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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

HARTFORD LAYOFF UPDATE

 
A sign of things to come?
 
 
Although no specific information has been released from Mayor Bronin's Office yet, here is some information from the online budget at Hartford.gov.

Corporation Counsel: The primary changes are the annualization of salary funded for partial year as well as a restructure of the administrative and professional support functions, which includes the elimination of 5 positions through layoffs.

Office of Communications and New Media: The net decrease is the result of the elimination of 4 positions through 3 layoffs and the elimination of a vacancy.

Metro Hartford Innovation Services: The FY2017 Recommended Budget for MHIS also includes reductions comprised of 1 layoff and the elimination of 1 vacancy.

Finance: eliminating 9 positions, 2 vacant and 7 layoffs, offset by the transfer of 10 existing positions for Procurement and 3 new Account Payable positions to implement centralization City-wide. The Recommended Budget for FY2017 in Finance represents major efficiencies to be realized.

Human Resources: elimination of 3 positions,
2 vacant, including a vacant Deputy Director, and 1 layoff and reductions in non-personnel accounts offset by a onetime funding in the a

Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation: he net decrease is the result of restructuring recreational programs to focus on areas of high demand, adjustments in funding to community agencies and the elimination of 4.9 positions through 3 layoffs, 1 vacancy and 0.9 shift to grants.

Police: elimination of 25 non-uniformed positions, 18 vacant and 7 layoffs.

Public Works: the elimination of 24 positions, comprised of 17 vacant and 7 layoffs, as well as anticipated attrition and reductions in non-personnel accounts.

Development Services:
the elimination of 6.85 positions through 2 layoffs, 4 vacancy eliminations and a 0.85 FTE position shifted to grants.

Health and Human Services: A total of 6 positions are eliminated, 2 vacant which includes a Deputy Director, 4 layoffs, 1 shift to part-time and shifting 2 positions to grant funding.

LEGALITY VS MORALITY

Many times people avoid difficult  decisions saying it is legal, but the greater question is "is it moral?" Such should be the issue facing Hartford's Superintendent of Schools Beth Schiavino-Narvaez.

Schiavino-Narvaez faced off with an angry crowd of parents last night at a budget hearing. Narvaez is spearheading the effort to lay off close to 250 Hartford Schools employees, including teachers and other professionals. All of this at a time when Narvaez is greedily accepting her 3% raise , potentially increasing her salary to $270,000 next year. Narvaez's salary is currently about $257.500.

Even Mayor Luke Bronin gave back $20,000 of his salary after taking office and realizing the City was in dire financial condition. Narvaez continues to take and take, giving nothing back from her salary and  at the same time willing to lay people off.

Legally, she may be entitled by her contract, but where does the morality enter in. Superintendent Narvaez, you have failed every child and parent in the Hartford School System by your handling of the Eduardo Genao matter. Not just in your handling of the situation after his arrest became public knowledge, but even prior to his arrest.

I have a hard time believing that you had no knowledge or had any indication of his pattern of predatory behavior prior to April. You promoted him and if you were doing your job you would have reviewed  his personnel file and seen the previous allegations.

The fact that my FOI requests for those same documents have sat in your office for over a month indicates to me that you do not want this situation exposed further. May it be that you realize you are part of a cover up that allowed one of your immediate subordinates to prey on innocent children?

Even the e-mails I requested to and from Dr. Ngoudou through an FOI request have met a brick wall. Why? What are you hiding?

How you can  morally think about laying off teachers and  the "worker bees" in our schools when you keep an over priced Chief of Staff sitting next to you. The same Chief of Staff who also failed very child and parent in the Hartford Schools when she was "too busy" to look into allegations of Eduardo Genao preying on a child.

Several of those teachers could continue teaching if we got rid of an ineffective Chief Of Staff at $170,000 a year in salary plus close to another $100,000 in benefits

You should both be ashamed of yourselves every time you look in the mirror and realize the reflection looking back at you enabled a predator . And every member of the Board of Education that allows this behavior to go on  hoping it will just go away should also be ashamed of themselves for violating the trust that has been placed in them..

