Campaign 2006  GOP "underticket"


Gubernatorial Endorsements

M. Jodi Rell For Governor
New London DAY editorial
Published on 10/28/2006

John DeStefano Jr. is running for governor on the platform that it's time to get Connecticut moving again. To this end, the Democratic mayor of New Haven has laid out in painstaking detail his views on major issues: creating jobs, providing a modern transportation system, reforming a punitive property-tax burden that hurts towns and cities, solving an expensive electric-energy problem and creating a state-sponsored universal health care system.

This is no mere laundry list. Mayor DeStefano didn't turn to his campaign staff and ask them to draft 10-point programs for each of these issues. He deserves credit for carefully thinking through the issues himself. Whether or not one agrees with him, it's clear that Mayor DeStefano has spent an enormous amount of time coming to what he considers to be sound decisions that will lead to good public policies.

He has tested them, too, in the fires of countless public meetings and debates leading up to vigorous convention and primary fights for the Democratic nomination. To win that support, he had to triumph over an outstanding mayor from Fairfield County, Dannel Malloy of Stamford. In other words, Mayor DeStefano is a substantial person and a worthy politician.

He has improved New Haven against considerable odds. Among other achievements, he has strengthened public safety, stabilized the tax rate under difficult circumstances and begun providing early childhood education for an expanding number of pre-kindergarten students.

So, he says, these are the issues. Where does Gov. M. Jodi Rell stand? What is her vision? These are fair questions that deserve serious answers. If Gov. Rell had not already served as the state's chief executive, this newspaper might well conclude that Mayor DeStefano had a clearer vision of the future and possessed greater leadership skills.

Rell's strong character

But having observed Jodi Rell function as governor since July 1, 2004, this newspaper has been impressed with the strength of her character, her honesty and her commitment to making Connecticut government more ethical and more responsive.

The one exception noted to her record is the matter involving her handling of the campaign fund-raising invitations passed by Chief of Staff Lisa Moody to 16 state commissioners who were subsequently fined for allegedly violating election enforcement statutes.

Gov. Rell came into office when her Republican running mate in three elections, Gov. John G. Rowland, was caught taking some $100,000 in gifts and his administration was shown to be rife with corruption. His co-chief of staff, Peter Ellef and a contractor-friend, William Tomasso, are going to federal prison. Gov. Rowland served time and is out of federal prison now.

Suddenly, Jodi Rell, groomed in the largely ceremonial role of lieutenant governor, had to lead the state. Her character as a person and her personality, which is friendly and engaging, have helped her immensely. Her poll numbers give proof positive of what state residents instinctively understand: People like and trust Jodi Rell. They recognize her as a decent, forthright person.

Gov. Rell deserves credit for leading legislation to improve the state's ethics and campaign-contribution laws. If elected, she should again push for restrictions on contributions from contractors. Her administration will have to be relentless in making sure that the big lobbying firms, the major building and road contractors and key lawyers with political connections don't end up unduly influencing state government, in particular the departments of Transportation and Public Works.

She has tackled the transportation issue head-on by initiating the first substantial investments in several decades and beginning to shift the emphasis from highways to rail alternatives. She has started more early-education programs for students.

Timely state budget

She worked impressively with the legislature to push through a budget on time. She has shown a gut instinct for political compromise and she has treated the General Assembly with respect and tact rather than attacking opponents on issues.

Job growth in Connecticut is anemic, but Gov. Rell should not take the rap for that shortcoming. She has been in office just two years. The failure to create jobs extends back at least 12 years. In a new administration, jobs must be her first priority.

Should she win, she must also shake up the department commissioners and other leaders she largely inherited from Gov. Rowland. There is a clear need in several departments for new leadership.

Gov. Rell must exhibit a bolder vision and greater confidence in the strength of the ideas she espouses. To get there, she must broaden the range of public-policy experts advising her. She has had an extremely close reliance on Ms. Moody over 20 years in public life. Expanding the circle of strategists will help her develop more and better ideas. A group of intelligent, imaginative advisers will be necessary to bring Connecticut to progress once again in attracting business, improving transportation and inducing young people to want to work in the state's cities.

The key question for Gov. Rell is whether she can be a leader, rather than a caretaker, on the most pressing issues that Mayor DeStefano has identified. The evidence on the issues she has confronted to date suggests she will be a leader.

The Day endorses Republican incumbent Jodi Rell for governor.   

Why Rell Will Win
Manchester Journal Inquirer
October 19, 2006  
  
Some people say Gov. M. Jodi Rell will defeat John DeStefano Jr. in the race for governor because she is a nice lady. Others say she will win because, after the Rowland scandals, Rell and her modesty are refreshing. Still others say that Connecticut likes to vote for women and a woman incumbent is almost unbeatable. None of that is untrue. But none of it is the big reason Rell will win.

The big reason Rell will win was on display in her televised debate with DeStefano on Wednesday night: She has her feet on the ground.
 
