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Tuesday, January 15, 2019

MAYBE IT IS TIME FOR ME TO RETHINK LAMONT

I didn't support Ned Lamont for Governor and I didn't think I would anytime soon, but I have to admit I am impressed , at least for now.

Maybe I was wrong, only time will tell, but after today I am cautiously optimistic. I watched the Governor's press conference today and I was impressed how quickly he moved to head off a potential problem.

He didn't act like a typical politician, he acted like a business person bringing a quick  and reasonable solution to the table. A solution that was devoid of any political rhetoric and almost entirely based in the private sector to solve with the tools available to him and not digging us into deeper Government debt.

Governor Lamont worked quickly with his previous business relationships and it looks like Webster Bank is stepping in to help be part of the solution to a potential problem for Connecticut residents affected by the Washington shutdown. Webster bank will apparently offer interest free bridge loans to Government employees who still need to pay their bills while the shutdown keeps them from getting their paychecks. It seems to be a low risk deal for Webster since the Federal employees will get their back pay when the Government re-opens and they will then pay back the loans to Webster.

One of the things that impressed me the most is the way Government Lamont handled the announcement. I wasn't there and I didn't watch the whole thing, but unlike our other politicians who take every opportunity to denounce President Trump and get on their soap boxes about how hard they are working to fight Washington, Lamont seemed to do it because it was the most appropriate and business like move to assist his constituents that he was elected to represent.

No campaign type speeches, just an elected official doing what seemed right, minus the venom we have become accustomed to in modern day politics

Maybe there is hope, time will tell.

AN ANDREW UPDATE


 Readers of my blog are already familiar with my nephew Andrew Haraghey. Andrew contracted viral encephalitis shortly after birth, most likely as the result of a mosquito bite. The result of that was Andrew developing Cerebral Palsy , which effected his leg muscle development.

As much as Andrew tried, he never was able to run and play many of the sports kids his age were competing in. For some reason my sister Sheryl, (Andrew's mother) decided to get involved with an Adaptive Sports program. As part of that , she became a certified Adaptive Ski Instructor and volunteered with the adaptive program at Mount Snow in Vermont along with Andrew's younger brother Ryan.

Andrew found his niche through that program and quickly became a competitive skier. Many days you can watch Andrew walk and become concerned how he stays upright, but put him on a set of skis and he will scare the hell out of you as he flies down the ski slope many times exceeding 65 miles an hour without any fear and competing against some of the best skiers in the world.

I am proud to say that Andrew has again this year been named one of a handful of Americans named to the US Paralympic Ski team for the 2019 World Championships.    Andrew represented the United States on the US Paralympic Ski Team this past winter in South Korea.

Andrew just finished this past week skiing with his younger brother Ryan (a UCONN student) in Utah and now is flying off to the World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Slovenia.

Best of luck Andrew, stay safe. Bring home the Gold and there might be a Big Mac waiting for you at the White House when you visit again.

You can follow Andrew here on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/andrew.races or at andrewraces.com


From the US Paralympic website:
Personal: Andrew Haraghey took up skiing at age seven, and began racing in about 2010...He received the 2014 Bob Casey Courage Award from the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance in United States of America...At the age of six months, he contracted viral encephalitis, which resulted in cerebral palsy. He has severe muscle tension from the waist down...Son of Richard and Sheryl Haraghey...Has one brother, Ryan...Idol is Tom Brady...Hobbies include water skiing, kayaking, tennis, swimming and camping.

LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE ? NOT IN HARTFORD'S SCHOOLS

"Trust me, just follow my lead"


I am still trying to get up to speed on the contract issues ,so this will be a short post, but some things need to be said. Hopefully much more will be available after tonight's Board of Education meeting     ( but I kind of doubt it).

But my big question is this. As if today's release of the Audit report detailing insurance fraud taking place  out of the Hartford Schools Administrative Offices was enough to show the lack of management and incompetence at the BOE.

How can Hartford's Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres- Rodriguez claim any leadership potential . How do you negotiate with struggling teachers, many of them working second jobs just to get by and raise their families and then claim you are negotiating in "Good Faith"?

How do you tell your lowest paid employees that budget times are tough and there will be no pay raises for at least the next three years. Oh, and by the way, those budget times apparently aren't really all that tough because the Superintendent was able to find enough money to give herself a $10,000 annual raise and boost her salary to reportedly to almost $270,000 per year, and while she wants to take sick days away from you, she has given more to herself every month.