In the meantime, the cover up continues as documents are destroyed and kept secret. A source of mine in the Superintendent's Office has advised me that Eduardo Genao's personnel folder is half as thick as it was before his arrest as documents are purged to avoid any implication or knowledge by the "higher-ups".

Dr. Narvaez and Dr Ngoudou should both be looking for alternative employment where they don't need to worry about the "moral" decisions they need to make to protect children. They clearly are not up to the job requirements

 You can see more on Genao, including allegations by employees that Genao's behavior went on for years, at WVIT NBC Connecticut Troubleshooter Jill Konopka

HPD DUI CHECKPOINT THURSDAY


MASSIVE LAYOFFS COMING TODAY FOR CITY OF HARTFORD

 According to sources, today is "D-Day" for between 40 and 100 City of Hartford employees who will be receiving layoff notices and will be shown the door today.

 The process began early today as employees began receiving their layoff notices and had their access to City records and computers revoked.

No official word is available yet as to the exact numbers and departments, but one source said it appeared to be all departments "across the board"

 More on this throughout the day.

The layoff's have been necessitated by the budget hole that the Segarra administration has left for Mayor Bronin

NOW THROW IN A ROBBERY AND KIDNAPPING TO CLOSE OUT THE NIGHT

On 5/3/16 at 10:41pm Hartford Police Department patrol officers responded to 241 Ledyard Street in response to a possible robbery/abduction (of an adult) complaint. 241 Ledyard St is a small mechanic repair shop (M&J Auto) in the South Meadows neighborhood. At 10:41pm this business is typically closed.

The victims reported working in the shop late, when masked suspects entered carrying guns, speaking in a Dominican dialect and demanding money. One of the victims reported that his father had been in shop with them, was abducted by the suspects, and left with them in a small black Cadillac SUV. The victims were subsequently brought to the Hartford Police Department to be interviewed by Major Crimes Detectives. Approximately an hour later, officers learned that the victim's father was left on Interstate 91 South by exit 8 -uninjured. Hartford Police responded to that area and brought the victim back to the Hartford Police Department to also be interviewed by Major Crimes Detectives.
The motive is unclear as HPD MCD Detectives are trying to determine why this smaller, typically closed auto shop in an industrial neighborhood would by the target of an armed robbery and abduction by multiple suspects at that time of night.

Cars, tools and electronics were not stolen from the shop. Some cash ($200) was reported stolen. The suspects are described as 4-5 Dominican males in black clothing, wearing ski masks. The investigation is ongoing.

MORE GUN SEIZURES, A BUSY NIGHT FOR HPD



On 05/03/16 at 4:06pm hours, HPD Patrol Officers received information concerning guns and narcotics sales. A suspect was reported to be in the rear of 80 Edgewood Street and in possession of at least two handguns and narcotics. The HPD Patrol officers went to the address to develop additional leads, when they observed the suspect actively engaged in narcotics activity. The suspect attempted to flee from the officers, but after a short foot pursuit and brief struggle  the suspect was detained. The suspect  was found to have a handgun in a nearby vehicle. The suspect vehicle was subsequently searched, locating an additional handgun which had been reported stolen from Hartford as well as crack cocaine.  Members of HPD STF, V&N were then contacted and assisted. The suspect was arrested and transported to HPD for debriefing and booked.

Recovered Stolen - 9MM Ruger Semi-auto Pistol Model SR-9C, Recovered Harrington Richardson Model 732
32mm revolver. Recovered numerous loose rounds of ammo including 12/16 Gauge shotgun, .308 rifle.
Recovered - 16 Grams Crack cocaine.

Arrested: Alonte Coleman; 18 yo, Hartford, CT with 2 previous Hartford PD arrests.
Charges:
1.       Poss of Narco
2.       PWITS Narco
3.       Poss Drug Para
4.       Carrying Pistol W/O Permit
5.       Possession Stolen Pistol
6.       Altering S/N of Handgun
7.       Interfering W/Police.
$750,000 Bond