© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Segarra's New City Ride

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Jeff%20Cohen/2012_03_15_USE%20JC%20120315%20Mayors%20Car%20EDIT.mp3

Correction: The mayor's new car is not the black one originally pictured.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra asked the city's taxpayers this week for shared sacrifice as he works to close next year's projected $54 million dollar budget deficit.  But as WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, at the same time he's talking about austerity, he's also got a new city car. 
 
Here's what Segarra said on Monday.
 
"We must all commit to working in the best interest of our citizens to curtail spending while ensuring the provision of basic services and preserving the quality of life."
 
Meanwhile, as he spoke, parked out back was a four-wheel-drive Ford Explorer that the city bought in February for nearly $32,000.  His previous car was a fuel-efficient Prius.
 
Jared Kupiec, Segarra's chief of staff, says the police department had already bought the Explorer -- but Acting Chief James Rovella later decided he didn't need it. 
 
"And Chief Rovella made a determination that outside of police and fire, the mayor is the foremost first responder.  Living in New England, elements, weather, and travel back and forth to DC and elsewhere throughout the state, that the mayor should have a nice, appropriate vehicle that represented the city well."
 
Kupiec says that Segarra didn't specifically ask for this car, but he had told Rovella that he wanted four-wheel drive.  Unlike his predecessor, Segarra doesn't have a driver and generally gets himself to and from meetings and events. Kupiec says that Chief Rovella decided on his own that the mayor needed the new Explorer.
 
And check this out.
 
Cohen: Is it specked out as a cop car?
 
Kupiec: Uh, correct, I believe so, yeah. 
 
Cohen: Okay. Like lights and sirens and stuff?
 
Kupiec: Yeah.
 
Cohen: Just not on top, but inside. 
 
Kupiec: Correct.  I believe it has what is called the chief's package.
 
Cohen: Nice.
 
Kupiec: It's really not that spectacular.
 
Rovella also appparently decided that Kupiec needed a car, too.  His was bought in 2008 and was the former chief's spare. 
 
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.

Tags
Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director. Then, in 2022, he became a senior enterprise reporter.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content