New Haven Independent

posted by: streever on July 29, 2010  4:54pm

Kudos to Ms Murphy for bringing this so directly to the Mayor’s office. I don’t understand why the mayor keeps on arrogant & rude staff who ignore simple requests.

Bill O’Brien is the problem: not policies or methodology. He has demonstrated a continued arrogance and lack of respect.

Why is Mark being called in on assessor office issues? Why isn’t O’Brien just doing his job?

Why does the Mayor tolerate bad staff?

posted by: Jeffrey Kerekes on July 29, 2010  5:00pm

Just think about all the money we spend on economic development and then you get this article and the one about Peter Criscuolo.  It undoes all the work of the TWO economic development agencies we have.  The funny thing is, people like Elizabeth Benton still focus their energies on us NHCAN-types instead of getting rid of the two worst economic development forces in the city - the assessor and the marshall.  Its easier to blame the people shining the light on things then getting rid of the actual problems. 

Proud to be an NHCAN-type.

Jeffrey Kerekes

posted by: JAK on July 29, 2010  5:05pm

Can this guy really be that bad and still be employed, or is he dealing with something else like a serious under-staffing issue?  How is his office staffed compared to other comparable cities assessor offices?

posted by: Chip on July 29, 2010  5:29pm

It should’nt be too difficult for former New Haven Register reporter Elizabeth Benton to delve into this and state publicly the results. ...

posted by: Exiled Italian Shill on July 29, 2010  5:44pm

Now this crap is funny!  Some observations:

1. tax bill corrections, especially ones that reduce taxes paid by residents, should be the number one priority as they have a deadline for getting out. Mattison was wrong to suggest otherwise I agree with O’Brien
2. O’Brien could turn around the assessment numbers faster than twelve days if he really wanted, come on. I agree with Murphy.
3. O’Brien has no bed-side manner with the public or his co-workers.  I agree with Murphy
4. ... Did [Murphy] only email once or speak directly to O’Brien or just leave it to her team as she puts it?

Talk about doing more damage to yourself than any anti-tax group ever could.  With a team like Mattison, Murphy and O’Brien old DeStefano doesn’t need any enemies.

posted by: Doyens on July 29, 2010  7:22pm

As one of the proud NH CAN people, I’m surprised to be on the side of Murphy for once, and am equally surprised at how quickly Elizabeth Benton has embraced the Dark Side. That’s quite a transformation.

That said, here is yet another fine example of poor management even when the project is a DeStefano favorite as are the people making the request. Can we all say dysfunctional? The wrecking ball continues, out of control. As for how the common folk are treated - well, that’s well known - human ATMs that when kicked keep spitting out the money.

posted by: Charlie O'Keefe on July 29, 2010  8:25pm

The tax assessor story is bad enough, but these e-mails give a frightening insight into the arrogance of Johnny Boy’s administration.

Kelly Murphy’s reference to ‘regular people’ indicates she puts herself high on a pedestal. It reminds me of Leona Helmsley’s attitude to the ‘Little People’, and the BP Chairman’s recent use of the same words to describe all the fishermen he’s drowned in oil. God help us citizens if we are not on the economic development priority list. We will be splattered underfoot like worthless insects, er, I mean regular people.

It also indicates Matteson is in charge at city hall. Did we ever vote for him? I can’t remember him ever being elected. Is Johnny Boy doing anything.

If our Development Director with attitude can’t get anything done without threatening to “tell Johnny Boy” it indicates that city hall has really seized up.

All these new schools and 300 plus layoffs to date to pay for them. I am asking myself have the cuts gone too far in to muscle and bone so the city can’t function. When will the street lights go out?

posted by: Sunday on July 29, 2010  10:10pm

Would this behavior be tolerated in a private sector job. I don’t thank so only in public sector jobs one can get away with this. It’s time for a change nothing is getting better in this administration only “cluess and hopeless. The people in this city can’t take anymore of this nonesense. It’s time for a “re-call”.

posted by: new haven resident on July 29, 2010  10:59pm

this is a little off-subject but have anyone ever called the NHPD (946-6316)???  The few times I had to call there for information those folks have really bad attitudes.  The few times I had to call the NHPD, lets say five times, at least four of them were not customer-friendly.  At least one of them was a high rank officer.  Just as the Assessor’s office was exposed for “BAD” behavior, NHPD will be next.  I think they forget they service the public.

