Perez Staff Chief Off On Pricey Harvard Course -- Schools, Gene...

The city is spending $58,000 for Matt Hennessy, chief of staff to Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez, to attend a two-month advanced management program at Harvard Business School.

[the ice man]

another Waste of the tax payers money

[Jack]

Would Harvard waive the tuition seeing as Hennessy only makes 145K? I know Harvard was waiving tuition for lower middle class famalies. Is it true that Eddie Perez is going to Bates in Maine to get his Masters?

[Skeptic]

This is not professional development by any stretch of the imagination. It's called patronage -- a term Mr. Hennessy is very familiar with having been part of the old county sheriff's system.

[eddie p]

hope this DH is worth it.

[Bates]

Considering that Bates doesnt have a Masters Program it would be difficult for Perez to be going there for one, Jack.

[Realist]

Will Mstt Reimburse the City if Mayor Eddie's is indicted?Is this where the teach ethical conduct? Seems a little late for that?
Shouldn't have a "Chief of Staff" had real qualifications before being in the job? Not in Hartford. Another Hack making a spoiled living at the expense of the rest of the City that is crumbling around them.
Lets see if the teach how not to divert federal money to politically connected developers with out a audit trail, or to use other monies not qualified for one use to another, then bond back to repay when caught....Oh, then to purchase on limited credit for temporary spending (GE Captial), only to set a repayment play as an after thought to the publicly view budget, without really giving a chance for the public to comment on the purchase before....Oh, they might teach Matt about Wi-Fi technology, since he pushed a system that is a failure and does not sufficently penetrate the buildings it was meant to serve. BTW, he was also informed of such prior to placing the order for the system, but decided to ignore the facts of such...oops...I guess he didn't have the high end training to simply read about the technology available...before hand. Or did he just ignore it? Why would any one do that? Was the need to score points with the dependent public so bad that a inferior system was installed, or was there a finacial gain made? In either case, after proper investigation, blame should be placed and the public should be informed. Thats how accountable government is run Mr. Mayor. Not by sending unqualified hacks to school.
Well

[Fed Up]

This expenditure of funds is entirely inappropriate.

Mr.Hennessey could leave the employment of the City of Hartford the day after the course is complete.

Also, it appears that the profile of those attending is significantly different than Mr. Hennessey. The more typical attendee has far more experience and most come from the private sector. As far as policy making is concerned, the chief of staff for a small city in Connecticut does not have a whole lot of control over most public policy.

Mr. Hennessey comes from a well-connected and fairly well to do family. The benefit from this course will go to Mr. Hennessey and to taxpayers and residents of Hartford.

With all of the needs that Hartford has, this shouldn't even be on the wish list.

[citizen]

Keep putting Eddie and his cronies in power in Hartford and this is what you get. When are people in Hartford going to WAKE UP????

[Nadia]

Why wouldn't Perez have hired a chief of staff that has the appropriate qualifications? Others PAY for their own education.

[Concerned in Hartford]

You could send that moron to any class you want...nothing is going to change in the city that they blew to hell!

[DOGMA]

Promoting greater education is usually a great idea. In this case, one has to question the value added. A financially strapped city is appropriating $58,000.00 (plus salary and personnel replacement costs) to advance the education for someone receiving $145,000 in yearly salary.
If Hartford "needs" to enhance his individual skills, does this reflect on his present day skill sets and does he currently meet the requirements for his present job qualifications? Also, is the training geared toward private business practices vs. public service applications?
In the end are we looking at some measure of return on investment (for the city) or merely developing personal enhancement at the city's expense?
With everything else going on, one tends to look at this maneuver with a healthy degree of skepticism, if not outright distrust

[Stop Complaining]

April Fools!!!!

Right? This couldn't actually be true? We know Perez has suckered the people of Hartford before but they really wouldn't put up with this, would they?

Would they????

[Incredible]

This wouldn't have happened if we had elected Art Feltman as Mayor.

How many times does this have to be said?

[hartfordisadisas ter]

This hardly comes as a shock or surprise. Latin King Eddie is probably being blackmailed by Hennessy for covering up his "deals"...hopefully, the Grand Jury will indict them both.

[What a Crime]

$58,000 to send a Perez lacky to Harvard to learn skills he probably put on his resume that he already had. That money would pay the tuition for two or three city students to attend Loomis or Kingswood for a year. But, its only $58,000 out of a budget of $550 million, that's like saying I only stole a Vespa from the Mercedes-Benz dealership and thinking it isn't a crime.

[How Much]

There is no way that an individual can actually learn - in three months - enough to make up for inept prior educational experiences.

$58,000 for TWO months worth of classes? I don't care if that does include room and board. That's too much for Hartford to affrod. That could pay the salary of another cop to enforce the laws that Hartford residents seemingly live to violate.

The Chief of Staff also seems WAY out of his league in regard to the program as well.

King Eddie is approving some really odd financial deals all the way around, isn't he?

[How Much]

Incredible wrote:

This wouldn't have happened if we had elected Art Feltman as Mayor.
How many times does this have to be said?

This wouldn't have happened no matter WHO else was mayor - Elmer Fudd, Mork from Ork, Elmo or even Bush!.

Anyone actually having the appropriate education and qualifications to be mayor would have seen through this in a second!

[How Much]

citizen wrote:

Keep putting Eddie and his cronies in power in Hartford and this is what you get. When are people in Hartford going to WAKE UP????

Never! Case in point? See Slick Willie's post........

No matter how many times you enlighten them, they choose the wrong side everytime......

Guess they think the whole world is wrong and they are right - funny how that works though? They don't seem to make progress and everyone else does. Reverse logic? Revel in the role of victim?

[How Much]

Stop Complaining wrote:

April Fools!!!!
Right? This couldn't actually be true? We know Perez has suckered the people of Hartford before but they really wouldn't put up with this, would they?
Would they????

NO! "April Fools" is what we expected when Hartford citizens elected a Latin King! never happened then and won't happen now. Sad truth, isn't it?

How embarassing it is to have The Cap. City of the Richest state in the union ran by a gangster?!?!

[BallBags]

hartfordisadisaster wrote:

This hardly comes as a shock or surprise. Latin King Eddie is probably being blackmailed by Hennessy for covering up his "deals"...hopefully, the Grand Jury will indict them both.

Now that one is a funny as hell. everybody who's not from Hartford loves to talk about Hartford. I guess it's cool becuase atleast you're still talkinga about Hartford.