Rell is an incrementalist. She proceeds step-by-step. She lives in the world of the possible and practical, not one of big "vision" or position taking. But that's also the nature of state government. That's what's good about it. Small steps make a difference.

The nature of state government is "stuff" like this: how to make highways less clogged; how to make commuter trains nicer, faster, and still affordable; how to keep college costs down; how to bring a few jobs to the state, here and there; how to extend the "Husky" health-care program to a few more children, instead of a few less.

Rell, like most of us, is a schlepper - one step at a time. Let's see what we can do here. Let's see if we can do what we can do well.

DeStefano, the long-time mayor of New Haven, has several problems. One is his style. He exudes disingenuousness just as Rell projects sincerity. He manages to combine this with a demagogy disguised as vision, and it's transparent as hell.

DeStefano, as a successful mayor, is probably really an incrementalist too. But he's not running that way. He's running as a big picture guy. He's going to travel the world to lure big industry here. He's going to give us universal health insurance, though he doesn't say how. He's going to - get this - make Connecticut housing affordable to all.

He tells us Rell is personally responsible for problems of equal size: high utility bills, high property taxes, high gas prices, the high cost of, well, everything.

Big picture guy. Big promises. Broad brush strokes. And, at the end of the fairy tale, "the big rock candy mountain."

DeStefano is going to pay for it all, he says, with a tax on millionaires, which doesn't sound bad to those of us who are not, and never expect to be, millionaires. When Rell pointed out that DeStefano's math didn't work, a millionaire's tax would not pay for all he wants, the mayor said, maybe what he was saying didn't make sense arithmetically, but in our lives, it does.

That's the other thing. DeStefano "cares." He told us again and again that he knows and understands us all. Really? Who asked him to? Skip the group hug. Just make one thing in government better.

The other trouble with DeStefano is that his compassion is vague, universal, unlimited. Rell's is focused. On any social problem he could mention, from homelessness to low school test scores, Rell could say, "Yes, that is a real worry of mine and here is what we've done so far." The only areas where DeStefano can get to the left of Rell are promises and spending, and here he is to the left of snake-oil salesmen and faith healers.

The people know state government is incremental. As with any complex undertaking in life, it really is all about small steps. They know that Rell's concreteness matches her apparent sincerity. They know DeStefano's abstractness matches his apparent insincerity. Rell will win because she seems real and her opponent will lose because he seems not to be.
Rell proposes four-year, $500 million energy plan
By SUSAN HAIGH, AP Political Writer
Sep 18, 9:03 PM EDT

NEWINGTON, Conn. (AP) -- Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed a four-year, $500 million energy plan for Connecticut on Monday, marking one of her first major public policy initiatives in this year's race for governor.

The proposal calls for the use of bio-fuels and renewable forms of energy, would cut costs for businesses and families, and charts a course for the state to reduce its fossil fuel consumption, she said.

Rell also called for a set of new energy goals for the state by 2020, including that 20 percent of all energy used and sold in the state to come from clean or renewable energy sources. Right now, only about 5 percent comes from those sources.

"This plan is not just about today, but the next generation as well," said Rell, who held a news conference outside a Department of Transportation gas depot where state cars can fill up using special fuel made up of 75 percent ethanol...

Rell unveiled her package of proposals - many of which require legislative approval - with some of her state commissioners looking on. Rell said she and her staff have spent months working on the package. Monday's news conference was billed as an official event rather than a campaign event.

She called for banning so-called zone pricing of gasoline for two years, a concept she supported earlier this year but which failed in the legislature. She also called for capping the state gross receipts tax on petroleum products when the wholesale price of gas hits $1.75 per gallon, and extending the state sales tax exemption on weatherization products and eliminating local property taxes on the first three years of a hybrid car ownership.

Other parts of the plan would create a loan program to help small businesses meet their energy needs, provide low interest loans to state farmers to grow biofuel-related crops, require state and school construction projects to include energy efficiency technology and replace more state cars with hybrid vehicles, and create a new sales tax exemption for purchases of EnergyStar air conditioners, among other initiatives...
Rell Starting On Upbeat Note;   She Begins Her Fall Campaign With 60-Second Television Spot On Labor Day
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer
September 2, 2006

Stepping from the shadow of the nation's hottest U.S. Senate race, Gov. M. Jodi Rell jumps back on the political stage Monday with a commercial evoking her historic inaugural after the scandal-forced resignation of John G. Rowland.

Her first commercial is a 60-second tribute characterizing her two-year tenure as a fresh start for a state stunned by Rowland's departure in the face of an impeachment inquiry and his eventual conviction on federal corruption charges.

With a deftly edited and elegantly scored ad, Rell exploits the advantages of incumbency and her unique place in Connecticut history, which has helped make the Republican one of the state's most popular governors as she seeks a first full term.

"From uncertainty came a new beginning," an announcer intones over a dark screen, which immediately shifts to footage of Rell's inaugural address on the Capitol steps July 1, 2004.

