SEGARRA TO REGISTRARS: GROW UP

With a little over a month to go until the municipal election, it seems like hostilities in the Registrar of Voter's Office may be close to the boiling point.

It is no secret that the three Registrars, a Democrat, a Republican and a Working Family Party member seem to have a problem working together. It apparently started when WFP Registrar of Voters Urania Petit successfully won election as the first third party registrar in the state.

The Republican and Democrat registrars had enjoyed the sole control of the Registrars Office for years, and the WFP upset the balance of power.Not just in Hartford, but in most towns the Registrar of Voters Office is considered the last bastion of political patronage.

Since being elected, Petit has considered herself an outsider in the office, and she testified to that at last years budget hearings before the Council. Although technically all three share equal responsibility in power, that is not the case in Hartford.

On several occasions lately the Democratic Registrar, Olga Vazquez, has resorted to calling the Hartford Police to complain about the actions of others in the office, and in most instances her complaints were against Petit. No criminal actions have been found though, and other than political babysitting, no other action has been taken by police in regards to the Democratic registrars complaints.

The Mayor's letter is below:

Mayor's Registrar Letter 0001