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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

NEVER FORGET


Mass. Police Officer hugging his tearful son after escorting a dead Police Officer home
 photo credit: Worcester Magazine/Steven King


I shouldn't have to be posting pictures of Hartford Police Officers doing good things out in our community. Anyone with half a brain can recognize how fortunate we are to have what we have. Nothing is perfect, but we are very fortunate. We have a great Police Department and Fire Department serving us every day, day in and day out, 24/7, holiday's, night's weekends, regardless of birthdays or family functions, they are here  for us

It aggravates me seeing people, some of them so called "leaders"in our community trying to throw fuel on a fire. Fortunately for us a fire that does not exist in Hartford  and hopefully never will.

As one New England town prepares to bury a murdered police officer. Officer Ronald Tarentino jr .   of the Auburn Mass. Police Department was murdered Saturday. A senseless  murder of a police officer, a father of 3 children and a husband. Murdered for nothing more than wearing the uniform and a badge that identified him as a protector of our communities, and doing his job on a motor vehicle traffic stop. Let us take a moment to realize how fortunate we are and show our gratitude to our first responders and never forget


Monday, May 23, 2016

MORE HPD OFFICERS DOING GOOD THINGS

 Just look around our community and you will find the majority of HPD Officers doing good, actually make that great, things in our community.

IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, WHAT IS A VIDEO WORTH

You make the call.
Are the completion dates for the Yard Goats and Dunkin Donuts Park realistic? This is a quick raw video I shot Sunday afternoon. No one was working  and the place was wide open and unsecure, I don't think HPD covers the project until after 7 PM .  

And this video is just one small are on the southeast corner, ther is much wok to be done, and I hasven't seen the 24/7 work we hear Centerplan talking about. I also have to say this project is an OSHA nightmare. I know Centerplan is going through on the job training for this project, but have they ever heard of a safety manager? The hazards on this unsecured project abound. If some inquisituive youth got in here, a tragedy could definitely occur.

I have never seen a project like this where the laddrrs and equipment are not secured after hours. In fact an extension ladder was propped up to the back of the Dunkin Donuts sign most of the weekend, a 50 or 60 foot fall from that ladder would probably be fatal to an unsuspecting kid who got in there.

 Even the lifts left parked on the sidewalks are a hazard. Sidewalks by the way that are still open to the public, no construction fencing, not even caution tape. Sheet metal stacked where anyone walking by or riding a bike could experience severe lacerations on the unmarked hazards. This entire property is a huge liability waiting to happen .

Not to mention the larceny opportunities with all the unsecured equipment left around. Maybe Centerplan's employees should consider ways to secure the property rather than getting in to have batting practice

Hopefully Centerplan has remembered to pay their liability insurance

THE CITY OF HARTFORD CAN NOT CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS LIKE THIS- THE NEXT CHAPTER

900 Broad Street, an urban renewal project proudly owned by the Zaaco Group, LLC of Freeport NY

 A $1.00 Success story courtesy of the City of Hartford?
On April 30th I posted what will probably be the first of many chapters in this saga.

For years, the City of Hartford has been reckless in the way it does business. Will it change under a Bronin administration? Who knows, but only time will tell.

Here are a couple more troubling examples.

On May 28, 2015, by a Council resolution, the City turned two properties over to a New York state developer, the Zaaco Group LLC.

Despite information from community members about the dubious reputation of the Zaaco Group, the transfer took place

The deed transferred from the City of Hartford to the Zaaco Group, LLC on May 29, 2015 and  had specific restrictions regarding the timeline for rehab of the property to prevent it from sitting empty as a blighted property.  To date, almost exactly a year later, nothing has happened

As you can see from the deed below, rehab of the property was supposed to commence "promptly" and Zaaco was supposed to pursue the renovations of the property "diligently" and conduct "diligent efforts"  to lease the property to bona fide tenants. Legal talk for fix the blighted property.

The Zaaco Group, LLC was also required to pay al taxes and keep the property current, which they have not.

These sweetheart deals to people that have no connection to Hartford and who could care less about the damage a blighted property does to a neighborhood, need to end. At the very least Mayor Bronin should be instructing the Corporation Counsel to commence legal action to take the building back so possibly it could be put in the hands of someone who is actually going to do something with it before it collapses from neglect.

It is not too hard to figure out how the Zaaco Group, LLC earned their place on the Nassau County New York contractors Hall of Shame.

