In Hartford, Connecticut, a former department store that locals call "butt-ugly" is being demolished. Delays in its destruction had come to symbolize all that is wrong with Hartford politics, says Josh Goodman of Governing.
The building was also a major part of a mayoral scandal:
"For years, officials have made one false start after another as they tried to demolish the building. In the meantime, it only became more notorious. Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez resigned in June after he was convicted of five felonies, one of which related to the Butt Ugly Building. Prosecutors persuaded jurors that Perez had tried to extort $100,000 for a political ally from a developer interested in the site."
Read the full story: Building Demolition a Turning Point in Hartford
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