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By Kerri Provost, November 9, 2011 1:01 am

Early, unofficial results show the six endorsed Democrats (Anderson, Aponte, DeJesus, Kennedy, MacDonald, and Wooden) and three of the four running on the Working Families slate (Cotto, Deutsch, and Jennings) winning seats on Hartford’s City Council.

At the Red Rock Tavern, the Working Families Party celebrated their win. Followed by booming applause, Jennings said that the only Republican elected was Segarra. The Mayor ran as a Democrat, but had accepted the endorsement by the Republicans and was on the ballot for both parties.

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By Kerri Provost, November 1, 2011 8:25 am

It is not the job of the media to promote candidates.

Reporting on a candidate’s actions and quoting him verbatim should tell voters all that they really need to know about a politician’s qualifications and character.

On November 8th — between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. –  Hartford’s registered voters will have the opportunity to provide their own opinions about who they believe should hold office. Here is an image of a sample ballot, provided by Hartford Votes:

Image courtesy of Hartford VOTES

On this sample ballot, you can see where the instructions state to “vote for any six.” Sometimes this presents confusion. You do not need to vote for six City Council candidates. You can vote for zero, one, two, three, four, five, or six, but, you can not vote for more than six. The same holds true for Constables; you can vote any number up to, but not exceeding, four. If you want to just vote for Mayor, but for nothing else, you can do that as well.

We trust that Hartford voters will be making smart, informed decisions at the polls, and that they do not need a media outlet suggesting to them where their votes should go.

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By Kerri Provost, October 6, 2011 12:33 am

The Municipal Building a.k.a. City Hall

While some folks get themselves all worked up over Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, the average person can have the most impact in local politics; local politics also have the most immediate impact on us. If garbage is not removed on your street, you do not take the matter President Obama; you call 311 or complain to the City Council. Maybe you push for better funding of the Department of Public Works, or better management of it. And unlike top level national politicians, you actually have a good chance of being able to arrange a meeting with someone on City Council and sometimes the Mayor. At minimum, you can sign up and wait for a chance to air grievances at a Monday evening City Council meeting. In a city where so few people bother to vote, each person’s vote actually has a lot more weight to it than it would in a national election.

With all this in mind, another forum/debate for City Council candidates was endured on Wednesday evening. All candidates whose names will appear on the November ballot were invited to participate; those actually participating included: Kyle Anderson, Alex Aponte, Corey Brinson, Kevin Brookman, Luis Cotto, Joel Cruz, Raul DeJesus, Larry Deutsch, Cynthia Jennings, Ken Kennedy, David MacDonald, Sweets Wilson, rJo Winch, and Shawn Wooden. Republicans Gerry Pleasant and Michael Fryar were invited but did not attend. Ironically, Luis Cotto, a member of the Working Families Party, acknowledged and explained Fryar’s absence, stating that the candidate is working toward his Ph.D and could not get out of a midterm exam Wednesday evening; no Republicans mentioned their absent colleagues.

With fourteen candidates and roughly two hours, the audience could only get a small taste for what each person had to offer.

The best response to anything was when a misinformed resident accused the current City Council of voting for their own enormous raises. A yelling match ensued, as the resident refused to allow candidates to respond as they were entitled to by the event’s format. When Cotto, Deutsch, Kennedy, and Winch finally had the opportunity to respond, all explained, coherently and consistently, that the pay raise was put forth to the voters; Hartford residents were the ones who voted to increase their salaries. This was a strong showing that demonstrated the ability for at least some Democrats and Working Families Party members to work cooperatively.

The majority of the evening, however, was not spent with questions posed by the audience. Continue reading 'Who Wants to be a City Councilperson?'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 12, 2011 5:34 pm

Those registered as Democrats may vote in the primary on Tuesday, September 13th. The polls open at 6 in the morning and close at 8 in the evening. Voters can decide which, if any, of the officially endorsed candidates they support; if registered with a political party, you can still vote for candidates from other parties during the general election in November.

Forgot who your options are? Dip into the archives:

- “Five Questions with the Candidates”

-”Is This What Democracy Looks Like?”

- “Behind the Scenes at the Hartford Democratic Town Committee Convention”

- “Council Primary Candidates Forum”

- “Democrats Endorse Candidates: No Girls Allowed!”

If you experience any oddities at the polls tomorrow — as a voter, bystander, or volunteer — please leave comments here.