The next chapter later this week, 97 Williams Street, another $1.00 Property, still burned out and blighted a year later.



Sunday, May 22, 2016

MORE HPD OFFICERS DOING GOOD DEEDS.

 A deer was hit and killed by a car today. The mother left a baby fawn orphaned by the accident.

HPD Officers stepped up to rescue the fawn and care for it until DEEP could arrange for its care with a rehabilitator

HPD's good deeds really aren't too hard to find if you look.


THE COVERUP FOR A PREDATOR AT THE HARTFORD SCHOOLS CONTINUES

EDUARDO GENAO
 
For years I have focused on Hartford City Hall and identifying problems and corruption throughout City government. I have a pretty good track record there. I need to apologize to every Hartford child and every Hartford parent for essentially ignoring the Hartford Schools while I have focused on City hall.

I have only recently turned my attention to the Hartford Schools , after I was made aware of them hiding a predator in their midst. Those efforts eventually led to the arrest of the alleged predator, Eduardo Genao. His next court date is this week in Hartford.

Only after beginning to look into the matter have I now realized what a cesspool of corruption and cover ups the Hartford Superintendent's Office really is. The reason I apologize is because while I was focused on City Hall, I wasn't looking at the dirty deeds happening in the penthouse offices at 960 Main Street . At least the dirty deeds at City Hall never involved any of our most vulnerable residents, our children. Even though I am not a parent, I say "our" children because I think as a society we all share the responsibility to nurture and PROTECT our kids.

That responsibility is apparently not seen the same  by some of the high priced salaried people sitting behind the secured doors at the Superintendent's  Beth Schiavino-Narvaez's Office. Jill Cutler Hodgman, Paula Altieri, Melinda Kauffman, Giselle Ngoudou  as well as others I am sure, are part of the process that has enabled a predator like Eduardo Genao to survive and actually apparently thrive in the Hartford School System..

One of the main problems is the attitude that allows and tolerates improper behavior, and actually seems to condone it.. I will be writing more about one specific teacher who is feeling the wrath of shaking some cages at 960 Main Street, Natalia Arroyo . but let me stay focused on the predator protection squad for today.

As you can see from my e-mailed FOI request of May 7, 2016 below I had requested
"the entire personnel record of former Hartford Schools employee Eduardo Genao. Please include any and all disciplinary records as well as any and all investigations and investigative reports as well as any  and all complaints received against Eduardo Genao during his tenure with the Hartford Schools. Please include a detailed listing of any exemptions you may claim."

A very short list of documents was received back fro Suhail Aponte at the BOE, which I thought was odd since Genao had been there for years and from what sources were telling me, he had numerous complaints made against him as well as related investigations.

In my FOI request I also asked for a list of any redaction's they were claiming and the statute that allowed such exemptions. I received a heavily redacted, or "blacked out" response with no explanations.

But apparently there are many good people out there that take their responsibility to children and their careers seriously. Today I received a document through "alternative means" that was apparently withheld intentionally from me and a TV station that had requested the same documents.

The document was  a transcript of an interview between  Eduardo Genao, his Union Rep. Neil Macy and Guy Morgan from the state DCF  the document was from  November 14, 2007.. It was apparently an interview regarding inappropriate behavior  allegations against Genao. Although heavily redacted, the document shows Genao admitting to some troubling behavior such as hugging and kissing students and contacting them through social media and telling them to make sure they delete the record of the conversations.

After reading the report, I can see why the Superintendent's Office didn't want me or Channel 30 to see the document. It clearly shows that there were questions about Genao's behavior with children as far back as 2007, and nothing was done , except cover for him and move him around to avoid detection..

Michael Brescia, an elected Democrat to the Board of Education, and a former Educator himself, told me Thursday nigh that  I "needed to get off my high horse" regarding the Board.. That is sad that an educator himself would consider standing up for Child victims as being on a "high horse"

I look forward to the FOI hearing regarding my complaint and seeing Kauffman explain what part of  the entire personnel record of former Hartford Schools employee Eduardo Genao" she didn't understand. It seems pretty simple to me unless you are trying to hide something.

And keep reading for the details on Natalia Arroyo and her treatment by the Kangaroo Court. coming soon.


The original FOI request:


The Document that wasn't supplied and I obtained through "Alternative means"



The heavily redacted "sanitized" version released

E Genao FOI