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Sunday, February 8, 2015

DOES INTEGRITY MATTER AND FOR HOW LONG?

The comment below was emailed earlier claiming to be from another Mayoral candidate. I don't trust that the name used was legit so I am not posting the name though. I do want to hear your thoughts though. One of the things that concerned me about the Touch of Class posting was the age of the offense. But the more I thought about it and the more I spoke to other people, I was convinced that integrity and character matter for a person today, yesterday and yes , even from 1989. And at the very least, don't we have the right to know what type of person we elect and don't they have an obligation to address our concerns.

Here is the comment posted earlier, minus the posters name as they claimed.

1989? really? You're that desperate that you'll stoop to this?

My campaign doesn't care about what the Mayor might've done in 1989, and quite honestly I don't think the residents of Hartford do either.


I think it is an attempt to deflect attention away from Pedro Segarra, Let me know what you think.

Keep in mind we have just gone through the Catholic Churches pedophile priest scandal and I don't recall anyone saying we shouldn't discipline child abusing priests because their crimes were committed 20 or 30 years ago

Someone that is willing to ignore oaths they take as an attorney or a prosecutor in 1989 will most likely do the same today . The truth is the same in 1950 , 1989 or today.

I'll go back to a Mark Twain quote Segarra seems to be fond of "If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember the lies". So let's see if he remembers the truth.

And I think whoever wrote that comment, I think you are drastically underestimating the people of Hartford. We do care about the truth no matter its age.

DOES INTEGRITY MATTER? A TOUCH OF CLASS ESCORT SERVICE


Does integrity matter in politics? Clearly not to our elected officials. Ernie Newton, John Rowland and the list goes on of elected officials who appear to have no conscience and feel they are above the law. You apparently may be able to add another one to the list , Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra.

Several months ago I was given documents from a source that appeared to indicate that Segarra may have been a client of the Touch of Class Escort Service in 1989. The documents were verified as evidence being held in the West Hartford Police Department's evidence room. The book contained  approximately 450 pages of client names for the Touch of Class, including the dates when they hired prostitutes, the town in which the hotel or location they took the prostitute to conduct their business as well and how long they "occupied" the prostitute and what they paid for the "professional" services
For more info on the Touch of Class , click the link to read more from A Courant story.


 A more detailed article about the illegal prostitution operation can be read here


One of the questions that arose after the investigation was the fate of the client ledger listing all of the Touch of Class clients names. Well the answer to that is that the ledger is safe and secure inside the West Hartford Police Department. It does make for some interesting of the "who's who" of prostitute users in the greater Hartford area. There were educators, high school sport coaches a judge and even apparently the name of a state prosecutor  who appears to have gone on to be the Mayor of Hartford.In the document below, obtained from evidence at the West Hartford Police,   it lists  on line 31 a Pedro Segarra as a client on September 21, 1989 and hiring a prostitute for 1 hour at $150.00 per hour and taking him (or her) to a rendezvous point in Cromwell.


According to the Greater Hartford phonebook for 1989 , it only has one listing for Attorney Pedro Segarra at 1224 Prospect Ave. Hartford





I had held off on using this for several reasons. The number one reason was I wasn't sure people would pay attention to the info. But the more I talk to people in Hartford, the more I was hearing that people felt Mayor Segarra was not trustworthy. It had nothing to do with prostitutes but more with the lies and untruths related to the Stadium deal. When I would ask people if a Mayor allegedly soliciting prostitutes would affect their vote, almost every one said yes. And even more so when I asked if that person was a prosecutor entrusted with enforcing those laws. Enforce the laws by day, go out breaking them at night. The final straw in my decision was a radio interview with one of Segarra's challenger's. Luke Bronin was on the Chaz and AJ radio show last week and he was kind of ambushed with a question..."have you ever smoked marijuana?". Bronin answered quickly and honestly "yes". No hemming and hawing, no mistruths or deflections, just an honest answer without taking time to think about the consequences. Isn't that what we should expect from our elected leaders. I am not sure I could really believe someone Bronin's age if they answered no they never had. Who from that era hasn't?Wouldn't it be refreshing to know that we could trust what they tell us and not be skeptical of everything they say. So let's try the Chaz and Aj Style. Mayor Segarra, have you ever solicited or hired escorts from the Touch of Class or been involved in prostitution ?

Let's see what the answer will be

THE LATEST FASHION APPAREL INSPIRED BY HARTFORD CITY HALL

I guess you can call it truth in advertising. The t-shirt below has the client list printed on it along with the Touch of Class Escort Service. The list , with one line highlighted in red, lists a "Pedro Segarra" as a client of the prostitution service that has since been busted and shut down. I will post an update when and where these shirts can be obtained when that info is available.