posted by: Jeffery on July 29, 2010  11:41pm

Wow, what a surprise.
Investigative Journalism 101 parties with “empowered” community members and the “budget watchdog” but it doesn’t work. The mode then turns to FOI and “files” from administrative aides.
Files as young as than the latest lunar cycle.
Smells awfully shady and a lot like piling on.
EIS is correct in pointing out that there are many in the “mayoral” administration who have interests that are a lot more self-serving than otherwise.
Creating conflict for the sake of hedging your future bets, especially in a clique masquerading as “community’, is both sorrowful and sorrowfully poignant.

posted by: robn on July 30, 2010  8:55am

I don’t think Kelly Murphy was arrogant at all. Her position is the second most important behind the mayor and the assessor should pay due respect, especially when it comes to cooperating with an economic development project that would add a significant property to the grand list and benefit all taxpayers.

posted by: Teacher Gal on July 30, 2010  10:53am

Try calling the personnel dept. for the NHPS….another bunch of “rudies”....what does it take to be nice? Shouldn’t that be a requirement for a job where people are answering phones and fielding questions? Of course, those who need to read these comments will probably never hear about them as they are too busy being miserable.

posted by: Doug Hardy on July 30, 2010  11:41am

gadzooks!
great work Paul…

posted by: Allan Brison on July 30, 2010  12:23pm

I suspect that the real story here may be watching how the Mayor eases O’Brien out of office.

I suspect that he has known for some time that O’Brien would have to go.

But there are political consequences of outright firing one of your chief department heads. So a few timely leaks to the press may be the means to build the climate to force a resignation, or if that doesn’t happen to lessen the consequences of a firing.

What we are seeing, I believe, is damage control. I’m sure that the hope is that the problem will go away with O’Brien.

But it won’t. We still have the Board of Assessment Appeals to hear from, with subpoenas having been issued to insure that they show up this time. Things are going to get worse for the administration before they get better.

This is all thanks to the good work of the members of the Tax Abatement committee and its chairperson, Michael Smart (D-8).

posted by: junebugjune on July 30, 2010  1:38pm

Robn said:
“I don’t think Kelly Murphy was arrogant at all. Her position is the second most important behind the mayor and the assessor should pay due respect. . .”

While I agree that the assessor should pay due respect to Ms. Murphy, I have to also agree that she was being very arrogant in referring to the rest of us (her employers) as “regular people.”  She clearly was putting herself on a pedestal.  Granted, its not the key issue here by far, but I believe that everyone deserves respect whether you’re the mayor, the chief of staff, or a regular old TAX PAYING citizen. Though perhaps unintentional, Ms. Murphy’s statement betrays her elitist mentality and misunderstanding of her position as a civil servant.

posted by: anon on July 30, 2010  3:38pm

Charlie, comments like yours is what inspired the saying ‘no good deed goes unpunished.’

Here she is worried about what people who don’t work in city hall deal with, something arrogant City Hall Helmsleys would never think about, and you find some way to read arrogance into it.

You should thank her.

posted by: Brian V on July 30, 2010  6:33pm

Mike Smart keep fanning those flames!
Jeff Kerekes and NHCAN keep giving them hell!

Good to see a little dissension among the King’s ranks.That card house will fall next election, thank god.

But, am I missing something? I have read nothing about this “deal” anywhere. $30M is no small sum. Is this another back room deal being shoved down our throats by the King?
NHI any info?

posted by: Amedat on July 30, 2010  7:34pm

Seriously people? Save the feigned wrath at kelly’s use of the word regular in this context. You know exactly the point she hoped to convey. She is one of the few people in city hall who does not behave like the typical govt employee. I am actually surprised and glad she’s stuck around this long.

posted by: art martino on July 30, 2010  8:31pm

Robn.

Please read the story carefully.
Ms Murphy states its a joint project of the Housing Authority and Economic Development. The HANH is a Federal agency and doesn’t pay taxes.

So Ms Murphy is trying to take property off the grand list. Is it a surprise O’Brien wasn’t co-operative?

This story reveals a total mis-management and a lack of co-ordination in city hall. There’s O’Brien getting told to grab every last dollar by the mayor or Matteson, and at the same time Ms Murphy is giving away taxable property.

Questions need to be asked.

Why the hell is the economic development department helping HANH with there projects. Wasn’t Miller just reappointed for 3 years at $145,000 a year to manage them.

