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Friday, July 27, 2012

HERE WE GO AGAIN

I have been getting calls all week regarding the LSNI (Livable Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative) program that was created by Mayor Segarra and required the hiring of four special assistants to Chief Operating Officer David Panagore.  That program now appears to be in free fall as two of the special Assistants to Panagore now have resigned and as Jenna Carlesso at the Courant reports, none of the work done on the property has been billed or liens placed on the properties to secure the City's financial interest. Click here to read Jenna's story

The entire story is a classic case of finger pointing, but at the very least it points out the incompetence of this Administration. I have to ask, when is someone going to step up and say enough is enough. One name keeps showing up front and center in every embarrassment for the Segarra Administration.... David Panagore.

Is the Council going to ever show enough backbone to do what Segarra is obviously incapable of, and that is to ask the tough questions and hold Panagore accountable for his actions. The list is endless of the discredit he has brought to Mayor Segarra and unfortunately us as a City.

The $400,000 to the Market at Hartford 21, the $50.000 Police Chief search, the whole Dan Nolan mess, and now the Hartford Police Credit Union debacle that seems to be headed to another lawsuit because of Panagore's actions. Not to mention the adversarial relationship with our friends at the Capitol created by our caped crusader in the waning days of the Legislative session..

I can go on and on, but let me be the first to go on the record and say David Panagore needs to go and take his travelling circus show of incompetence with him.

NEED A FRIEND?

Whenever I go to facebook I find that Sean Arena has posted another picture of an innocent animal that needs help. Sean routinely posts the pictures of pets that are facing death at the Hartford Dog Pound. I'm not sure how anyone could abandon or dump off the dog above, but there are plenty  of terriffic pets available for adoption at the Hartford pound.If you would like to know more or possibly adopt a friend, check out "Hartford Animal Shelter" on Facebook.com

If you have any doubt's about adopting a shelter dog, be sure to read the comments on the facebook page and you will be hooked

JUST A REMINDER

It has been a while since I  ahve posted anything about Dan Nolan. Dan continues to serve our country in Afghanistan .As the Irish Fest begins this weekend at the Irish Home in Glastonbury  this is an event Dan would surely be attending if he was here. Continue to keep Dan in your thoughts and prayers until he returns home later this summer.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

FINALLY...PROGRESS

Hartford City Council President Shawn T. Wooden announced that, today, Mayor Segarra has submitted a resolution to the Council for the appointment of James C. Rovella as Chief of the Hartford Police Department. Accordingly, in an effort to expedite the process, the Council will convene a special meeting on Monday, July 30th at 5:30 P.M. to receive the resolution and have a confirmation hearing immediately thereafter at 6:00 P.M.


“The appointment of a police chief is extraordinarily important to the future of the City of Hartford. Because Chief Rovella was not subject to the process that other candidates faced, a thorough vetting by the Council is crucial. Hartford residents want to feel safer in our city. And, given the length of time that we have been without a permanent police chief, the Council should act with urgency in considering this appointment. I look forward to hearing Chief Rovella’s vision for public safety in our city. I also look forward to giving the community an opportunity to ask questions of Chief Rovella,” said Wooden.


The confirmation hearing will consist of four components: opening remarks from Mayor Segarra, remarks from Chief Rovella, questions from the public, and questions from the Council. Members of the public may also participate in the confirmation process by submitting questions or comments to HartfordChiefQuestions@gmail.com or calling 860-757-9570.


Councilman Kyle K. Anderson, Chairman of the Quality of Life, Public Safety, and Housing Committee, added, “Public engagement is incredibly important in all aspects of public safety and this is no exception. Our city has a crime epidemic, and it is imperative that the next police chief understands the concerns of Hartford residents. That is why it is so important that we give both the public and Chief Rovella the opportunity to have that discussion.”


The City Charter gives the Council 60 days from July 30, 2012 to take action on the appointment of Chief Rovella.

ANOTHER REASON TO VISIT A HARTFORD GEM

Hopefully the weather will hold out for today;s ice cream social at the Mark Twain House on Farmington Avenue, the details are below:

Our Annual Ice Cream Social

Thursday, July 26, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Come to The Mark Twain House & Museum to enjoy lawn games, live music, hot dogs, discounted tours -- and, of course, a refreshing cup of ice cream donated by the UConn Dairy Bar, Shady Glenn, and Royal Ice Cream.
This is the fourth year for the Social, which always draws a good crowd. (After the social, at 7:00 p.m., there will be a preview screening of the documentary "Linotype: The Film." See above.)
The Ice Cream Social this year benefits from a special grant for free programs from The First Niagara Bank Foundation.
The event includes:
-- Discounted tours of the first floor of the historic Mark Twain House, available for $5.00 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. All the exhibits in the Museum Center, including the featured exhibit "Race, Rage, and Redemption," will also be free.
-- The renowned Phil Rosenthal Duo will present its lively program of traditional and original folk, bluegrass and country music on the patio, featuring two-part harmony vocals and toe-tapping instrumental work.
-- Woody's Hot Dog Cart will have its famed hot dogs available for purchase.
-- Croquet and other lawn games will be tearing up the Great Lawn for the enjoyment of all ages.
--- Workshops on lantern making with Anne Cubberly. Lanterns made from plastic bottles will be featured in Night Fall, a celebration in Elizabeth Park on Oct. 13.


Free event; special $5.00 tours of the main floor of the Mark Twain House

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

THIS IS SAD

When it rains it pours, many of you have asked why blog posts have slowed down so I hope you are getting your fill today.

But anyways, an e-mail was sent out to all of the members of the Hartford Redevelopment Authority today advising them that "Please be advised that the August HRA meeting has been cancelled due to the lack of actionable items. "The e-mail was sent by Mayra Ghaffar, the
Administrative Assistantin the Economic Development Division of the Department of Development Services

A lack of actionable items,? We just hired a new economic development Director and we have an office full of staff in the redevelopment Department and several of them have recently been given bonuses.  How can there be nothing actionable if people are actually doing their jobs?

What about the project at Albany Avenue and Woodland Street that was supposed to be voted on months ago , after the neighborhood made it clear what they wanted there. Word is that there may be a behind the scenes deal in the offing to benefit another Hartford politico. That property was already part of a Grand Jury corruption investigation, should we try for twice?

Someone, ,hopefully, someone on the Council needs to start asking questions as to why there is nothing "actionable" in a City that is starving for Economic Development. Maybe the paychecks for staff that aren't able create anything "actionable" should be looked at.

And on the topic of development, I am being told that the COO"s Anti Blight Initiative is on life support as the staff continue to jump from the sinking ship. Anyone that could provide more insight on this feel free to call me with info.