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Monday, July 8, 2013

HARTFORD'S DUMBEST CRIMINAL :UPDATE

This is one of those postings that is generating quite a bit of interest, right from the start. It is also one of those the I think the general consensus is to ask" what was he thinking?". The answer is  that Mayor Segarra's former Chief of Staff Jared Kupiec clearly wasn't thinking.

Most of the people calling me also are voicing their sympathy for Mayor Segarra. I also agree with that. Segarra took a 20-something who was clearly immature for his job and slid him right into a position of trust in his administration.

That position of trust was betrayed on several occasions by Kupiec and unfortunately it took Segarra far too long to recognize it. Will it now be Segarra's legacy to be remembered as "Mayor Caviar" or will the Grand Theft Auto Chief of Staff eclipse that?

It is sad, but clearly there is no management taking place at City Hall. The acting Chief Operating Officer is proving everyday that the Council's vote of no confidence in her appointment as COO was well deserved. Commenter's on the blog as well as just about everyone that called me or spoke with me tonight asked "what is the exit process? no one got his keys back?" The answer most likely is that no one followed through.

Did anyone recover City property from Kupiec? I am anxious to see the accounting for his I-pads and the numerous purchases from the apple store on his City Credit Card. Who accounted for that equipment ?

I know that once the Police got involved this morning and Kupiec was called about the car, he was reached on his City cell phone. Why?  Is the City still paying his cell phone bill or did he have his number ported over to his own private account? I think we probably already know the answer to that question without even asking.

City Hall is currently a free for all being managed by a group that has become very good at that "deer in the head lights look" every time the latest crisis arises. It needs to stop. It is about time Hartford starts being run like a business. For what the City forks out in salaries, we should have one of the best management teams around. Instead, I think we like being the butt of every caviar joke possible.

Today's police report regarding the incident is below:

HARTFORD'S DUMBEST CRIMINAL

Some things just defy logic, and this is definitely one of them. This incident reconfirms my belief in karma though.

Early this morning my phone began ringing asking if I was aware of the latest antics of Mayor Segarra's former Chief of Staff, Jared Kupiec.It is one of those things I would have a hard time believing that someone was so stupid if I didn't have the utmost confidence in the source that was calling me.

Well here goes a crazy story. A Hartford police officer on routine patrol this morning observed several vehicles on Capitol Avenue near Main Street that had been broken into and windows smashed out. One of the vehicles was a 2010 Grey Ford Explorer, Ct registration 516XTU, which came back to the City of Hartford Police department, 50 Jennings Road, Hartford.

Neither the officer or HPD's fleet manager recognized the vehicle or the plate as one of their regular vehicles. Eventually another officer put two and two together and recognized the vehicle as the city car issued to Kupiec when he was Segarra's Chief of Staff..

Eventually Kupiec was apparently advised as to what was happening and he came out of the condo he rents , the same address where the vehicle was parked in front of. Kupiec apparently told the HPD officer that he had turned the vehicle in two weeks prior at City hall and he had no idea why it would be parked in front of his house.

Kupiec did volunteer to the officer that he did keep the spare key to the vehicle and had it in his possession.

Although Mayor Segarra , through his spokesperson, originally denied any knowledge of Kupiec's misuse of the car, Segarra later issued the following statement:""I was informed today that Jared Kupiec was using a City vehicle after the conclusion of his employment with the City of Hartford without authorization. I am deeply disturbed and disappointed by this news. We're getting all the facts and will act accordingly." Mayor Segarra.

HPD sources have confirmed that the arrest of Kupiec for taking the vehicle without the owners permission and interfering for lying to the officer is  in process. Apparently the Hartford Police Department Internal Affairs Division is currently handling the matter.

More to come on this.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

LOBSTERGATE, THE NEXT CHAPTER

Last years posting on former  Hartford Police Officer Natoya Guthrie and her alleged theft of lobsters from the self checkout line at Stop and Shop drew quite a few comments ..You can read more about Lobstergate, Chapter 1 here.

Now it appears that another City of Hartford employee is having a tough time making ends meet and has resorted to the same style of abuse in the Stop and Shop self checkout line. Fortunately this time it is not another Police Officer but instead a Hartford School System teacher.

