Good News: Pension OK’d. Bad News: Report To Prison

This is OUTRAGEOUS. He didn't "receive a parting gift from New Haven taxpayers." New Haven taxpayers just got robbed by a pension board that should hide and hang their collective heads in shame. A lifetime pension to a young criminal who committed a work-related felony, is off to prison, AND who was working full time in the NHFD up until he resigned on the eve of being fired so he could evade a termination. He wasn't "disabled" then was he? Only after his appeals were exhausted and the prison bells were ringing for him did he file for a "disability" pension. And city hall suspiciously stalled and delayed the termination proceedings, allowing Brantley to "resign" and pursue a post-resignation pension? Can you smell the odor? It hits you in the face. They belong where Brantley is going.

The taxpayers and voters of New Haven refuse to provide an alternatives to the political status quo at election time. Why would a entrenched dominant political machine change the way they have been doing business for decades? New Haven is run by the royal families of the Democratic persuasion and the chosen few. There is zero competition or incentive to upset any of major groups that comprise the Democratic base. If one of the princes or princesses in the base request a reasonable royal favor for a member of their it is granted. A $36,405 annual pension is considered reasonable by the royal court so it is made possible to have an actuarial lifetime expenditure of $1,450,000. That is a lot of zeros folks that the future taxpayers have to shell out because somebody directed the fire commission to drag their collective feet and not fire this felon in a timely fashion. Nice gesture using your tax dollars. They do not care, and evidently the taxpayers in the city do not care. If they did, they would clean out city hall periodically and then they would get some action on stuff like this. The taxpayers reward bad behavior and ask for more of the same by having one party rule. Their is no incentive for the political machine to change the way they do business if the herd keeps returning the machine to office. The names, people, and faces change but the same corrupt climate persists. It is good to be royalty in the royal court of the New Haven city hall. The masses who keep voting them in do not have it so good, but are satisfied with the crumbs that fall off the royal table.

Can WE, the taxpayers of New Haven, do anything to stop this?

I want to have this appealed, as a resident and taxpayer, as I don't believe my hard earned money should be going to this "man" - Disability? Really?

Someone help!

Beyond Disgust Notes:

The system is clearly broken, the cops and firemen are gaming the system and then some, and the joke is clearly on us!

To those expressing outrage, really? How did you expect this to end? Have you been paying any attention to a city that's being run for the benefit of city employees, so many of which don't even live in New Haven?

Of course the 36yr old felon was going to get his salary for life. That's how this story goes.

Disgraceful.

How does one become a board member on the city's Policeman and Fireman's Pension Fund ?
I would like to be a board member, anyone know?

The city website lists Kevin Diaz, Emmet Hibson Jr., Eldron Morrison, Daryl Jones and one open seat. Is that accurate? Mayor Harp is an ex-officio position. Is it a public record of who voted and how?

Corrupt.

Here's a better idea:

Every member of the Pension Board should attend a joint press conference to explain this decision, including the mayor. Brantley didn't succeed in robbing taxpayers when he attempted to do so on his own - now this merry band of accomplices should be held individually and collectively accountable.

@Noteworthy: Here's another idea. Taxpayers should demand the attorney general of CT answer to whether he will take action to revoke this corrupt pension under that new law that was passed, and if not, WHY NOT. Brantley was convicted of a work-related attempted bribery of a New Haven fire official. Check this out. https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_011a.htm

I just finished my pop-corn while reading the hypocrisies, now I can comment.

"This week's settlement (Apr 28, 2016) calls for the city to pay $30,000 to Egan and $70,000 his attorney. It also includes a salary enhancement that allows Egan — a former fire union president who is 46 and started working with the department 21 years ago —to retire effective May 4 in good standing with a $92,750 annual pension rather than $73,000."

Other than Noteworthy's tepid commentary, where were the rest of you haters on that article? Crickets!

I didn't question Egan's windfall, because frankly maybe he deserved it. However, I find it astonishing how all of you critics who said nothing about Egan's good fortune, found the time to return from vacation to opine over Brantley's. Perhaps it had something to do with Brantley's tan. No, only Noteworthy would have a problem with that. So maybe the rest of you weren't born yet.

If you have a problem with the way in which your tax dollars are being spent, MOVE. Should you take me up on the offer, know this, other municipalities do the same thing, they're just not as transparent.

When someone who looks like the majority if not all of you complainers win the lottery, you say nothing. But when a brother wins a little scratch off, you have a conniption. You can't have it both ways people.

I have zero sympathy for anyone who commits a crime, period. I don't know the extent of Mr. Brantley's charges, nor do I care. But whatever he's been accused of, he's now paying a penalty for. Moreover, this assertion by Noteworthy that "the expertise of Yale Occupational Health is seriously suspect," is absurd and in need of psychological attention for Noteworthy himself. What I find as suspect, is the fact that you (Noteworthy) hide behind a pseudonym instead of revealing your true identity. What I am is on my face and what I see is on my tongue. What's your excuse for hiding?

