[HumpDay]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Sorry but Perez was the worst mayors Hartford has had in recent years. He managed to undo a lot of the good that Mayor Mike Peters did during his terms as Mayor. While Perez was in office several major companies moved out of Hartford including Voya and WFSB. Voya would have been a great addition to downtown but now it is out in a suburban office complex in the Day Hill Road area in Windsor. WFSB was set to build a new studio complex in NoDo. They would have been a great linchpin for development there but Perez did nothing when they decided to leave for Rocky Hill. And I am pretty sure Perez also decided he did not like the developer of Front Street that was selected so he dropped them and brought his own developer in, thus delaying this very important project and certainly reduced its size and scope. He set that project and the city back a good decade or more. Jay

As a Hartford resident I will say he wasn't THAT bad. He had his ups and downs. His convictions obviously weren't good for him. He did have some accomplishments such as reducing crime when it was unbelievably atrocious in the 90's and reforming the school systems. Hartford 21 was built and more downtown housing was built when he was mayor. I prefer Bronin though.

[Beeker2211]

Perez was very much a "strip mall" mayor.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Beeker2211

Perez was very much a "strip mall" mayor.

That is true. The retail buildings on Front Street are nothing more than that. They were supposed to be multi-story buildings with apartment or office upstairs and retail on first floor. Fortunately now with the Lofts and UConn, the development has some scale and a more urban feel. Jay

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

As a Hartford resident I will say he wasn't THAT bad. He had his ups and downs. His convictions obviously weren't good for him. He did have some accomplishments such as reducing crime when it was unbelievably atrocious in the 90's and reforming the school systems. Hartford 21 was built and more downtown housing was built when he was mayor. I prefer Bronin though.

Let me ask you a question, do you think Bronin had it out for the stadium developers? He was handed the project and I know he did not like it so I wonder if he acted in haste to remove the developer too quickly and call in their bond. Doing that certainly did nothing to get the project completed. In fact it likely sealed its fate for not being completed in time for any games this year. I am a bit surprised there has not been more people questioning his actions. This is going to be tied up in lawsuits for years and unfortunately if any of what the developer is saying is true, the city stands to lose a fight over this. Jay

[HumpDay]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Let me ask you a question, do you think Bronin had it out for the stadium developers? He was handed the project and I know he did not like it so I wonder if he acted in haste to remove the developer too quickly and call in their bond. Doing that certainly did nothing to get the project completed. In fact it likely sealed its fate for not being completed in time for any games this year. I am a bit surprised there has not been more people questioning his actions. This is going to be tied up in lawsuits for years and unfortunately if any of what the developer is saying is true, the city stands to lose a fight over this. Jay

I think Bronin and the developer didn't get along from the start. Centerplan and former Mayor Segarra had interest with the project and they had quite the relationship. Then Bronin comes in and the developer are pretty much forced to deal with Bronin. I believe Bronin was trying to send them a message because since the beginning of the project there has been MANY changes from the original plan which costed more money than it was originally planned. I knew the project was going to be delayed since the beginning and it's not because Hartford has a history of failed project but that the date of completion was unrealistic. Construction workers make mistakes which has happened during this project and more time is needed to redo it. I hope all of this doesn't effect the rest of the DoNo project. It wouldn't surprise me if other developers who were interested in Hartford drop their proposals because it may appear that Hartford is hostile. On the other hand, like what was mentioned earlier...can we please stop having NIMBY attitudes in our cities?

[beerbeer]

Bronin has started his administration as a guy who doesn't work with developers.

Of course, it could be normal Connecticut Democrat politics and Bronin is throwing out Segarra's cronies, so he can bring in his cronies.

[BPt111]

Ballpark Developer: We Can Finish Stadium, And Pay For It, If City Lets Us - Hartford Courant

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BPt111

Ballpark Developer: We Can Finish Stadium, And Pay For It, If City Lets Us - Hartford Courant

This is very interesting and I would strongly suggest that the Mayor take this offer very seriously. Centerplan is a very reputable company who has brought a number of major developments to completion. They are not some fly-by-night operation who is obviously in the wrong here. There is plenty of blame on both sides and if this goes to court it is highly unlikely that the city will walk away free and clear. The Mayor needs to swallow his pride and do what is best for the city and that is getting the stadium completed and opened as soon as possible for no additional cost to the city. If one of the partners in Centerplan is saying it can be done, then I believe it can. This will truly test Mayor Bronin's abilities as a leader. If he does not take this seriously then I would relegate him to another in a long line of poor leaders the City of Hartford has had. JMHO, Jay

[WILWRadio]

^^^Bingo. Right on the money.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This is very interesting and I would strongly suggest that the Mayor take this offer very seriously. Centerplan is a very reputable company who has brought a number of major developments to completion. They are not some fly-by-night operation who is obviously in the wrong here. There is plenty of blame on both sides and if this goes to court it is highly unlikely that the city will walk away free and clear. The Mayor needs to swallow his pride and do what is best for the city and that is getting the stadium completed and opened as soon as possible for no additional cost to the city. If one of the partners in Centerplan is saying it can be done, then I believe it can. This will truly test Mayor Bronin's abilities as a leader. If he does not take this seriously then I would relegate him to another in a long line of poor leaders the City of Hartford has had. JMHO, Jay

I agree with you, Jay. Just get the thing done.