"Just a few moments ago, I raised my right hand," Rell said, her voice breaking, "humbled in spirit, and with hopefulness in my heart, to take the oath of office as governor."

The screen goes dark and the announcer continues, "From disappointment came hope."

"Today we begin to restore faith, integrity and honor in our government. It is our solemn obligation," Rell said. "It will be our lasting legacy."

The announcer then asserts that "from promise, came results."

Rell again appears on screen, this time in footage from her 2006 State of the State address in which she trumpeted shared victories with the Democratic legislature: a new enforcement agency for state ethics, a nationally lauded campaign finance reform law opposed by most legislative Republicans, and state funding for stem cell research opposed by the Bush administration.

The commercial also touts what Rell has called the highlight of her tenure: leading a bipartisan effort a year ago to save the Groton submarine base and 31,000 related jobs. The ad includes videotape of Rell sharing a stage with members of that effort, including Democratic Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.

Rell had largely disappeared from view over the summer, ceding the stage to the nationally watched Democratic primary battle of Lieberman and Ned Lamont over the war in Iraq.

With high approval ratings and a comfortable lead over her main rival, Democrat John DeStefano Jr., Rell could afford to husband her resources. DeStefano, on the other hand, emptied his campaign treasury in a primary with Dannel P. Malloy.

Kevin Deneen, Rell's campaign manager, said the Rell campaign's initial media buy will exceed $100,000 to ensure that every Connecticut voter sees the commercial several times over the next week. With $1.7 million in cash on hand at the end of June, the last reporting period, Rell has enough money to stay on the air until Election Day, Deneen said.

One exception: the campaign will air no ads on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

DeStefano's spokesman, Derek Slap, said the commercial shows the race is tightening, a claim undermined by the Rell campaign's long-held plan to launch its ad campaign on Labor Day, traditionally the first day of the fall election season. In a Quinnipiac University poll released two weeks ago, Rell led DeStefano, 64 percent to 32 percent, among likely voters.

Slap declined to say when DeStefano, who has been busily raising money since winning the Aug. 8 primary, will be able to go on the air. He dismissed Rell's opening salvo as a "feel-good" effort that diverts attention from the state's inability under Rell to confront major issues.

"Connecticut continues to lose jobs, rising property taxes and electric rates are squeezing our families, and every 10 minutes someone loses their health care. Rell's feel-good ads won't change that reality," Slap said. "John DeStefano will provide a real contrast with Gov. Rell's record of failed leadership and provide a real vision for moving Connecticut forward."

Rell's ad was created by Jamestown Associates of New Jersey and Washington, D.C., the media consultant for U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-5th District, Deneen said.

Deneen called the tone of the commercial "obviously positive, upbeat. It's realistic in terms of what she's accomplished and the changes she's brought to the state."
 



Rell Calls for Fire-Prevention Plan for Abandoned Mills
DAY
Published on 8/19/2006
 
Gov. M. Jodi Rell is asking local fire marshals and law enforcement officials to devise a plan to help prevent fires in abandoned mills across the state.

She has directed the State Fire Marshal’s Office to call a meeting on the topic.

“I want a ‘fire prevention checklist’ to be created at this meeting and distributed to municipalities as soon as possible,” Rell said.  “The recent Windsor Locks mill fire was one of the largest in recent history.  Last year’s mill fire in Plainfield caused millions of dollars in damage and sent pollutants into the air.  Towns need to know the steps they can take now to prevent potential disasters later. 

 “Not only do these fires put tremendous burdens on local budgets - they put firefighters, emergency personnel and local residents in harm’s way.  If there is more that we can be doing to get the word out about prevention, then we must do it.”

Last year, Rell directed the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to conduct a survey to identify the locations of the mills and what serious threats exist at those sites such as hazardous materials.

There are at least 75 abandoned mills across Connecticut

Bradley air base gets Pentagon reprieve
By Harlan Levy, Journal Inquirer
07/27/2006

In a significant victory for Connecticut, state officials have worked out a deal with the Pentagon that saves the Air National Guard "flying mission" at Bradley International Airport that preserves the 400 jobs that support the mission.

The agreement also includes establishing a "Command and Control" headquarters and a regional aircraft engine repair facility at Bradley.
 
The state further gains an airplane upgrade - with the Guard's 15 smaller A-10 Warthog fighter planes stationed at Bradley slated to move out and be replaced by eight C-21 cargo aircraft, the military version of the commercial Lear 35 jet aircraft.

The C-21s, due as early as September, can do in emergencies what the A-10s cannot: conduct surveillance and ferry much larger cargo loads and as many as a dozen people.

"Team Connecticut has notched another victory in the fight against Connecticut base closings," said Gov. M. Jodi Rell, in announcing the deal Wednesday.

"Connecticut has had a flying mission since 1917 and, with this latest win, that mission will continue."