To all of  the Hartford Teachers,  just do what your Union tells you and just go with the flow.

 Better days are coming, at least for the Superintendent.

INTERNAL AUDIT REPORT DETAILS INSURANCE FRAUD AT HARTFORD'S SCHOOLS

The final audit report into Health Insurance coverage in the Hartford Schools, conducted by the City of Hartford's Internal Auditor's is scheduled to be released tomorrow.  The report paints a troubling picture of potential fraud that is now being investigated by law enforcement officials, reportedly to include the Hartford Police and the FBI.

The allegations apparently span the course of several years and may have cost taxpayers upwards of $500,000 per year in improperly obtained benefits. At least one spouse identified as a result of the impending audit is estimated to have received $300,000 in claims while they were not eligible for coverage

 The auditor's also detailed other troubling details resulting from the audit. The report claims that auditor's had to obtain many of the documents independently since the Hartford Schools Administration initially refused to cooperate based on their "privacy concerns". Only after Hartford's Corporation Counsel became involved were the spreadsheet  given to Auditor's.

The report also details troubling information regarding the lack of protection regarding  a spreadsheet that was sent by unencrypted email containing the personal information such as the birth dates and Social Security numbers of approximately 3700 employees. (Has anyone heard of identity theft at the Hartford Schools?)

The entire report, or at least the first chapter of this next BOE saga is below

Monday, January 14, 2019

FROM HPD

18-27523/Recovered Stolen Vehicle (Arrest Made)

 

On Monday, January 14, 2019, at 1315 hours, a Hartford Police patrolman was notified by an anonymous citizen that a stolen white Pontiac was observed in the area of Colt Park. The vehicle was observed pulling

into the parking lot of 57 Park Street and the operator was detained for investigative purposes. After further investigation, it was determined that the vehicle was a stolen 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix and

was reported stolen in the City of Hartford on 9/13/18. The owner of the vehicle was notified, and an arrest was made on scene.

 

Arrested: Sanchez, Jose (DOB 6/20/68) 66 M. Imperial Drive Manchester, CT

 

Charges: Larceny 3rd Degree, Misuse Registration Plates, Operating M/V without a License

 

14-18101/Serious Assault with a Firearm Arrest

 

On June 4, 2014, at 2248 hours, patrol officers were dispatched to 1534 Park Street in response to a shots fired complaint. Upon arrival, officers located multiple shell casings in various calibers. A short time later, a victim arrived

at Saint Francis Hospital reporting that he had been shot in the area of 1534 Park Street. The victim sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his left ankle. The case was assigned to Detective Reeder and Detective

Corvino. Detective Reeder's and Corvino's relentless effort in the investigation resulted in positively identifying a suspect. On October 29, 2018 an arrest warrant was applied for and granted. At this time, the accused is incarcerated

at Macdougal-Walker Correctional Institute on unrelated charges and the warrant was served habeas by Court Liaison Officer Cricco.

 

Accused: Keith Shepard, 5/8/91, 17 Great Hill Road, East Hartford, CT

 

Charges: Assault 1st, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, and Weapons in a Motor Vehicle

 

Thursday, January 10, 2019

CITY OF HARTFORD INSURANCE FRAUD INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

Several sources are confirming for me that potential criminal investigation is underway into alleged insurance fraud by Hartford City employees and Board of Education employees.

The allegations are that at least 17 Board of Education employees and possibly as many as 20 City of Hartford employees had been collecting health insurance benefits for themselves and dependents while not being eligible for such claims. Many of the claims apparently resulted in persons staying on the City insurance after a divorce or other event which would have made them ineligible to collect benefits.

Sources familiar with the investigation  stated that the matter is being investigated by several law enforcement agencies, including the Hartford Police Major Crimes Division detectives, the Hartford County States Attorney's Office and the FBI.

Currently, according to sources, the States Attorney is looking at the financial threshold for losses to be pursued for any criminal charges. At least one employees is estimated to have collected at least $700,000 in benefits they were not entitled to , although the threshold may be set at anyone collecting $2,000 or more in benefits they were not entitled to.

We the People first reported on this story in the following post back in August of 2018, although the Board of Education was less than forthcoming in releasing any details https://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2018/08/executive-director-of-financial.html