Segarra vs. Vargas: Let's Rumble!

The Hartford Mayoral race is down to three candidates; the incumbent Pedro Segarra, and challengers Edwin Vargas and J.Stan McCauley. The fourth challenger, Shawn Wooden, made a sudden turn and joined forces with the Mayor, his former opponent. As is often the case in professional wrestling and politics, the former challenger seems to have forgotten the insults hurled at his new tag team partner. But that's another topic for another time.



Yesterday following the great American tradition of political mudslinging, Edwin Vargas released a Top 10 list of why Mayor Segarra should be fired and a corresponding Top 10 list of why he should be elected Mayor. Let's check the tale of the tape!

Segarra reasons on top, Vargas on bottom.

1. Lawyer - 

    Teacher

Hmmm. This is interesting. Lawyers kind of have a bad rap. For sure there are a lot of lawyers that are arrogant, self-righteous and parasites. There are also many lawyers that are straight shooters just looking to do a job. 

Teachers are very important and many get into teaching for the right reason. Yet there are also teachers who get into simply for the summers off. Look even deeper and you might find stuff like; sleeping with students, giving students alcohol, sleeping with students, drug possession, sleeping with students, pleasuring one's self at a car wash, sleeping with students, and sleeping with students. And that's just the small regional high school we attended.

Verdict: Tie. There's good and bad apples in every profession. Let's remember also, this is politics, probably the dirtiest of all games, the bar is pretty low.

2. Incumbent Mayor, part of the problem - 

    Citizen Candidate, offering real common sense solutions

To be fair the Mayor has only been in office a little over a year and inherited a mess. Blaming the Mayor for Hartford’s problems is like blaming Obama for the economy, it requires a very, very short memory.

What is a citizen candidate? Don’t all candidates have to be citizens?

Verdict: Segarra

3. Speaks to Citizens like a Lawyer -

   Straight Talk with Citizens

Anytime we hear “straight talk” from a politician it’s an eye roller. But talking to lawyers can be pretty annoying.

Verdict: Vargas

4. Left Hartford for 10 Years - 

    Community Leader for 40 Years

Leaving is a penalty? We think leaving is actually beneficial. You know that whole expand your horizons thing? No matter where you are from, it’s often good to leave and experience somewhere else for a while. If you never leave the area you might end up like one of those insisting that our small city is a world-class city.

Verdict: Segarra

5. Hands off Leadership Style -

    Hands on Leadership Style

Hands on. Hands off. Up. Down. Wax on. Wax off. Left. Right. Not sure what it means but it all seems like a matter of opinion.

Verdict: Tie

6. Represents the wealthy select few -

     Representing all Hartford Citizens Equally

Well technically the Mayor slot represents all citizens of Hartford. The idea that they are represented equally is comical anyway you look at it. Yes, the wealthy often get more attention in representation.

Verdict: Tie

7. Perceived as enriching himself & his friends, a pattern develops -

    Perceived as wanting to enrich our community.

What’s the pattern? These perceivers are starting to seem pretty biased.

Verdict: Vargas.

8. Lives in a electronically fenced in Mansion -

    Lives in a home like all of us

We’ve seen where Pedro lives. It’s pretty good sized and it does have an iron fence around it, not sure what qualifies as a mansion though. Are mansions not homes? Don’t all of us except the homeless live in homes?

Why do politicians always tell us they are successful in everything they do but then want to pretend they don’t have money to show for it? Wouldn’t that make them seem like really bad money managers? 

Take for instance our interview with former candidate Shawn Wooden. His handlers insisted that we remove that he lived on Scarborough Street and replace it with the West End. We only knew he lived on Scarborough Street because it appeared in Rick Green’s article in the Hartford Courant. C’mon man, you’re a partner at Day Pitney. No one thinks you are living in a three family on South Whitney.

Verdict: Tie. They both live in homes.

9. Likes the big show and cutting ribbons -

    Likes working hard and getting things done

If we were cynical we might think that “likes the big show and cutting ribbons” might have some sort of hidden meaning. But of course we aren’t. Shows are good. Getting things done is also good.

Verdict: Tie

10. Pedro Segarra offers no change, failed leadership on violent crime and a hands off approach.

Edwin Vargas offers real change; leadership with a hands on approach.

This is just a rehash of points made the previous nine. Politics is boring. It’s just the same old, same old. Back to fun tomorrow.

Verdict: Tie

Overall Verdict: Tie!

You’re an adult. You shouldn’t decide based on this silly blog. But you should get informed on the issues and vote. Hopefully at some point some actual issues and possible solutions will be presented.