For the past year, Connecticut has been fighting the Department of Defense's effort to abandon the Connecticut Air National Guard's 103rd Fighter Wing at Bradley and move the fighter planes to Massachusetts. The department had recommended the base's closure as part of the Base Closing and Realignment Commission effort.

Additionally, it would have made Connecticut the only state in the union without an Air Force flying mission of any kind.

Connecticut sued, arguing that the Fighter Wing couldn't be shut down without the governor's permission as commander in chief, and that Rell had refused to grant that permission.

The agreement with the Pentagon means the state will withdraw the lawsuit once Attorney General Richard Blumenthal finalizes the formal documents with the National Guard Bureau and the Air Force. Blumenthal sent a draft pact to Washington late Wednesday and said he expects a reply today.

"Mission accomplished: We have won the fight to preserve our air power and manpower against federal overreaching," Blumenthal said. "A solid team effort has reversed the crippling plans devised unilaterally by the BRAC brass."

It's "wonderful news," Sen. John A. Kissel, R-Enfield, said. "I am extremely happy that the Fighter Wing will continue to provide protection to the state and its citizens and that the over 400 jobs will remain here in Connecticut."

Kissel was one of four legislators writing to BRAC Chairman Anthony J. Principi in 2005 urging him to reject the Pentagon's proposal to move the Fighter Wing to Massachusetts.

Under the agreement, the 103rd Fighter Wing will handle A-10 and C-21 aircraft simultaneously, moving the A-10s out as C-21s move in, and operate the Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility and carry out the Command and Control headquarters missions.

Not only are the C-21s a better deal for Connecticut, Blumenthal said, but in the future they will be replaced by the Joint Cargo Aircraft promised earlier by the Air Force and National Guard as part of Phase II of the Air Force's Total Force Initiative.

"We need these planes to transport equipment, supplies, or personnel when disaster strikes, either a terrorist act or a hurricane," Blumenthal said, "and we also need it for surveillance of our Millstone nuclear plants and our railroads. And now we're guaranteed."


©Journal Inquirer 2006

Governor watches as Dems slug it out
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Tobin A. Coleman
Published July 26 2006

NORWALK -- While the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates take jabs at each other on their way to an Aug. 8 primary, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell has been content to sit back and govern, waiting for an opponent.

"That's all I have been doing is being governor, except for the announcement last October," Rell said yesterday, standing in front of a hybrid sport utility vehicle at a ceremonial signing of clean-cars legislation at McMahon Ford on Main Street.

She announced last October she would run for her first full term.

"When they're finished with their primary, I'm sure that the campaign will kick into higher gear and when that happens I'll continue to be the governor and campaign a little bit as well," Rell said.

Rather than politics, she said her two public appearances yesterday were "a great opportunity to showcase the legislation that was passed."

Rell also appeared in Ridgefield, where she ceremonially signed a bill that restores the ability of students under 18 to participate in Safe Rides programs.

"I have to sign the bills, so let's do them in public," Rell said. "It's not partisan at all. We have Republicans and Democrats there."

Several Democrats attended the ceremony in Norwalk, including state Sen. Bill Finch of Bridgeport, who had asked for the ceremonial signing to be held, and state Rep. Richard Roy of Milford. Both were key sponsors of the clean cars law. Other Democratic and Republican lawmakers also were among the 20 attendees.

The bill, officially signed into law last month, is aimed at fighting global warming and requires automobile manufacturers to add stickers in new car windows in Connecticut that classify the amount of greenhouse gasses the vehicle emits. The stickers must compare a vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions with other vehicles in the same class, so consumers can do side-by-side comparisons.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is required to come up with specifics of the program by October 2007 applicable to all 2009 model year vehicles with a gross weight up to 10,000 pounds.

Proponents hope that consumers will begin choosing the vehicles with the lowest emissions.

"These cars will help us eliminate those (gases) and help us end the asthma that's a problem, especially among children," Roy said.

"It empowers the people to have a choice," said Dr. Hossein Sadeghi, director of pediatric pulmonology at Stamford Hospital, who was representing the American Lung Association.

Rell gave one of the signed ceremonial copies to Raphael Elkind, a fifth-grade teacher at New Canaan Country School who brought his students to the Capitol in April to lobby for the bill.

"More than anything it's a lesson in democracy and being involved," Elkind said of his students' involvement. "If they get those lessons over and over again at a really young age, I think they'll turn out to be better citizens."

In Ridgefield, about 30 people attended the short ceremony at Veterans Park Community Center. Rell was commemorating one part of a motor vehicle bill that restores after-hours driving privileges for 16- and 17-year-old students who are in accredited Safe Rides programs.

Last year, in order to cut down on teen accidents, the Legislature passed a bill that restricted drivers of those ages from driving from midnight to 5 a.m. unless they were working, going to and from school or for religious purposes or a medical emergency.

But that bill inadvertently made it illegal for students involved in safe rides organizations to pick up their peers after midnight, when the rides are most requested.