Apparently, according to a Hartford Police arrest report which you can read below, Hartford teacher Sandra Crew was observed on 6/29/13 by Loss Prevention Agents at the New Park Avenue store scanning items at the self checkout..According to the report, Crew was scanning the tags for day old
Danish while bagging more expensive items.

When confronted by the arresting officer , according to the report," the items on the receipt did not match the items in her possession" . She was arrested and charged with shoplifting.

Apparently during the arrest process Crew stated to the arresting officer that she "is a school teacher for the City of Hartford Adult Education and that if she was arrested , it would affect her career"

She might have wanted to consider her career before she apparently  decided to steal from Stop and Shop.. Most businesses today have very sophisticated surveillance that can probably read the serial numbers off a dollar bill. As well as being able to record every point of sale purchase action that is made. All recorded direct on video.


Thursday, June 27, 2013

INTERNAL AUDIT COMMISSION MAKES IT OFFICIAL: APONTE ALLEGED ETHICS VIOLATION

Below is the final version of the Internal Audit Department's review of the Ethics complaint made against Councilman Alexander Aponte. The report was completed in regards to Aponte's voting related to the SAMA land deal at 95 Park Street

 The City Ethics Commission has scheduled a hearing on the matter for July 9, 2013.
Aponte Iac Review. The hearing is open to the public.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Here is an example of the type of press releases coming out of the office of Mayor Pedro Segarra that was sent out this afternoon.

PEDRO E. SEGARRA, MAYOR
MAYOR SEGARRA STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S CLIMATE CHANGE PROPOSAL --- NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---
(June 25, 2013) Mayor Pedro E. Segarra today made the following statement regarding President Obama’s Climate Change Proposal: “I applaud the President’s efforts today. Future generations have enough burdens to face in the years to come. We should do everything possible to ensure they have access to a healthy, safe environment. Hartford was one of the first cities in Connecticut to adopt the State’s C-PACE financing, we’re adding solar panels to an additional 10 buildings this year, we continue to perform retro-commissioning updates, and we’ve established a Clean Energy Task Force to draft Hartford’s first Strategic Energy Plan. I support the President’s leadership on this issue, and will continue to make Hartford an example of how cities nationwide can reduce their climate impact. ### For Immediate Release: June 25, 2013 Contact: Maribel La Luz laluz@hartford.gov p. 860-539-5485
 
 
UPDATE
 
The White House has just issued a statement. ".President Barack Obama is thrilled that Mayor Segarra is in agreement with his proposal. Despite the President having to deal with issues in the middle east, Afghanistan and Syria , all business in the Oval Office had stopped this afternoon as President Obama anxiously awaited Segarra's response and endorsement.
 
UPDATE 2
PEDRO E. SEGARRA, MAYOR
 MAYOR SEGARRA ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S CLIMATE CHANGE PROPOSAL --- NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
According to Segarra:"As Mayor of Hartford, the environment is important to me, without clean waterways, the supply of Caviar may be reduced. As a Mayor responsible to my taxpayers, if the supply decreases, the price will increase and next New Years Eve, it potentially could run us over $1000.00 and that's just not fair for the taxpayers to pay that 
 
See, despite what you may think, I do know something about economics. It is also important that a clean environment be maintained so that those little baby lambs can grow and prosper so that the taxpayers get their money's worth when we order the rack of lamb.
 
And lastly, next year at our New Years Eve soiree, paid for by the taxpayers, when we raise our glasses of champagne to toast my former Chief of Staff, I want to feel confident knowing that the grapes are from a clean and pesticide free environment.
 
Thank you again to my close personal friend, Barack H. Obama for your leadership ( you know I just won a leadership award also , luckily they don't follow my performance in Los Angeles, stop laughing Mr. President I'm serious)

Friday, June 21, 2013

NO P-CARD PROBLEMS AT HARTFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY

The final audit report was released this morning  by Hartford's Internal Audit Department and it shows no purchasing card problems in the use of City credit cards.

Next up is the Hartford Board of Education.

The library is below.