Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Sergio De Jesus



I will take another break from my 'normal' postings (is any thing I write normal?) to honor an AIDS outreach worker who yesterday had a bench in one of the city parks dedicated to him. He died last year after a long struggle with many health problems, but he was perhaps the most courageous man i ever knew. He came to work faithfully through this long struggle and actually cheered me and many other up. I think we thought we had lost him as many as 5 times before he finally left us. He was creative and persistent in his outreach work to those who were most vulnerable to contracting the HIV virus. He brought many people in for counseling and testing and maybe helped prevent some of the spread of this disease. The dedication was attended by coworkers, family and the people he helped.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Why do Politicians Lie?


Any one who has read any of my posts, knows that I am a 'civil servant' and that I frequently take issue with the politics of the moment. I have been work a long time and have tried (not always successful) to give service in my capacity to the rest of the citizens who come to me for assistance. I have no problem telling some one that I can't help them, but I might know some one who does - or I have no clue. I have no problem going out on a limb and saying what my knowledge tells me, even if it is not 'company policy'. I have no problem giving an educated guess - even if that guess turns out to be wrong and I have no problem being wrong about something. But I have never bald face lied to any question given to me.
So why do they do it?
This situation occurred just recently - with something that was a simple query concerning construction occurring at the Stamford EMS on Long Ridge Rd. I wanted to know what was going on cause some one had told my friend that there was quiet a story going on.
Now I don't fully understand the Mayor's dispute with the volunteer fire companies and I generally like what the mayor has done in this town at least as far as upgrading the 'stone age' items we were working with as far as record keeping and communication are concerned.
I do have a problem when anyone does something behind everyones backs and is sneaky about it, particularly when they are a 'public servant'.

So the story is I want to know what is going on at the Stamford EMS and all the construction.
I E-mail a few people with some picutes and ask what is going on?

and then I see Bill Callion, the Director and oversight of Police, Fire and Health and think surely he must know. I do so as a citizen of Stamford, not an employee.
He says that There is nothing going on and they are not putting a firehouse there and says that there is already a foundation there.
Representative Day, District 13, E mails me and says it is only an expansion of the parking lot.

I am now curious, so I go over and take more pictures and notice that the storm drain in front of EMS is being moved and that there are electrical panels being put up.
An article in the advocate exposes more issues and all is clear,

Territory dispute mars volunteer fire talks - By Wynne Parry
Staff Writer

STAMFORD - Turn of River volunteer fire officials said they learned last week - days before today's scheduled mediation with the city - that city officials plan to set up trailers for paid firefighters in their district. View Full Story



So the question again is why do politicians lie???

More Email to me confirming the story, which I am sure are available via FOI.

So the question again is why do politicians lie???

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A light at the end of the tunnel

I thought of the comments from StamfordTalk about editing posts and know that the feelings that occurred during this latest flurry of posts are as they occurred and the feeling of anger and hopelessness exist in these situations and so there will be no editing.
There is light though at the end of this tunnel and though the laws and codes that I have written about have no heart, the majority of the people enforcing them do. They are bound however to respond according to those laws and codes that have been set forth to protect people, but they are allowed to do so in a timely manner and to provide help to allow the negative impacts to be minimal.
This is what appears to be happening, orders are being written, but they are being 'delayed' so that time for compliance can occur. The order has to do with an illegal cellar occupancy and over crowding - it will take one month to be enacted (?)/enforced and it that time 3 of her children will be down in North Carolina with their grandmother leaving herself and one child in a now uncrowded apartment.
In the meantime, other persons are becoming involved so that perhaps what appeared to be a bleak tragedy may have a much better ending.
-The ex who is not helping maybe brought to task by the powers that be.
-a better place may be found for my friend and her children.
-employment maybe offered to her son who graduates from high school.
A lot of maybes, but they actually seem possible.
Did this loud mouth some what mad chemist have any thing to do with it? Maybe my loud mouth helped.