"Most of the calls came in from 11:30 (p.m.) to 1:30 (a.m.)," said Carolyn Baker, 18, a board member of the Safe Rides program and recent graduate of Ridgefield High School.

Baker said calls to the program, operated on Friday and Saturday nights, dropped off considerably. "Nobody wanted to go home before 11 p.m., she said.

The programs offer rides to students who call in, no questions asked. Students often have been drinking, said Danielle Winson, 18, also a board member of the Ridgefield Safe Rides Program.

But often, she said, teens simply need a ride when one falls through, if they are too young to drive, or they feel uncomfortable where they are and want to leave.

Baker and Winson were among students at the ceremony who helped lobby the legislature to allow an exception to the night-time age limits for drivers in safe rides programs sponsored by the Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America or other national public service organization.

"Who knows how many lives have been saved, but if it's one, it's worth it," said state Rep. Lile Gibbons, R-Greenwich, who was at the ceremony.
State selects contractor to build new rail fleet
Jul 22, 10:24 PM EDT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The state has selected Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., for a $522 million contract to build 210 new rail cars, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Saturday.

Kawasaki will design, build, test and deliver the new fleet with an option to build 170 more for the state. The contract also includes options to buy spare parts, special tools and test equipment to run and maintain the cars.

Rell called the selection of a contractor important progress for commuters.

"We will work to ensure that the manufacturing of these rail cars is completed in a timely manner and in the shortest time frame possible," Rell said in a statement.

The selection was made by a special procurement committee that includes members from the state Department of Transportation and Metro-North Railroad. The selection needs final approval from both Connecticut and New York. The governor said she will put the matter on the agenda for the Aug. 11 Bond Commission meeting.

The project will be funded by the state of Connecticut and MTA/Metro-North Railroad with 65 percent of the funds provided by Connecticut and 35 percent provided by New York, based on ridership and track miles.

The state has done business with the New York-based Kawasaki in the past. In March, the state awarded a $12 million contract to the company to refurbish 33 passenger rail cars purchased from Virginia in 2004.
Rell Announces Urban Anti-Crime Plan
Hartford Courant
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING
July 1, 2006

Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced a new urban violence plan Friday calling for three special gun courts with judges and experienced prosecutors assigned to handle the cases in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport.

One judge in the Superior Court in each of the cities will oversee a special docket for all cases involving possession or illegal use of a gun, starting on July 10. All gun-related cases will be automatically referred to the gun court in an attempt to ensure swift justice, Rell said.

Surrounded in her office by the public safety and prisons commissioners, the chief court administrator, and a prosecutor in the chief state's attorney's office, Rell promised a coordinated effort to target "hot spots" in the cities and increase supervision for 125 "high-risk" youths who are on probation. Phase two of Rell's plan will involve family and community outreach to address the root causes of the violence and provide employment, athletic and recreational opportunities in the cities.

"Let me be clear: the first order of business is to assure public safety and stabilize neighborhoods rocked by violence," Rell said...
Rell Wants Mob Out Of Trash;  Calls For New State Agency To Oversee Hauling Businesses, Issue Licenses
By DAVE ALTIMARI, Courant Staff Writer
June 11, 2006

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Saturday called for establishing a new state agency to oversee the trash-hauling business and to issue licenses to all garbage companies to try to eliminate involvement by organized crime in the industry.

The governor's call for changes came on the heels of a federal investigation that led to the indictments of 29 people, including organized crime figures from New York, on charges that they had carved up the trash hauling market in southwestern Connecticut and eliminated any competition.

"For too long, the garbage industry has been allowed to police itself, and the federal arrests over the last couple of days in Connecticut make it clear that self-regulation does not protect the interests of consumers," Rell said Saturday. "These arrests provided the warning signal we needed to continue on the path of reform in all segments of business and society..."

Rell has asked the Departments of Public Safety, Consumer Protection and Public Health, along with the chief state's attorney's office, to develop the outlines for establishing and operating a solid waste authority.

They are expected to report back to her by July 21. Rell anticipates that legislative approval may be required, although she wants to determine what steps can be taken to put reforms in place as quickly as possible.

"This is an industry clearly in need of more oversight, and an authority must be put in place to reform the way the trash-hauling business operates in our state," Rell said.

The 117-count indictment revealed on Friday alleges that James Galante, a Danbury-based trash hauler, was the major player in a racketeering scheme designed to limit competition, and that he used organized crime contacts in New York as enforcers to protect his territory, which included southwestern Connecticut and parts of eastern New York.

Federal authorities allege that Galante paid Genovese crime family boss Matthew Ianniello and another mob associate, Thomas Milo, annual "taxes" to provide the muscle to help stifle competition. Since 2001 Ianniello was paid nearly $800,000, the indictment alleges.

During a two-year investigation federal authorities used wiretaps to record more than 100,000 phone calls, put an undercover agent into the garbage industry and actually had him work for Galante for 22 days.

