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"MAYOR BRONIN'S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS"

13 Comments -

1 – 13 of 13
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was listening to someone who is looking for a elevation in government soon.
Hartford politics as usual. New Court of Common Council has no clue.

March 14, 2016 at 7:58 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll believe Bronin is serious about making real sustainable change if he starts by laying off a good chunk of his newly appointed high paid department heads/cabinet members and his newly hired political appointments. If he starts there he'll have some credibility in asking for real sacrifices, cuts and labor concessions. Otherwise he'll look like every politician who talks about "shared sacrifice" while appointing his cabinet and increasing department heads with qualified smart people whose ranks f employees have been depleted = actual workers gone. Who needs department heads for units being consolidated or downsized? Why not consolidate the cabinet first?

March 14, 2016 at 8:37 PM

Anonymous John said...

"Past administrations borrowed liberally. To make things easier in the short-run, they refinanced debt, pushing payments into the future. The bill is now coming due.

This year, the amount we will pay for debt service — the equivalent of mortgage payments on a home — was $10 million. Next year, it will be close to $30 million. By 2019, it will be nearly $50 million. That’s if we don’t borrow another dollar, which isn’t realistic.
Past administrations promised benefits that Hartford’s tax base cannot support."

In my opinion the treasurer and perhaps others in the financial management area should be terminated immediately and perhaps sued for dereliction of their fiduciary responsibilities. What the current administration will not address is that every city failure has a cause. Yes, the buck stops at the top, but the real problem are the so-called financial experts who advise the administration. If the mayor's statement is not sufficient evidence that they must go, then what is?

March 14, 2016 at 9:28 PM

Anonymous Bruce Rubenstein said...

It was refreshing to hear an honest factual assessment of the financial condition of Hartford.As you all can discern,former Mayors Perez,Segarra and former Council President Wooden are mainly to blame for our dire financial condition.I appreciate Mayor Bronin leveling with us and wish him well in trying to fix our dire financial situation. If all methods do not work,he and the Council will be forced to file for a state oversight board or file for protection in Federal Bankruptcy Court.

March 14, 2016 at 11:55 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

In "The Graduate", Benjamin is offered a one word advice. "Plastics." The future of commerce. I say to Hartford, "Heroin ." That's right. The City of Hartford should corner the street market for heroin and in no time at all, it will balance the budget and become a growth product for the future. And one of the many benefits will be lower taxes.

March 15, 2016 at 5:58 AM

Anonymous peter brush said...

the real problem are the so-called financial experts
---------------------------------
The real problem is over-spending on programs that simply don't work. Not that it's the City's responsibility, but the Hartford School District is racially segregated (according to the lawyers), very expensive (half the City's budget, and not very productive (to say the least). Those things we absolutely have to do, for example police/fire, are not being done with an eye to efficiency on behalf of the taxpayer. The politicians at both State and Muni level have made promises they can't keep with taxpayer money in order to get elected.

Not to say that the administration(s) previous have been operating entirely on the up-and-up, but Bronin is right; we have a "structural" problem. Finance guys can't fix or conceal a long-term revenue/expenditure deficit.

March 15, 2016 at 7:50 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr. Bronin: savings start at the top, with all the people around you making six digits plus salaries. This will bring real savings and be a positive example when you start negotiating with the unions.

March 15, 2016 at 8:02 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dose Mayor Bronin really get it? If he did, he would have not run for anything pertaining to saving Hartford. No one has ever listened to what the taxpayers had to say. Why would Mayor Bronin? Go Hartford, Hartford the Rising Star. Please

March 15, 2016 at 11:20 PM

Blogger KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

I think we did away with that "Rising Star" bit. Now it is"Hartford has it" Unfortunately now it looks like the "it" we have is going to be a "Financial Sustainabilty Commission"

March 15, 2016 at 11:24 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

If we need a commission to run city hall then we have way to many employees at city hall.

March 15, 2016 at 11:34 PM

Blogger KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

11:34,PM\

Do you get the concept here? That has already been identified as a big part of the prtoblem

March 15, 2016 at 11:38 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

So HTFD govt has spent every single penny it has and borrowed until it imploded, and now it wants the employees to fix the error of its political leadership. So a person moves into the area for the job and it's advertised benefit package. Serves honorably, collects said pension. Now HTFD is broke through no fault of the employee/ retiree who negotiated and agreed upon contracts by both sides over time. Now HTFD attacks those previously agreed upon contractual obligations that both sides were in favor of?? WTF? Talk about changing the rules in the middle of the game.

I can see setting new guidelines going forward in new contracts but to mangle settled contact agreements and benefits seems pretty illegal to me. Bronin talks about being forthright, what about holding up your end of a binding retirement package. I suggest he makes the changes starting with new hires where they know up front what HTFD offers and can easily go elsewhere before committing. Don't blame employees for jacking up pensions within contractual rules agreed upon by the city. Be fair throughout by starting with new hires and go forward from there.

March 23, 2016 at 12:17 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well said!

March 14, 2017 at 12:35 PM

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