement for the position of Chief of the Hartford Police Department. The process was bizarre., it was a waste of $50,000 and produced less than stellar results. The Corporation Counsel should be attempting to recover our $50,000 dollars from an incompetent search firm.
Now as i speak to Council members asking where they stand on Rovella's approval by the Council, they are all non-committal and keep mentioning "the process". I don't want to dwell on "the process" because I am a strong believer in Chief Rovella and his vision and I feel that in spite of "the process" we now have the best choice in place to move HPD forward..
If the Council has an issue with "the process" is that any reason not to approve Rovella. Rovella was just a pawn in a nonsensical game of Hartford government orchestrated through the Mayor's Chief Operating Officer. If the Council really wants to get answers as to "the process"they won't come from Rovella, he didn't design nor implement "the process"
Under the City Charter, the Council has it within their power to get answers to any questions they may have as to "the process" by conducting hearings and put David panagore in the hot seat and have him answer the questions they may have , on the record for everyone to hear. If the Council has a shortage of questions I might suggest a few.
Why was a no bid contract given out for $50,0000 to conduct the search? What was Mr' Panagores prior relationship with Robert Wasserman and why was the decision made to go with his firm? What business relationship existed between Panagore and Wasserman prior to the contract being issued?
I know the Council has been deluged with calls and comments from taxpayers upset with the process, Council President Shawn Woode, stated at the recent meeting of the Maple Avenue NRZ that he was "very, very, very, very disappointed by the process". Ok. Mr Wooden, now do what you are empowered to do, and get to the truth without casting any more of a cloud over the appointment of Chief Rovella
Now as i speak to Council members asking where they stand on Rovella's approval by the Council, they are all non-committal and keep mentioning "the process". I don't want to dwell on "the process" because I am a strong believer in Chief Rovella and his vision and I feel that in spite of "the process" we now have the best choice in place to move HPD forward..
If the Council has an issue with "the process" is that any reason not to approve Rovella. Rovella was just a pawn in a nonsensical game of Hartford government orchestrated through the Mayor's Chief Operating Officer. If the Council really wants to get answers as to "the process"they won't come from Rovella, he didn't design nor implement "the process"
Under the City Charter, the Council has it within their power to get answers to any questions they may have as to "the process" by conducting hearings and put David panagore in the hot seat and have him answer the questions they may have , on the record for everyone to hear. If the Council has a shortage of questions I might suggest a few.
Why was a no bid contract given out for $50,0000 to conduct the search? What was Mr' Panagores prior relationship with Robert Wasserman and why was the decision made to go with his firm? What business relationship existed between Panagore and Wasserman prior to the contract being issued?
I know the Council has been deluged with calls and comments from taxpayers upset with the process, Council President Shawn Woode, stated at the recent meeting of the Maple Avenue NRZ that he was "very, very, very, very disappointed by the process". Ok. Mr Wooden, now do what you are empowered to do, and get to the truth without casting any more of a cloud over the appointment of Chief Rovella
DOES THE TRUTH REALLY MATTER DURING A CAMPAIGN?
I'l start this one off with a disclaimer: I am supporting Chris Murphy for US Senate, for whatever that might mean to anyone. My decision has become even stronger in the last week for one major reason, I think being able to tell the truth and recognize the truth is a quality I want in my next US Senator.
Susan Bysiewicz doesn't seem to possess those qualities. Last week after launching a television ad, Bysiewicz came under fire almost immediately for inaccuracies and less than truthful information put in the ad about Chris Murphy. I would hope that Bysiewicz and her staff would have done better research and verified the facts they were putting out, but she didn't.
The sad part is that even after the errors were pointed out and actually acknowledged by her campaign, she continues to run the ad on television. Her campaign has even acknowledged the less than truthful information. The 30-second political ad accuses Murphy of accepting "more hedge fund money than any other Democrat in Congress," an assertion that Bysiewicz and her campaign staff now acknowledge is not true. "The ad is incorrect — he's No. 4 in terms of hedge; he's not No. 1," she told reporters Sunday afternoon.
Bysiewicz's comment that "the ad is incorrect" should be enough in and of itself to pull the ad, but I guess correct and accurate information only matters when it is her Christmas Card list.
Susan Bysiewicz doesn't seem to possess those qualities. Last week after launching a television ad, Bysiewicz came under fire almost immediately for inaccuracies and less than truthful information put in the ad about Chris Murphy. I would hope that Bysiewicz and her staff would have done better research and verified the facts they were putting out, but she didn't.
The sad part is that even after the errors were pointed out and actually acknowledged by her campaign, she continues to run the ad on television. Her campaign has even acknowledged the less than truthful information. The 30-second political ad accuses Murphy of accepting "more hedge fund money than any other Democrat in Congress," an assertion that Bysiewicz and her campaign staff now acknowledge is not true. "The ad is incorrect — he's No. 4 in terms of hedge; he's not No. 1," she told reporters Sunday afternoon.
Bysiewicz's comment that "the ad is incorrect" should be enough in and of itself to pull the ad, but I guess correct and accurate information only matters when it is her Christmas Card list.
MORE BELT TIGHTENING AT HARTFORD CITY HALL
word is that more useless positions continue to be eliminated at Hartford City Hall. Evelyn Mantilla, former Perez-ite has been shown the door and is no longer employed by the taxpayers of Hartford. It has not been clear for several years what her position actually has been since Perez took her off his office payroll and buried her in several departments of city government.
Mantilla, the former state representative for the 4th assembly district had stepped aside to clear the way for another Perez-ite, Kelvin Roldan to get elected to Mantilla's seat. Mantilla then landed a lucrative consulting contract with Perez and eventually a paid staff position before she was hidden away in the Health Department at a $70.000.00 a year plus salary and then she was eventually moved to MHIS, the city's IT Department.
Perez's former "Energy Czar" Donald Blalock was also shown the door the same time as Mantilla.
Word also is that one of the assistants to Chief Operating Officer David Panagore has quit her newly created post after she refused to move into Hartford , as was required within 6 months of her hiring.
Word also is that other Department heads are in free fall mode and every effort is being made to avoid an exodus from City Hall, more on that to come.
Mantilla, the former state representative for the 4th assembly district had stepped aside to clear the way for another Perez-ite, Kelvin Roldan to get elected to Mantilla's seat. Mantilla then landed a lucrative consulting contract with Perez and eventually a paid staff position before she was hidden away in the Health Department at a $70.000.00 a year plus salary and then she was eventually moved to MHIS, the city's IT Department.
Perez's former "Energy Czar" Donald Blalock was also shown the door the same time as Mantilla.
Word also is that one of the assistants to Chief Operating Officer David Panagore has quit her newly created post after she refused to move into Hartford , as was required within 6 months of her hiring.
Word also is that other Department heads are in free fall mode and every effort is being made to avoid an exodus from City Hall, more on that to come.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
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