During a detention hearing Friday where federal prosecutors fought to keep Galante in prison until his trial, they played wiretaps that showed Galante's anger with another Danbury trash hauler who wouldn't remove a dumpster from the Marriott Hotel in that town.

On the tapes, Galante and several of his associates talk about slashing the tires on the hauler's trucks and smashing the headlights when his trucks enter the Danbury transfer station, which Galante operated, and at one point threatening to "take the guy's eyes out."

Others charged include former Waterbury Mayor Joseph Santopietro, who faces a racketeering count, and the owners or managers of several trash-hauling companies from Middletown to Danbury. Among the haulers charged with racketeering were Phil Armetta, of Dainty Rubbish Inc. in Middletown, and Jason Manafort, of CWPM in Plainville.

Santopietro allegedly acted as Galante's representative in the Waterbury area. Santopietro was convicted in 1992 of taking bribes while he was mayor of Waterbury. He served more than six years in federal prison.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that Santopietro met Galante while in prison. Galante served a year and a day on tax evasion charges.

Federal authorities also seized two properties, including a horse farm in Southbury that Galante bought for a girlfriend, six racing cars that he bought for top driver Ted Christopher, 24 bank accounts and more than $448,000 in cash found in Galante's New Fairfield home during a search.

The investigation also accused Galante of trying to skirt salary cap rules in the United Hockey League by paying some of his players for no-show jobs at one of his garbage companies. Among those who allegedly received extra paychecks was Brent Gretzky, the brother of former National Hockey League star Wayne Gretzky.

Two law enforcement officers also were swept up in the investigation. Former drug enforcement agent Louis Angioletti and Connecticut state trooper Paul Gialetti were charged with illegally accessing police computers to obtain secret information about the investigation for Galante or one of his representatives.
Make The Courts Open:  Gov. Rell sets right tone in addressing commission she named to create a more open process in the courts.
New London DAY editorial
Published on 6/6/2006

Gov. M. Jodi Rell set the right tone Thursday when she told the Commission on Judicial Reform that members should begin their duties with a bias toward making the judicial system transparent, accessible and accountable. The very reason the governor had to name a commission to improve communications and openness within the Judicial Department is the inclination of judges to favor secrecy over public disclosure. Such a tendency leads to more, not fewer problems, within the system.

The commission working for the governor mirrors one appointed by Senior Associate Justice David Borden. Both panels consist of lawyers, judges and journalists, and both should work to recommend specifics that meet the goals outlined by Gov. Rell.

Attorney Thomas Groark heads the Rell commission. He is a highly respected partner in the Hartford law firm of Day, Berry & Howard and the husband of former Lt. Gov. Eunice Groark. Associate Justice Richard N. Palmer of the State Supreme Court, is chairman of the Borden commission.

Both leaders said they have agreed to cooperate. That's fine, but the governor's task force should remain independent of the political pressures that could likely affect the Borden Commission, which is, after all, appointed by Justice Borden in consultation with other senior Judicial Department officials.

It will be the Rell Commission's job to ensure that internal pressures from the Judicial Department do not devalue its work and particularly the strength of its recommendations. It is appropriate to note that the governor named her working group as a Commission on Judicial Reform. Emphasis is on the word “reform,” for reform is surely needed.

The poster child of this mess in the Judicial Department is former Chief Justice William J. Sullivan. He said he secretly withheld a Supreme Court ruling favoring secrecy because he had hoped to influence favorably the nomination of Associate Justice Peter Zarella to succeed him as chief justice. Justice Zarella had voted with the Supreme Court majority to keep secret such basic information as court dockets. This is another example of the extent to which the Judicial Department has worked against the rights of ordinary Connecticut citizens who are entitled to basic court information.

In addition, senior court officials had conspired several years ago to keep from the public any record at all of some civil cases that came before the courts. These included divorce cases for prominent politicians and businessmen, judges of the court and celebrities.

That duplicity indicated how far the courts had fallen in their responsibility to be open, fair and objective stewards of the legal process. The case involving Justice Sullivan was extraordinary for its brazenness and represents a unique opportunity for the state to open up the secrecy of the judicial process and thus make better the legal process for all state citizens.

So the Rell commission should be promoting aggressively sunshine within the court system. The worst thing that could happen would be for window-dressing items to appear from both commissions and then for the Judicial Department, aided by the legislature's Judiciary Committee, to slip back into its old, corrupt environment of secrecy.

Rell Glides To Nomination In `Lovefest'
Hartford Courant
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING
May 21, 2006

NEW BRITAIN -- While Democrats were entangled in an old-fashioned floor fight Saturday, Republicans spent a harmonious day nominating Gov. M. Jodi Rell and her underticket by acclamation.

Rell, who has consistently maintained popularity ratings near 80 percent since taking over for the disgraced Gov. John G. Rowland, vowed to continue her policies during the next four years - promising again to try to eliminate the property tax on cars and to continue restoring integrity to state government.