Why is this project getting so much exposure. My take is it houses poor people, and there will be someone knocking at the door next election time saying “look what Mayor DeStefano did for you. Get out and vote for him.” Nothing wrong with that, but lets be realistic on whats going down here.

posted by: observer on July 30, 2010  10:39pm

hmmmmm . . . looks like the proverbial bus is coming and Bill O´Brien is about to get pushed under_

posted by: Morris Cove Mom on July 31, 2010  1:18pm

@new haven resident:  I called that number when my car was broken into in December, was told that I didn’t need to call them, as they didn’t need to fill out a report for my insurance company.  I told them I called to report a CRIME, not to get them to file paperwork!  Talking to 911 or 946-6316 dispatch is a waste of time.  The dispatchers are badly trained, incompetent, and don’t seem to understand that any crime, no matter how small, is still a crime worth reporting and recording.

So the news that O’Brien is a professional bully and incompetent is nothing new.  I have seen it in the employees of the assessor’s office, spelling names wrong, blaming the DMV, blaming everyone else!

O’Brien will not be fired or ousted, as he’s “one of the boys”.  The only way to get him out is to get DeStefano out first.

posted by: roomforaview on July 31, 2010  5:18pm

O’Brien is gumming up the works inside and outside City Hall. I don’t see how the city can afford to keep this guy on. He’s hassling and costing the city in staff time, lawsuits, development projects etc. There’s so much headwind facing the city right now, why should it also have to carry this guy along who goes out of his way to make things harder for everyone. If the Mayor’s still standing behind O’Brien then there have to be some very interesting reasons why that we don’t know about…yet. A reasonable boss would can this guy.

posted by: streever on August 1, 2010  7:16am

1. There is no reason to attack Murphy on this. Not sure why people are calling her arrogant or belittling her. I think it’s obvious that she meant no disrespect in her comment, but rather the opposite. Sure, you can psychoanalyze her ever word, but it’s a bit silly.

2. Why hasn’t O’Brien been fired?

3. I love that the mayor refers to all this as “tea party sentiment”. It’s not. It’s coming from excessively liberal & progressive democrats for the most part. The reality is that we’re tired of the inept, incompetent, corrupt individuals who seem to run this city.

4. The comments (re: Police dispatch) are dead on. They are lazy. They are inept. They are rude. I would like the city to undertake an audit of 911 calls and see for themselves. I have never—ever—called the police and had the dispatcher be polite or even civil. I’ve been made fun of (when I called to report an attempted mugging—the mugger assaulted me & I fought him off) and called and simply not seen police respond. The worst part is when you talk to the officers. They have the same complaint. The reality is most officers assigned to an area want to do a good job and keep that area safer. They aren’t happy about the inept dispatch anymore than we are.

What does it take to change things? The cities response is to train it’s staff in handling altercations/arguments. But the arguments don’t even have to happen. If staff is responsive and polite and customer focused, people aren’t going to get disproportionately angry.

posted by: cedarhillresident--big Robin Hood Fan :) on August 2, 2010  8:47am

I am Proud to be a NHCAN-type to!!! Media should not be a damage control device for the wrong do-ers (aka story tellers) it is suppose to be news…(educating the public of the truth!). Elizabeth may have worked for the register but I have noticed that this new local reporter is starting to do stories on the truth. Reporters are the biggest watchdogs and their jobs (if they are REAL reporters) is to get the truth out to people. (like our wonderful NHI) I always wonder what makes a news source sellout and turn a press release into the truth…just because it is a press release does not make it fact or truth!......sad. And NHCAN types??? what is that??? Citizens standing up for there rights that are being stomped on by an out of control administration?? A group of people with lint balls in their pockets because a greedy few can’t stop uunreasonable spending?

and a side note Kelly won a small piece of me with this one.

posted by: Mister Jones on August 2, 2010  10:46am

Why hasn’t the assessor been fired?  Consider that it’s perhaps not that easy to do.  And then, wouldn’t City Hall be accused of playing politics with an office that is supposed to be objective and beyond the reach of political influence?

posted by: newhaven55 on August 2, 2010  1:12pm

I have worked in private and public jobs.  I am surprised that experienced and professional people would conduct important communication by means of public emails.  It would appear that face-to-face communication would be better and not difficult in this situation.  Lessons learned regarding procedures and business practices, let’s hope.

posted by: an ex-dem on August 2, 2010  5:27pm

to Streever:
    what makes a democrat “excessively liberal and progressive”? What is about them that is excessive?
    PS The Green Party welcomes such people