It seems that everyone in these situations needs an advocate who isn't overwhelmed by the actual situation.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The system does not work part 3 - maybe a final entry

I thought we were going to have a happy ending, I thought the complete redo of this apartment was going to be a blessing, but alas I was wrong. It turns out that this two room with a kitchen going for $1200 a month did not meet minimum housing standard sizes for the four persons to be living there. Rightfully the code specifies size - one person gets a bedroom of 70 sq ft, another add 50 square feet and each additional adds 50 sq ft. She would need 220 sq ft of bedroom space to meet the minimum requirements. I don't have the figures, but apparently this one does not and according to sources, should not even have been approved in the first place. There is also a cellar, which is finished, but for reasons of safety (no egress except through the apartment) should not be used as a sleeping space. So sometime soon the landlord will be issued a condemnation order and my friend will be force to find other substandard housing to provide for herself and her children. Will the Department of social services be able to help? I really hope so - it is the heart side of the code enforcement side of the health department and the relocation person is aware and involved. Will my friend allow herself to be helped - that is another question that I cannot answer. When a person has been burned too many times, they shy away from helping hands.
The cracks are wide in the system and if there had not been a fire, this would have never been discovered.
The rules are blind to the plights of people who only make $1200 a month plus what ever extra they get on side jobs.
And unfortunately, many of the people enforcing the rules have forgotten their hearts for what the 'code' says.
And yes this is a rant and a condemnation to all those who follow the letter of the law.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The system does not work - an aside

I doubt any one really reads this - in this case the rants of a some what mad chemist - but just in case and people have a formed opinion about the situation that I have been describing, I will divulge some detail.
The person of this discussion is real, is a divorced mother of 4 (one has left the nest, one has some mental health issues), is what would be classified as the working poor - holds one full time job($8.00/hr) and a part-time job, but has to choose between the rent, food or heat many months. The ex has a court order to pay child support, but hasn't cause "he has a new life". She is a survivor, but not a fighter. She cares more for her children than her self and is torn by many issues. She has minimal support in this area - her mother lives in North Carolina.
That is my Aside.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The system does not work part 2

So I get a frantic call from this person, because she is a friend, saying she has to get out of her apartment, that the landlord (who is her cousin) has no money to pay and she has to pay for the motel. Remember - the damage was maybe 3 sq ft large in the kitchen. I knew that there used to be policy concerning this and the city had some funds to provide for these situations. I go to the correct person and find out the city won't do fires any more, but the Red Cross has a Federal Grant to work with this. One night has past and my friend and 3 children are in the Stamford motel cause it is the cheapest motel around. I call the Red Cross, cause the people whose job it was, forgot to. They provide money for 3 nights at a much better place and food vouchers.
Meantime I go and ask
1) why the Red Cross wasn't called and
2)why the unit was condemned

The Red Cross was an over site because this was part of the cross training thing for inspectors and this was this persons first fire. (but it happens with other inspectors - save one)
The unit was condemned because of the smoke and THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAD TO COVER ITSELF, JUST IN CASE!
Ii AM GLAD THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT DOESN'T COME INTO MY KITCHEN WHEN I AM COOKING CAUSE I PRODUCE MORE SMOKE THAN WAS IN THIS APARTMENT.

To be continued...

Friday, May 9, 2008

The system does NOT work-part 1

I was not sure If I was going to post this or not and it might take some time to compose.
The system is broken - a friend had a small kitchen fire in her apartment, not super bad, but the fire department was called and then the health department. I was going to take a picture, but did not and should have. a 1 ft section above the stove was black, a small portion of the ceiling was black, a window pane was cracked and the interior portion broken and a portion of the frame was black. That was it, not 'fire' damage per say, no water damage. A Cockatiel sitting in its cage in the kitchen was not harmed. The Health Department came, they called the owner of the unit (who was a cousin of the tenant) and they condemned the unit. The rooms where they slept were not damaged. She does have 3 children (the youngest is 9). The owner told the Health Department person that they would take care of putting her up until repairs were done. The Health department left.

School mobilization

Amazing how quickly the signs come up, bumper stickers are made and protesters are planed. The sign makers in Stamford must be really happy about the super of the schools changing his mind every other week. When are we going to get a really useful sign made - ? "Get rid of the $250,00 dollar man who can't make up his mind"?