Rell delivered her 13-minute acceptance speech to more than 1,600 enthusiastic delegates at the same time that New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy were battling for their party's nomination in Hartford.

Rell has said repeatedly that she has no preference for which mayor she will face in November. But she took direct aim at her rivals by scolding them without mentioning them by name.

"To those on the other side who seek to tear down our state in order to build themselves up, I say this: Open your eyes and close your mouths," Rell said, prompting a standing ovation from the delegates in the gymnasium at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

"The people of Connecticut are tired - so very tired - of the shrill ranting of partisan politicians," Rell continued. "They're tired of `gotcha' politics. They're tired of politicians who say one thing and do another. I can tell you right now I am tired of it, and, in fact, I am embarrassed by it. Enough."

Rell started her speech on a softer note, talking about holding her new grandson, Tyler, who was born in April. She told the delegates she had a flood of memories about her own children as the infant slept in her arms.

"But then he woke up and opened his eyes," said Rell, who was emotional at times. "He took my breath away because all I could see in those eyes was the future. A future of incredible promise. A future of extraordinary wonderment and possibility."

While Democrats now head for an August primary for the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate nominations, the Republican theme Saturday was unity. That message was underscored when Paul Streitz of Darien dropped out of the U.S. Senate race - handing the nomination by acclamation to former state legislator and Derby Mayor Alan Schlesinger.

Before the nomination, Schlesinger acknowledged that his best hope is for Democratic challenger Ned Lamont to beat incumbent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in the August primary, and for Lieberman to run as an independent. In his acceptance speech, he targeted Lieberman, who won the party endorsement Friday night.

Schlesinger said Lieberman has been widely mischaracterized as a conservative Democrat.

"For 18 years, our Democrat senator has talked right and voted left - appearing to be all things to all people," Schlesinger declared. "We have to let our Republican brethren know that for 18 years our Democrat senator has received the lowest ratings from tax watchdog agencies and the highest grades from liberal Democrats."

Following the chants of his supporters, Schlesinger repeatedly returned to the same line in his speech: "Joe must go!"

After thanking the delegates and those who have helped him, Schlesinger said, "Thank you, Democrats, for splitting right down the middle!"

Republicans preached a message of unity throughout the day Saturday, starting in the morning with the underticket candidates.

"We have a minority party that's having a lovefest and a majority party that is having two ferocious fights," said Sen. William Nickerson of Greenwich. "We're having an all-inclusive block party, and they're having a mud fight. Not a good way to start the summer."

Nickerson, who served with Rell in the state House of Representatives, said the Democrats have no equivalent candidate on the ballot to compete with the stature and popularity of Rell. That, he said, will help GOP candidates in various races around the state.

The most entertaining speech of the day came from Rep. Robert Farr, a state legislator for the past 26 years who will battle against four-term incumbent Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Making the noise of a sheep by repeatedly saying "Baaaaah!" Farr then noted: "That's the last time you're going to hear me sounding like a sacrificial lamb!"

Farr told the crowd to remember 1954, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House, the last time that Republicans won the attorney general's seat in Connecticut.

"They've held that longer than Castro held Cuba and Mao controlled China," Farr said. "It's time for a change. It's time for Bob Farr as attorney general. ... I stand here ready to give them hell and give them Rell."

Besides Farr, the delegates endorsed four other underticket candidates by acclamation: Sen. Cathy Cook for comptroller, East Windsor First Selectwoman Linda Roberts for state treasurer, Cheshire Republican Registrar of Voters Richard Abbate for secretary of the state, and Michael Fedele for lieutenant governor.

The supporters of Malloy, who won the party endorsement Saturday, have said in recent days that the selection of Fedele, a longtime Stamford resident, was an obvious admission by Rell that Malloy would be a more difficult candidate to defeat than DeStefano.

But Rell's chief of staff, M. Lisa Moody, dismissed that notion, alluding to a recent poll that showed Rell easily beating either Democrat.

"Dan who?" Moody asked. "Mister 16 percent? Mister 20 percent? What did he get in the last poll? That's my official response." 
Republican underticket faces Herculean task
By Tom Breen, Journal Inquirer
05/21/2006

NEW BRITAIN - The Republican Party's bid to unseat the state's incumbent constitutional officers began with the nominee for attorney general approximating the bleating of a sheep.

"Bah ... bah ... bah," Rep. Robert Farr, R-West Hartford, said. "That, my friends, is the last time you're going to hear me sounding like a sacrificial lamb."

It was an attention-grabbing way to begin a speech, and Farr certainly could use some attention: He's trying to unseat Richard Blumenthal, Democratic attorney general since 1991, from an office Republicans haven't held since Dwight Eisenhower was president.

"The incumbent has not seen a challenge like he's about to see," Rep. Robert M. Ward, R-North Branford, predicted Saturday at Central Connecticut State University's Kaiser Hall, where Republicans gathered to nominate candidates for statewide office.