Be the first in your neighborhood or at your local community meeting to wear the latest fashion apparel.

Friday, February 6, 2015

LT ORTIZ REMOVED AS HFD PIO

Word out of Chief  Carlos Huerta's  office is that he has removed one of his most recent appointments. Hartford Fire Lt Raul Ortiz who was the Departments Public Information Officer until this afternoon has been reassigned back to the Fire line. No reason was given for the transfer, but it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. In a department plagued with screw -ups and media disasters like HFD has been recently, being honest and truthful equates to a suicide mission. It is especially bad when the Chief of the Department has created many of the problems through his own actions and isn't happy when people put out the truth instead of covering for him.

The embarrassing situations that Huertas has immersed himself and his department in would be challenging for most seasoned PIO's, never mind someone relatively new to the position and unfamiliar with Media contacts.  Ortiz was making steady progress though and in hi short time was gaining the respect of the media, He came across as honest and trustworthy and not as a propaganda master. This is not easy when you have the severity of the situations facing any PIO for the Hartford Fire Department. A line of duty death of a firefighter under questionable  circumstances to begin with. For whatever reasons, the way the investigation has been handled has many questioning whether the facts will come out or is a cover up underway?

As PIO , Ortiz was able to diffuse much of the rumor mill, but I can almost guarantee that the questions will start rising again. What role did Chief Huertas play in the potential cover up? Why almost months later has no cause of death been determined, not even toxicology results that at the time we were told would be ready in 5 to 6 weeks. A trusted PIO could diffuse suspicion.  I think Chief Huertas will learn that quickly, and most likely the hard way.

With all the DUI and drug abuse issues  facing HFD, who in their right mind would send out an e-mail  warning all of your department how and where to avoid a DUI checkpoint, Wouldn't a leader do something a little more responsible. Maybe something like stay safe this weekend with your family if you should drink, please be responsible, don't drink and drive. Not send out an e-mail where to avoid the cops if you are drunk.

I have no doubt Lt. Ortiz will be an asset to the Hartford Fire Department wherever he is assigned and will make the people of Hartford proud. Chief Huertas could take a lesson as to what pride and integrity is all about.

It is ironic that Ortiz was just returning from Georgia after a weeks  worth of PIO training when he got the call that he was no longer assigned to the Chief's Office. It s an important lesson to remember, "What goes around, comes around"

FORGET SOBRIETY, JUST AVOID THE CHECKPOINTS

That appears to be the message from Hartford's Fire Chief Carlos Huertas. Huertas today sent an e-mail to all HFD personnel warning them of a DUI Checkpoint to be conducted by HPD. No mention of avoiding drinking and driving, just beware of the Hartford Cops. That must be his version of accountability for the actions of his members. It apparently is not illegal if you don't get caught

Sent from my iPhone  Begin
        forwarded message:  From: "Huertas, Carlos M." <HuerC001@hartford.gov<mailto:HuerC001@hartford.gov>> To:
        "Fire Dept" <Fire_Dept@hartford.gov<mailto:Fire_Dept@hartford.gov>>
        Subject: DUI Checkpoint.  FYI,   Subject: DUI Checkpoint.
        Respectfully submitted,    Carlos M. Huertas Fire Chief
        Emergency Management Director Hartford Fire Department Hartford
        Public Safety Complex 253 High  Street Hartford, Connecticut
        06103 Office: (860) 757-4500 Fax: (860) 722-8205 HuerC001@hartford.gov<mailto:HuerC001@hartford.gov> “Be
        impeccable with your word, Don’t take anything personally, Don’t
        make assumptions, and Always do your Best”, By Don Miguel Ruiz

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?



After the heavy  snows of 2013, the Segarra Administration, with much fanfare announced they had purchased a couple of the industrial type snowblowers pictured above.  Where are the now? I have not seen any of them clearing Hartford's streets. Downtown and most major streets in Hartford are still a mess, narrowed to almost impassable widths. These snowthrowers should have been put into service immediately widening streets.

Have the snowthrowers disappeared?  Have they been sold  off like parking garages to pay the caviar bill for the Mayors Office?Or did we not maintain them and allow them to  rust into the scrap heap? Can someone from DPW explain where they are or at least when they are being used so I can get a picture.

And what is the deal with the contractors hired by DPW using the CAT loaders with new York plates on Franklin Avenue when we aren't even using our own equipment.