Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Is Rolando Centeno Worthy of Your Vote For Re-Election?


FRANKSMITHSAYSNB EDITORIAL:

Alderman Rolando Centeno was recently quoted as saying that one of his proudest moments as an Alderman was his vote to pass Mayor Tim O'Brien's budget--a budget that forced huge tax increases upon virtually everyone in the city.  But is Alderman Centeno being a hypocrite?


While being so giddy about raising your taxes, Mr. Centeno is currently delinquent in paying his own taxes.  He currently owes the city a delinquent balance of $1,380.75 (including interest) for his real estate taxes--the vary same taxes he is reportedly so proud of voting to raise on everyone else.  In fact, Mr. Centeno has a history of not paying his taxes.  I have reported on this blog in the past that Mr. Centeno was delinquent on his city taxes in 2009, 2011, and 2012, and now again in 2013.  I also previously reported that the city has even had to go as far as placing a tax lien against his property in the past--even though he apparently continued to receive his salary from the city at the time.

Is this the kind of leadership we want in city hall?  Does a person who votes to raise taxes on everyone else deserve to be re-elected when he doesn't seem to see the need to pay the very same taxes he so proudly supports forcing the rest of us to pay, and pay, and pay?       

Posted by Frank Smith at 3.9.13

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it true that thanks to O'Brien's budget, New Britain now has the 2nd highest property taxes in all of Connecticut--second only to Hartford???

September 3, 2013 at 7:26 PM
Anonymous said...

Actually Frank, many members of our Common Council have been tax scofflaws. It's amazing isn't it?? Vote to bond books, when you can't even pay your current taxes.

If you think taxes are bad this year, wait until the $70 million in new bonding O'Brien has gotten through this Common Council starts to hit. Not to mention the additional $8 million he's added to the budget.

We'll be paying $10k/yr tax on our homes soon with this bunch of financial morons running the city.

September 3, 2013 at 8:15 PM
Anonymous said...

Why not vote to raise taxes if you aren't going to pay them like everyone else has to?

September 4, 2013 at 11:09 AM
Anonymous said...

Have the Brown's decided to pay their taxes with the tax money we pay Briggette this year?

September 4, 2013 at 11:39 AM
Anonymous said...

Will O'Brien be naming a street after Centeno like the other tax delinquent they named a street after?

September 4, 2013 at 1:58 PM
Anonymous said...

Let us all not forget the fact that this man also ran over a poor woman with his vehicle last year and killed her. Awful quiet about that issue in the city. Why I ask? Because he is a retired cop? An Alderman? She wasn't good enough of a person to make anything of it? Tell everyone in Ward 5 about this guy and his problems. Perhaps then and only then will people finally open their eyes to this group of hypocrites!

September 5, 2013 at 8:19 AM
Anonymous said...

Sunday, April 19, 2009
THE FOUR TAX SCOFFLAWS OF NEW BRITAIN

On the other hand, the responses from the Centeno s were not so impressive, most of them centering on the ” …none of your business…” category. I agree that personal, familial financial arrangements are none of the public’s business. In this case however the public needs to know if public officials, in this case, Common Council members and their immediate families are doing what they expect others to do, namely, pay their taxes. Both Centeno and his wife work for the NB School Dept.

Common Council members are the city’s local legislators; they should uphold the ordinances that they create, the same behavior they expect from all NB citizens. We should not have to wait for them to pay their taxes.

Frank Smith

September 5, 2013 at 9:43 AM
Anonymous said...

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH/AP) — New Britain officials say a city councilman was the driver who struck and killed a woman walking on a city street over the weekend.

"She was going to the store to buy some stuff for the church, for a festival they were having at the church for Easter Sunday," said Robert Reyes.

Reyes is talking about 57-year-old Juana Diaz, who crossed the intersection of Slater Road and Jerome Drive around 8 p.m. Saturday. She was just a few yards away from her apartment when she was struck by city councilman Rolando Centeno.

"My mom lives here," said Reyes, whose mother was a neighbor of Diaz. "She told me she had got hit by the car. By the time I got here, and took her brother to the hospital, she was already dead."

Centeno, a former Central Connecticut State University police officer, blew a .000 on the intoxilyzer.

Newington police were called in to administer the test because Centeno is a high-ranking city official.

Centeno released the following statement: "I was involved in a motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian who, sadly, suffered fatal injuries. The police are investigating the accident. At this time, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim."

There is a city council meeting Wednesday night, although it is unclear whether Centeno will be there or not.

Meanwhile, family and friends remain shocked that Diaz life was taken so close to her home.

"She was a really nice person, really kind, kindhearted person, a good neighbor to my mother, Reyes said. "She was always over here having coffee with her, and we're going to miss her."

New Britain police are handling the investigation, but News 8 is told once the investigation is complete, they will send it to the Connecticut State Police, to make sure everything was handled properly.

September 5, 2013 at 11:50 AM
Anonymous said...

Frank:

The " ... none of your business" response from candidates for office seems to be very popular with Democrats running for office, nothing illegal about it, just strange; which name will the Democrat candidate for Treasurer use? She was recently married.

This is the party and its leader, O'Brien, that promised great transparency in City Hall business and dealings. So far we have the Mayor calling Special meetings that allow for no Public Participation and keep the public away from discussions. The Last Special meeting gave away l;engthy contracts to the Oktoberfest organizer and a new Grants Administration. Both of these jobs went to non-residents.

September 5, 2013 at 1:00 PM
Anonymous said...

In order for communism to take hold, it must be planned in secrecy and then sprung on an unsuspecting populace and by the time they wake up it is too late because they are then prisoners of the communist regime.

September 6, 2013 at 1:10 AM

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