State of the City

Hartford is filled with options. If I want to try out a different ethnic cuisine, I only have to walk a few blocks. If I want to shop for a new hairdresser, there’s a barber shop or salon in spitting distance. If I’m not content with the Mayor’s State of the City address, all I need to do is select someone else’s.

It began with Councilperson Ritter issuing his State of the City address in his Jan/Feb newsletter. Councilperson Cotto issued his own in response. Tonight, Mayor Perez delivered his address to a packed Council Chambers. Councilperson and Minority Leader Deutsch issued the People’s State of the City. Buffet-style politics.

The Mayor’s speech (the “real” one) focused on four initiatives: “accelerating city capital construction projects, establishing the Hartford Arts Stimulus, providing home foreclosure relief, and maintaining core city services.” The arts stimulus will be a $1.7 million increase in grants to non-specified Hartford arts organizations. It is a 100% increase from what is currently spent on our arts. It’s unclear how this money will be spent. The Mayor said that the arts “pump[s] more than $189 million into the local economy.” Will this increase in spending be used to create or maintain jobs for Hartford residents and artists?

Responding to the [expletive] economy, “a temporary half-mill tax is being proposed” to prevent foreclosures and fund certain shelters that “serve Hartford families with young children who have lost their homes through no fault of their own.” Meanwhile, “more than $175 million in construction projects will flow to the City’s neighborhoods.”

Perez claimed that serious crime was at a 43 year low and that the graduation rate was up from 29% to 36%.

Perez asked the audience to “think of your neighbors first” and called for unity. He peppered his speech with references to President Obama and President Lincoln. It does not take a rhetoric professor to see what he was attempting to do by invoking the names and words of these men.

Not a fan of this report? Deutsch took a different approach. In his report, he acknowledged both the positive and the negative, providing the visual that if a person were to drive “south on Zion Street” she would witness renovations, “but beyond remain blighted buildings with no successful city intervention so far.” He called for stronger enforcement of anti-blight ordinances. He acknowledged that “we’re sending money outside the city to low wage, profit-making, unaccountable companies, but right here we are losing renters, homeowners, businesses, taxpayers — more than we have to.” He advised that the city “rescind layoffs,” “develop realistic incentives for hiring city residents,” support “family or locally-owned business, before tax breaks for large corporations,” and develop “energy-saving projects.”

He criticized the waste of time and money presented by Freedom of Information appeals. In his report, he referred to the Charter Revision Commission and insisted “on fair and minority representation for all views.” Deutsch insisted that teachers and staff at the public schools not be laid off.

Still unsatisfied? Ritter released his State of the City which received some attention from a blog of the Hartford Courant. He mentioned Habitat for Humanity’s efforts, Weaver High’s football team, and that his aide, Andrea Comer, was able to witness the inauguration of President Obama.

For the utterly confused, Cotto released a succinct report:

The state that the City of Hartford is in is Connecticut

My taxes pay for this?

For another perspective, see how Heather live-blogged the State of the City address.