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By Kerri Provost, July 22, 2011 2:12 pm

Because the Hartford Democratic Town Committee convention did not start on time, there was opportunity to check out the fashions. Continue reading 'Is this what Democracy Looks Like?'»

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By Kerri Provost,

A large room crammed full of powerful people (and those aiming to be) dressed in red, white, and blue, with buttons and signs galore. The party casts its votes, maybe some numbers don’t match up and a recount is needed, but the endorsements get made and the evening moves on. Reporters pushing their way through to get to the newly endorsed or to those left behind. That’s the image that comes to mind, and to an extent, that is what happens. But for those who have never been to a convention and who are not politically connected, it might be eye-opening to learn that the behind the scenes “back room deals” are not so secretive after all.

The Hartford Democratic Town Committee’s convention was scheduled to begin at 5:30 on Thursday evening in Bulkeley High School’s air conditioned auditorium. We assumed that this was the fake time, which is told so that events kick off on time about thirty minutes later. Segarra’s supporters were gathered around the building’s entrance with signs and stickers at 4:30 pm. By all accounts, I thought I would be home by ten, latest.

Upon entering, we had our choice of seats. Nothing was roped off. Nobody was serving as an usher. I sat with Emily of Live in Hartford, and near reporters from The Hartford Guardian and The Hartford News, two small, local newspapers that work hard to get the story, like journalists from days of yore. We were in the second row, center, and nobody seemed to mind.

Waiting for the event to begin, we noted who was conversing with whom. Julio Concepcion, an HDTC member, stopped over and we chatted about the waves he made when he publicly questioned the 2-2-2 strategy days prior. In the audience was a young man, a teenager about to enter Hartford Public High School after attending Bellizzi. He began the evening as the embodiment of idealism. We never saw if he looked the same, or disenchanted, when he slipped out later.

At 6pm, we thought the event was going to begin when the committee announced that the little people had to move our seats:

The rationale made sense. Leave room so that HDTC members can easily access the microphone and be heard; one wonders why this was not announced earlier. One also wonders why this was even attempted, as the members were scattered throughout the auditorium, some griping that they could not hear, all the while not moving their seats, despite the vacant ones now reserved for them. Continue reading 'Behind the Scenes at the Hartford Democratic Town Committee Convention'»

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By Kerri Provost,

2-2-2 Continue reading 'Hartford Democratic Town Committee Convention: Numbers Game'»

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By Kerri Provost, June 30, 2011 6:28 am

I spoke with J. Stan McCauley (AKA Pastor Stan) by phone.

What are your top three favorite things (events, places, people, etc) about Hartford?

“The opportunity and potential of Hartford is off the chain. That’s probably number one.”

He quickly followed that: “second I would say is the city itself,” referring to the entirety of it. McCauley said that he does not exaggerate when he says “Hartford is the greatest city on Earth.”

His third favorite thing about Hartford is “the richness of its diversity.” Continue reading 'Five Questions with J. Stan McCauley'»

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By Kerri Provost,

I spoke with Edwin Vargas by phone.

What are your top three favorite things (events, places, people, etc) about Hartford?

“I believe the people of the city of Hartford are a great diversity. We have a great vibrant arts and entertainment scene,” he said. Vargas said that he enjoys Real Art Ways, along with the Bushnell, Hartford Stage, and Cinestudio. The arts, he said, is “one of the bright things” in Hartford. He added, “I also like the fact that we have the potential to be a green city.” Continue reading 'Five Questions with Edwin Vargas'»

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By Kerri Provost,

I spoke with Mayor Segarra in person at Elizabeth Park.

What are your top three favorite things (events, places, people, etc) about Hartford?

Before we sat down to talk outside of the Pond House, Segarra said a few words thanking representatives from Knox Parks and “Friends of” various city parks at a dinner in the Banquet Hall. In his remarks, he described the parks and green spaces as one of Hartford’s assets.

That’s the type of comment to expect when addressing an audience of park enthusiasts, but I wondered if he would be consistent when later I asked about the positive aspects of Hartford.

“The people, the diversity, the different communities of people, the culture” were ranked first on the mayor’s list of favorite things. This was followed by architecture, parks, and historical sites. He named the Lyric, Lyceum, Billings Forge, and the John E. Rogers House as examples of architecture and historical sites. Segarra described the old industrial buildings as being “underutilized” historical landmarks.

“Institutions — public, corporate, and religious” ranked third on his list of favorite things about Hartford. Among them, he named the United Way and Real Art Ways. Continue reading 'Five Questions with Mayor Segarra'»