You know something Brian - always reducing these issues to race - is tiresome. Eagan's deal offends me because he was accused of serious offenses by black and brown firemen and given a summary judgement by a black police chief. None of the charges, not one of which had a criminal component, were ever given a fair hearing, any hearing and virtually no investigation. It was a political race based hatchet job - and some side deal to bench him for more than two years in order to pad his pension and pay him off. It was a corrupt deal. However, it wasn't Eagan's doing. It wasn't his suggestion; he didn't commit a crime and despite facing the potential to be fired, he didn't "retire" or claim some phantom disability. It's a rotten deal but not nearly as rotten as this deal.

This so called "brother" tried to rip off taxpayers with a bogus disability claim. Now the pension board rewarded his duplicity; in fact enabled it. One doesn't go from being able to work to suddenly being unable to work when facing jail and termination. Only a bunch of political hacks who don't give a tinker's damn about taxpayers would reward such deception. This whole episode should be investigated including Yale's dubious diagnosis.

As for my name, it's my choice as is yours. You're welcome to ignore my comments but I will continue to speak out stupidity and corrupt decisions that weaken our finances and create budget chaos.

Fiscal year is almost up. Wouldn't we all love to see who is making what in the city? NHI, what do you think?

Re: Jenkins comment.

You are mixing apples and oranges in a racially biased stew of comments. The Egan case was equally unpalatable, but he was not a convicted felon. Egan became an embarrassment to the administration for a multitude of personnel related issues and a single, but possibly dangerous fire ground issue. The city did not have a good legal case for putting Egan on the shelf with pay for I believe over a year. They wanted him out, they did not have a sustainable case, so he got paid off to depart. They never should have promoted him in the first place from a private to an assistant chief. This was a blatant example of the city trying to do as it pleases instead of following labor law requirements. They screwed up and had to pay the price, as they did with the New haven twenty. The gentleman in this case is now a convicted felon, and the city again is causing a taxpayer funded payout due to incompetence. That is the issue, not the color of ones skin.

@ Noteworthy,

Canvass yourself and ask a salient question, are you fair with your critique regarding blacks as you are with whites? If your answer is yes, your comments seldom reflect that.

I focus on the issue while many of you focus on the ethnicity.

As I have said in the past, I enjoy reading your often well thought out comments. However, there are times in which you seemingly veer a little too far when it comes to vilifying blacks while tepidly or overlooking the indiscretions of whites. Case in point, since Toni Harp has become Mayor, you are yet to give her positive acknowledgement for anything. Conversely, I don't recall reading any of your comments deriding DeStefano during his tenure. Were you transient during his administration?

I welcome people to critique my comments when they believe that they're unfair or inaccurate. Just know this, do your homework first and prepare for a retort that may not be able to handle.

Finally, no one can show any proof where they have found me to be biased towards anyone because of ethnicity, gender or for personal reasons. I pride myself to sticking to the facts and the facts only. In essence, I can careless whether the person is black, white, gay or straight. It's fairness that matters to me.

Brian Jenkins:

You're late to the party - I was just as harsh with DeStefano, if not more so, than I am with Mayor Harp. This issue is not about me, it's about raiding the taxpayer's pocket. It's validating fraud while on the job and being given $1.5 million in the heist.

From DeStefano til now, taxpayers have been funding poor HR decisions. The city doesn't fire people when they should, hold employees accountable; manage it's 5,000 + workforce effectively or within the law; makes decisions blatantly based on race, minority political power or political retribution. It's disgraceful. You may love Mayor Harp - I don't love any of them. These politicians are supposed to represent our best interests. That rarely happens. They mostly represent the special interests, the squeaky wheels and those who are well heeled and well connected. It deserves to be villified.

Noteworthy,

I do love Mayor Harp. I can't get to Heaven unless I love her. Which translates into me loving you also. However, I don't find her to be infallible, but I do find her to be genuine.

My intent was certainly not meant to enter into a sparring contest with you. Nor was it meant to couch you as being anti black. I just find it interesting how she (Mayor Harp) is never given any credit for the good that immanates from her administration from the likes of you and others of your ilk. It's almost as if you'll go into cardiac arrest to give credit. I would expect that behavior of immaturity from a less intelligent person, just not from you.

I have absolutely no problem at all giving Republicans credit. That I have demonstrated many a time. People can read your material better when they know that you are fair in your critique, regardless of race.

Let me close with this, I encourage you to keep writing as you do because I, like you, believe in holding elected officials accountable. Plus I enjoy reading your commentary, agree or disagree.

Happy Father's Day my friend.