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Ritter Calls Council Grant Process Flawed

By Jeffrey B. Cohen

August 05, 2009

Councilman Matt Ritter appears to have had a change of heart.

Last month, he was fine spending roughly $340,000 of the council's civic and cultural affairs account - a sum divided up by the council's six majority Democrats. But now that at least one organization has rejected the money because it said the process lacked transparency, Ritter says he sees things differently.

"This is a moment where we can learn from what I now recognize is a flawed process and improve Hartford," Ritter said in a letter to Hartford 2000, the organization that just turned down $2,500 in city money. He says he'll now push for an ordinance requiring the city council to set priorities for awarding the account's funds.

Ritter's letter also notes that another organization - the West End Civic Association - is considering returning the $10,000 it got from the council, too.

To read the letter, click on the link in the "Related Links" box.