To The Editor:
Jim Craven’s article in today’s Herald (“HUD pulls funds from school project”), while fairly accurate in terms of substance, lacks some historical aspects and some facts that this writer feels are important.
For the past six years under the Stewart administration the common council has had super majorities of Democrats, 15, 12 and now, 13. All recognized and reported conflicts of interest, ethics violations and non or late payment of taxes issues have been attributed to Democratic Council members, some of whom have been on the Council for all of the past 6 years. Today’s Herald article failed to mention this fact. Also, no school was denied funding; it was the NB Human Resources Agency renovation project.
Every year, the NB Department of Municipal Development receives funds from HUD to be distributed to organizations for their programs. The DECD (through the CCND Commission) interviews all applicant organizations and after close to 40 hours of review and discussion, the CCND recommends – to the Common Council - for funding, those organizations it considers for funding and the amount of the funding the organizations should receive. The Council may alter the CCND recommendations, which it always does. The Council does this at one of its regular meetings and after it has held a public hearing for the applicant organizations to explain their programs.
The changes made most often reflect pet projects of the Council members. I have found this process, while legal, to be quite unfair to those organizations originally recommended for funding by the CCND and have voiced my objections publicly. For the past two years I have reported to HUD what I considered to be the most egregious irregularities in the process as it relates to the New Britain Common Council.
Mayor Stewart had to apply to HUD for exemptions for the past two years. In so doing, - also omitted from the article - the Mayor was able to get exemptions for many of the Council members. Craven’s article today mentions only the one irregularity that was part of the 2009 findings but not the exemptions received.
Lou Salvio, Republican Alderman
NB Common Council
103 Russwin Rd. 860-225-9992
14 comments:
It makes it appear that council members approve funds to departments where council member's family and freinds receive their
tax funded paychecks?
I would hope that when one is called to public service that honesty and integrity would prevail
over favortism and nepotism.
As far as we know, the only two alderman without such conflicts are
Lou Salvio and Mark Bernacki. The two republicans on the council.
Democratic alderman Cantanzaro has multiple cross affiliations that should preclude him from sitting on the council not to mention that he controls his bosses decisions at the Parks and Rec department and portrays public in-subordination towards his boss at council meetings! The problem is these offenses by the democrats on the council leave most speechless!
Well this election is time for the
voters to be heard.
So as I see it this is what happened.
Status quo is upheld with regards to conflicts as they are not considered out of the ordinary and city gets all the money from HUD.
Lou complains to HUD, city non-profits lose thousands of dollars.
City non-profits have less money and we still have the not out of the ordinary conflicts.
Sounds to me like Alderman Salivo cost the city non-profits money, and has nothing to show for it on the conflict side of the issue.
Good job Alderman, you lost the city thousands and have nothing to show for it.
Typical Democratic response:blame the person who exposed the truth instead of the list of Democrats that are sitting in power over budgets for all the family members that they used political connections to get jobs for.
Sounds like only 2 aldermen don't have all or most of their families working either directly in city government or in some social do-gooder agency that is funded by government funds.
Once again the Democrats are hiding from the truth.
Alderman Salvio should keep up the good work of exposing these Democrats for what they are. After the disaster that was empowered in Washington, this year the people are paying attention.
Alderman Salvio did not cost the city funding. Is the former blogger suggesting that elected officials shouldn't question ethical wrong doing when they recognize it? The goverment investigated the situation and found the alderman to be correct.
What a screwed up mindset.
The blogger probably feels we shouldn't question our goverment, the president or any of the appointed czars that are taking control over the freedom of the American people either.
Single minded, narrow minded, thick headed, stupid and ignorant.
Thank you Alderman Salvio for having the continued dedication to
keeping the council members honest.
You have our vote again on November 3rd. along with the other republicans, democrats and independents working on Team Stewart for council change.
To Republican American: You sir are anything but a Republican. And you don't do your homwork. What you don't seem to "know" is that NO money is LOST from the HUD funds. Where conflicts occur, the fun ding in question is redirected to other projects that do not involve conflicts.
What you are suggesting is that whistle blowers shouldn't blow whistles!
Instead we should be like Obamas cabinet members and Congresspersons who don't pay their taxes and are forgiven by the IRS.
To say that you are anything like a responsible American of any kind is a stretch.
Read the article the city didn't lose the funds, they just need to be re-directed to a cause where a conflict of interest doesn't exist.
If the democrats would follow proper protocol the mayor wouldn't
have to waste precious time trying to clean up their errors.
Whn a Council member is found to be guilty of an infraction of any kind, any kind of "punishment" to be meted out is at the discretion of the Council. Mr. Republican American failed to read between the lines and recognize that "punishment" by this Council od Democratic Council members is impossible when the Democrats hold a super majority of the votes; can you understand this?
Folks. Don't bother getting all worked up. You can't believe anything these democrats say anymore. These comments are coming from the same crowd that, for 2 years, have claimed the city had a deficit each year of $6 million and was accusing Mayor Stewart of financial mismanagement. Remember?
This morning's two newspapers stated that New Britain's bond rating IMPROVED partly because the City had a surplus of $2.3 M two year's ago and $.5 M last year.
The democrats on the council are bafoons. They remind me of the police comedy Reno 911. Haaaaa
The Democrats claim to be the champion of minority elderly and women's rights when in fact they are the oppressor of minorities, the elderly and women.
The Republicans need to do a better job exposing the truth about the Democratic Party and their oppression of the poor classes. At least Alderman Salvio is doing his part in exposing the truth. More of the Republican leadership needs to speak up and expose the Democrats for the phonies that they really are.
5th worst bond rating in the state.
" Anonymous said...
5th worst bond rating in the state.
September 4, 2009 10:52 PM"
To : Blogger above
Try this, best NB has had in 15 years!
Republican American said...
So as I see it this is what happened.
Status quo is upheld with regards to conflicts as they are not considered out of the ordinary and city gets all the money from HUD.
Lou complains to HUD, city non-profits lose thousands of dollars.
City non-profits have less money and we still have the not out of the ordinary conflicts.
Sounds to me like Alderman Salivo cost the city non-profits money, and has nothing to show for it on the conflict side of the issue.
Good job Alderman, you lost the city thousands and have nothing to show for it.
September 4, 2009 11:17 AM
Mr. Republican Amercan...do your homework...it was a democrat alderman who created the conflict. You ought to attend more council meetings, or at the very least, watch the taped council meetings on Wednesday and Friday evenings...
In this case it was Democratic Majority Leader Michael Trueworthy who cost city programs badly needed funding that was withheld by the federal government due to his blatant conflicts of interest. In the past money has also been withheld by the same federal agency due to Paul Catanzaro's multiple conflicts of interest.
In addition to both being Democrats, both these guys have accepted the nomination of the radical Working Families Party.
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