Jim Boucher -- "The Latest in Hartford's Community Happenings & Revitalization"

Important Reading: The Metropolitan Moment

 

Important article by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley, The Metropolitan Moment.  According to the Brookings Institute excerpts:

• "Katz and Bradley explain how states can help build the foundation of the new economy, and a big part of that is adequately supporting their metropolitan economic engines."
• Katz and Bradley "call for a view of the United States based on reality, not nostalgia. The "real America" is not the romantic small-town version of days gone by. Rather, it is a complicated, multi-ethnic, globally connected metropolitan America that will power its citizens through the 21st century. The sooner America realizes what it really is, the sooner it can begin rebuilding itself."

This reinforces the positive synergies building bewteen the state, region and city of Hartford.  Stay tuned for positive steps emerging in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

"Ringing in" the New Year's Changes and Optimisms

It has been a privilege and honor serving the City of Hartford over the past eight years on Hartford's City Council, and as I conclude my second term I wish the incoming Council and Mayor the very best in continuing to address critical issues and policies that successfully impact the City's well-being, safety and quality of life. Indeed I have learned firsthand of the significant amount of personal sacrifice that public service involves working with the Mayor, Council, and many of the City's Commissions and Task Forces, while also having the honor to work with Hartford's hard working State Legislators, Board of Education, Federally-Elected Officials and various regional authorities.

In the past several years of public service and activism I have experienced firsthand the complexity of issues that confront the city's ability and capacity to enable residents, businesses and other city institutions to thrive to the heights and standards that so many aspire. While progress and success in a number of ways can be accounted for -- too often the larger economic realities and trends, coupled with local/state/regional government historical structural deficiencies create barriers and undertows that prevent many initiatives to gain greater results.

As the New Year embarks I remain optimistic that greater progress and results are possible and wish our public leaders the very best in further mobilizing the community, policy and resources to achieve our collective goals. In regards to my immediate future, I will be continuing to be pro-active and supportive on various initiatives, and further concentrating on my core work of strengthening workforce development and training opportunities for individuals and businesses needing assistance. I also welcome some further reflective opportunity to review and assess what degree of public/private legislative policy reform and local community organizing/development can best contribute to what continues to inspire so many of us to achieve as described by Martin Luther King: 'the beloved community,' where all families and individuals have the equal opportunity to realize their fullest human potential.

My very best to our public servants and community leadership in the New Year ahead that we may further make strides in Hartford and other communities to make the progress needed to reach this vision.

City Update on Anti-Blight Strategies

City Update on Anti-Blight Strategies

Anti-Blight Special Fund – The Council passed
an amendment to the Anti-Blight Ordinance on November 28th that establishes an Anti-Blight
Special Fund for the purpose of providing a source of funds for the City to use
in securing and remediating blighted properties and in enforcing the provisions
of the Anti-Blight Ordinance. All monies collected as fines, penalties, or liens
as a result of violations under the Anti-Blight Ordinance will be deposited into
the Special Fund, a permanent revolving account, which shall be administered by
the City’s Director of Development Services. The funds will be used exclusively
for anti-blight activities.

The City has also completed a survey of most of the City's Housing stock and building and about 575 properties have been identified as abandoned properties, many of which might need anti-blight actions. A special meeting will be held by Mayor Segarra on December 15th to update community leaders and other officials about the status of the city's anti blight efforts and sustainable communities efforts. Updates will include the City's recruitment and hiring of additional city inspectors, corporation counsel and neighborhood district coordinators to address anti-blight strategies

Hartford Public Schools Presentation on CMT and CAPT Scores - This Wednesday

Dr. Christina Kishimoto, Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, will present an update on the Hartford Public Schools CMT and CAPT results to the Hartford City Council's Education Committee on Wedneday, August 24th at 5:30 p.m. at the Hartford Public Library, 3rd floor (History Room). The meeting is open to the public.

Hartford Public Schools Presentation on CMT and CAPT Results

to the Hartford City Council Education Committee

Wednesday, August 24th 5:30 p.m.

Hartford Public Library (3rd Floor)

Open to the Public

Hartford Anti-Blight Report Updated

The City of Hartford has released its most updated Anti-Blight Report. (Download AntiBlightPropertyupdate063011).

This report updates some of the efforts underway by the City to address quality of life issues through anti-blight remediation and enforcement.

The Only Solution - It's Time to Work and Win Together

Last week's challenging events relative to the debt ceiling impasse and then temporary resolution, followed by the stock market downturn and Standard and Poor's downgrading of the nation's credit rating -- is leaving a number of us in a very pensive mood (to say the least) as the week begins.

In reading several of today's news articles, those that stand out most to me includes the Washington Post's story about the debt ceiling potential negative impact on the Washington D.C. area municipalities; and coupled with the New York Times' business page article about a conceivable new recession being more harmful than the prior recession, registers a number of dire implications to consider.

In considering these implications in relationship to Hartford's point of view, an already hard hit public and private sector has very little room to absorb more difficult events. The city's unemployment rate is 20-25% when including those individuals who have stopped looking for jobs. The number of individuals and families on food stamps are at record highs. At the same time the local business community is still trying to recover from the 2008 Wall Street meltdown, and more disturbing news can further diminish their local options to reinvest in new jobs and reinvestments.

One can only hope, that in reading the New York Times' Thomas Friedman's article that the time to "Win Together" will require the need to "Work Together" to transcend the many differences guiding competing political philosophies. A number of Hartford public/private institutions have pulled together in the past and present to assure that the city's safety net, economic sectors and public health, safety and welfare would be supported during difficult times, and efforts will need to continue as we review amd respond to the events of the upcoming week(s).