Peter's Place

The Offline Government (Part 2): The Digital Blackout By Peter C. Frank   |   The Bloomfield Dispatch (See also: Breaking News: The Town Manager's Legal Troubles ) The “Shadow Ledger” In Part 5.1 , we analyzed the collapse of cash reconciliation—the Town’s inability to balance its own checkbook for 15 months. But the Finance Director’s letter to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) reveals a deeper, more systemic failure. It wasn't just that they stopped checking the math; it’s that they stopped using the calculator entirely. Reasons #6 through #10 of the "13 Reasons" paint a picture of a Digital Blackout —a period where the Town of Bloomfield effectively ceased to operate as a modern digital government and reverted to an "Offline" state, running a $100 million corporation on what effectively amounts to loose paper and unverified spreadsheets. But before we analyze the specific failures, we must addr...

Lawsuit Accuses Town Manager Schwapp of Sexual Harassment and "Fraternity" Favoritism By Peter C. Frank The Bloomfield Dispatch BLOOMFIELD, CT — A lawsuit filed in Hartford Superior Court alleges that Town Manager Alvin D. Schwapp, Jr. sexually harassed a senior police administrative assistant and then orchestrated a campaign of retaliation when she reported it. The complaint, discovered by The Bloomfield Dispatch during a routine review of active litigation against the Town, alleges that municipal decision‑making in Taylor’s case was driven by personal connections over professional ethics, and that internal investigations were used against vulnerable employees. Note: The defendants have not yet filed a formal response in court, and the allegations in Taylor’s complaint have not been proven. The Allegations The Plaintiff, Wendy Taylor, a senior administrative assistant who had served the Bloomfield Police Department fo...

Why Are We Rushing the Year Away? This is really me, everything else is AI-generated. The holiday pause we’ve misplaced Bloomfield, CT —  We are officially two weeks away from the New Year. The calendar still clearly reads “December,” yet if you look around at the collective mindset, it feels as though we have already fast-forwarded to January 1st. We haven't even unwrapped the Christmas gifts or lit the final Hanukkah candles, yet the noise of “New Year, New Me” resolutions and Q1 planning is already deafening. Why are we acting like the New Year is already here? This is not just nostalgia talking; it is a yearning for a different pace of life. There was a time when people genuinely took their time. The holiday season was a distinct container of time—a pause button on the chaotic soundtrack of life—where the primary objective was simply to experience joy, connection, and—for...

The Offline Government (Part 1): The Blind Checkbook On January 3rd, they boasted of "Strong Finances." On that same day, internal logs show the Town didn't know how much money was in the bank. By Peter C. Frank The Bloomfield Dispatch  (Read Part 4.5 ) BLOOMFIELD, CT — On January 3, 2025, the political leadership of Bloomfield took a victory lap. In a public post, Town Council leadership boasted of the Town’s "AA+ Bond Rating" and "Strong Finances," explicitly crediting the "Mayor, Town Manager, and CFO Hill" for their stewardship. They told residents that the ship was steady and the course was true. But internal correspondence obtained by The Bloomfield Dispatch reveals a stark contradiction: On the very same day leadership was publicly celebrating fiscal stability, the Finance Department’s own internal logs showed they had ceased reconciling t...

BLOOMFIELD, Connecticut  — Town Manager Alvin D. Schwapp, Jr. has officially returned to his post following a period of medical leave. Mr. Schwapp confirmed his active status in an email to The Bloomfield Dispatch on Tuesday afternoon. "I have returned to my duties as Town Manager, that should be understood by all," Schwapp wrote, noting that he is no longer utilizing an automated "Out of Office" response. He emphasized that he has resumed his role as the "CEO for the Town of Bloomfield." The Town Manager had been on Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) since late autumn, during which time Deputy Town Manager Sharron Howe served as Acting Town Manager. The confirmation of his return came during a correspondence regarding The Dispatch’s ongoing investigation into data discrepancies found on the Town’s "Open Finance" portal. Mr. Schwapp intervened in the exchange to clarify that the administration would treat the inquiry as a standard media request ra...

  A Case Study in Contradictions When "Transparency" Means "Opacity." The Facts Behind the Mayor's Fact Check. By Peter C. Frank The Bloomfield Dispatch  (Read Part 4 ) 🗄️ Key Documents Reviewed This report is based on the following primary source documents obtained via FOIA and public record: OPM Warning Letter (July 18, 2025): Identifying "Tier I" eligibility. Finance Status Report (Aug 4, 2025): Admission of 15-month "offline" tracking. S&P Global Correspondence: Clarifying OPEB liability reduction. Town Council Minutes (Aug '24 - Dec '25): Documenting meeting cancellations. Download Mayor's Speech Transcript (PDF) » BLOOMFIELD, Connecticut, December 12, 2025 — On Monday night, December 8th, Mayor Anthony Harrington delivered a 15-minute address to the Town Council and the viewing public. He labeled recent reporting on t...

The Cover-Up By Peter C. Frank ,   The Bloomfield Dispatch BLOOMFIELD, Conn. , December 4, 2025 — In Part 3 , we exposed the financial chaos: the "Material Weakness," the phantom OPM savings, and the exploding legal bills. But there was one question we couldn't answer: Why is the Administration hiding the truth about the delay? Today, The Bloomfield Dispatch is releasing documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act that the Town hoped you would never see. These documents prove that while Town officials were telling the public that everything was under control, the State of Connecticut was preparing to intervene. And most damning of all: The leadership knew. 📄 DOWNLOAD THE OPM "TIER I" WARNING DOCUMENTS (PDF) 1. The "Tier I" Warning (The Receipt) On July 18, 2025 , Kimberly Kennison of the Connecticut State Office of Policy and Management (OPM) sent a formal letter warning that Bloomfield now meets the eligib...

The Audit Scandal & The $21 Million "Ghost" By Peter C. Frank ,   The Bloomfield Dispatch  (Read Part 2.5 ) BLOOMFIELD, Connecticut , December 3, 2025 – In Part 2.5 , we discussed how the tax phase-in is a mathematical trap. But taxes are only half the equation. The other half is how the Town manages the money it already has. And right now, nobody seems to know exactly where that money stands. As of today, the Town of Bloomfield is effectively operating blind. The Fiscal Year 2024 Audit , which covers the period ending June 30, 2024, is effectively 11 months overdue (it was due December 31, 2024). Without this audit, the Town Council cannot accurately budget, the bond rating agencies cannot accurately assess the town's risk, and taxpayers cannot know if their money is safe. Why is the audit late? (Again?) While the Administration remains silent (despite repeated attempts to obtain comment), a review of the previous year’s audit reports (FY2023) uncov...