Real Hartford

Not Exactly Local, But Important

If you read this blog even sporadically, you have probably figured out that I prefer it when people call things as they are, rather than attempt to obscure reality. Well, I watched this segment last night and was in awe that someone who is somewhat respected in the media actually had the nerve to put in plain language what this country is being subjected to.

Email Can Slip Out From Behind Closed Doors

Classic!

Well, classic for the internet age.

John Rose, Jr. sent an email intended for Carl Nasto to Kevin Brookman. The Courant has a write-up on this. What relevance does this have?

Rose was criticized recently in another FOIA case against the city in which a group of Hartford’s small businesses were seeking data from the city assessor. In a settlement of that case, Rose admitted to having violated the section of the FOIA requiring a prompt response to requests.

You know, because Rose, like others with power, are apparently above the law.

Dear Sarah Barr,

Every time you submit something to the papers, I am amazed by your nerve.

Here is your latest work published today:

Let Grand Jury Take Its Course
In response to the Dec. 26 editorial “A Cloud Over City Hall”:

The Courant’s editorial board endorsed Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez on Oct. 28 [editorial, “Mr. Perez For Mayor”]: “His leadership has put Hartford on a more promising path than it’s followed in decades. He should be re-elected.”

Well, he was. Hartford is moving in the right direction. Public safety, education, homeownership, and neighborhood economic development are all paramount. Hartford has become safer, more vibrant and more of a destination of choice in the last six years (the years that Mayor Perez has been in office) than it has been in decades.

In fact, Mayor Perez has an ambitious agenda for the next four years. He was re-elected handily by the voters of Hartford who looked at the facts and put their trust in Mayor Perez.

So, why publish an editorial about the grand jury when the process should be allowed to take its course?

It is unfortunate that The Courant has selectively leaked certain portions of the secret proceedings of the grand jury and has done its best to create a circus atmosphere of the judicial process. Making improper comparisons to politicians who have been found guilty doesn’t help the matter. What is happening now should be compared to Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, who was subject to a long public investigation and was cleared.

The people of Hartford and all the readers of this newspaper deserve better from The Courant.

Sarah Barr

Director of Communications City of Hartford

Allow me to break this nonsense down for you.

Perez’s homeownership initiatives, to start, are a joke. Most Hartford residents rent because, money aside, there are not enough ownership opportunities. There are apartment units. The city, as it is, unfortunately is not designed for much more homeownership than already exists. By claiming this as one of Perez’s feats, you are distracting the public with a sleight of hand.

As for the crime statistics, this was something used in the mayoral campaign that also proved to be less than truthful. Certain kinds of crime have decreased, and yet if we do something as simple as look at the Hartford Police Department’s 25 Year Crime chart, we can see for ourselves that crime ebbs and flows, not in line with any single person’s position in office.

You claim that Hartford has become a more vibrant city, a destination. This is still a stretch, but I’ll grant you this one. People who have any sense in them know that Hartford has more going on now than it has in decades. I’m not certain we can quite call it a destination city yet. But you neglect to mention that Hartford is also laughed at for a number of things, like the Convention Center, vacant Constitution Plaza, and the failed Patriots deal.

But it’s not your desire to portray Hartford in a positive light that has got me sitting here, writing to you. It’s what came afterwards.

If you had it your way, Sarah Barr, it seems that you would allow the censorship of any information that does not fit in with your rose-colored version of Eddie Perez. You ask why the Courant has to “leak” pieces of information about the criminal case to the public. Then you continue to assert that Perez should be compared to the politicians who have been found not guilty.

There should not even be a grand jury because the mayor of Hartford should not be doing anything remotely unethical, let alone illegal. When he involves himself in various sketchy activities, he needs to own up to that. As the public, as voters and tax payers, we absolutely have the right to know about what our representatives are being accused of. I know that cutting sweet deals for parking lots, trash hauling, and home remodeling is not as awful as killing orphans or waging war, but these are still crimes connected to greed (as opposed to crimes committed so a person can have a meal or place to sleep).

Election Accountability

Connecticut citizens can volunteer to be part of an audit for the new voting machines. You can’t participate in an audit for the town in which you vote, but you can decide how far you’d be willing to travel and on what days you’d be able to help. This will be going on from November 21-26th. For more info, or to sign up online, check out the website.

Mayoral Candidate Forum: Hell on Earth

This will be cross-posted and modified slightly for the collaborative news blog that I write for, Undercurrents.

Disclaimer: this is a very long piece of writing. But I sat in a hot and noisy room for over two hours of my life, and I am not letting that be all for nothing. I suggest that you read in small increments, and whenever the politics makes you feel like vomiting, mark your place and return later.

Rude People Flock Together

I have heard that hell is other people, but really, hell is being in a crowded room full of Eddie Perez’s people. Before that is misinterpreted as me hating on Hispanics or something, let me explain.

The Mayoral Candidates Forum held tonight showcased the rude and disrespectful behavior of many Perez supporters. Certainly, most in attendance understood how to behave in public places—clapping politely, cheering when appropriate, and showing a sense of decorum. But far too many were making loud, obnoxious comments while other candidates were speaking. There also seemed to be a cluster of anti-Art Feltman people in the audience who, though not timekeepers, called out “time” when he spoke past his alloted 30 seconds (or whatever the case was at time). They did not do this when the other candidates went over time, as all did at some point during the evening. You should not have to try to win an election by having your supporters act like bad sports and spoiled children.

Continue reading Mayoral Candidate Forum: Hell on Earth…