Farr is joined on the underticket by East Windsor First Selectwoman Linda L. Roberts, who's running for the office of treasurer; outgoing Sen. Catherine W. Cook, R-Groton, running for comptroller; and Cheshire Republican Registrar Richard J. Abbate, running for secretary of the state.

These candidates have higher profiles than Republicans running for those offices in recent elections - Farr and Cook are well-known members of the General Assembly, while Roberts is widely respected as a town administrator who can thrive in a tough political climate.

But all will have to struggle not only against Democratic incumbents, but also against a general lack of knowledge or interest in the state's constitutional offices.

To make things more difficult, when constitutional officers are well known, like Blumenthal, that works against challengers because voters are more likely to vote for familiar names in unfamiliar offices.

Republicans hope that by criticizing the incumbents and running alongside the overwhelmingly popular Gov. M. Jodi Rell they can score some upsets in November.

Farr rapped Blumenthal for being a publicity hound, while Cook - dubbed "the marvelous mama of Mystic" in a nominating speech by U.S. Rep. Robert R. Simmons, R-2nd District - promised to be "an activist comptroller."

Roberts said she wanted to make the public more aware of what the state treasurer does.

"I want to demystify the role of the state treasurer, and make the office more open," she said.

Abbate blasted Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz for using her office to prepare a gubernatorial campaign.
Scott R. Kaupin, Republican minority leader on the Enfield Town Council and a delegate at the convention, praised the underticket as being strategically placed to win some surprising victories.

"They bring the legislative experience and the municipal experience critical for the constitutional offices," he said.

However, he's also hoping that Rell will have long coattails.

"The popularity of the governor will help the entire ticket," he said. "Her popularity speaks for itself. It transcends party identification..."


Lt. governor
Michael Fedele of Stamford. A former state representative, Fedele was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1992 and served until 2002 when he ran unsuccessfully for an open state-senate seat against Andrew McDonald. He is the chief executive officer of Pinnacle Group, a computer sales and leasing company based in Stamford. Fedele lives with his wife, Carol and their three children.

 Comptroller
Cathy Cook of Mystic. Cook is completing her seventh term in the state Senate, representing eight towns and three boroughs in eastern Connecticut. She is co-chairwoman of the General Assembly’s Program Review & Investigations Committee, the legislature’s watchdog committee. A 1973 graduate from Connecticut College, Cook is a national consultant in the health care industry.

 Secretary of the state
Richard Abbate of Cheshire.
Abbate has served as the Republican registrar of voters in Cheshire for nearly 10 years. He was elected to the post of president of the Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut in 2002 and is serving his second term in that capacity.

 Attorney general
Robert Farr of West Hartford.
Farr, an attorney, has served in the state House of Representatives since 1981 representing West Hartford. Farr earned his bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Connecticut, and his law degree from the UConn School of Law. He served as deputy mayor of West Hartford before being elected to the General Assembly.

 Treasurer
Linda Roberts of East Windsor.
Roberts is the first selectwoman in East Windsor, a position she has held since 1997. She also served on the East Windsor Board of Finance.

--------------------


 U.S. senate
Alan Schlesinger of Derby. He has served two terms as the town’s mayor from 1994 to 1998. He also served from 1981 to 1993 as a state representative. He has a law degree from the University of Connecticut Law School and is a partner in the law firm of Schlesinger and Barbara in Shelton.


Rell Glides To Nomination In `Lovefest'
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, Courant Capitol Bureau Chief
May 21, 2006

NEW BRITAIN -- While Democrats were entangled in an old-fashioned floor fight Saturday, Republicans spent a harmonious day nominating Gov. M. Jodi Rell and her underticket by acclamation.

Rell, who has consistently maintained popularity ratings near 80 percent since taking over for the disgraced Gov. John G. Rowland, vowed to continue her policies during the next four years - promising again to try to eliminate the property tax on cars and to continue restoring integrity to state government.

Rell delivered her 13-minute acceptance speech to more than 1,600 enthusiastic delegates at the same time that New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy were battling for their party's nomination in Hartford.

Rell has said repeatedly that she has no preference for which mayor she will face in November. But she took direct aim at her rivals by scolding them without mentioning them by name.

"To those on the other side who seek to tear down our state in order to build themselves up, I say this: Open your eyes and close your mouths," Rell said, prompting a standing ovation from the delegates in the gymnasium at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

"The people of Connecticut are tired - so very tired - of the shrill ranting of partisan politicians," Rell continued. "They're tired of `gotcha' politics. They're tired of politicians who say one thing and do another. I can tell you right now I am tired of it, and, in fact, I am embarrassed by it. Enough."

Rell started her speech on a softer note, talking about holding her new grandson, Tyler, who was born in April. She told the delegates she had a flood of memories about her own children as the infant slept in her arms.

"But then he woke up and opened his eyes," said Rell, who was emotional at times. "He took my breath away because all I could see in those eyes was the future. A future of incredible promise. A future of extraordinary wonderment and possibility."

While Democrats now head for an August primary for the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate nominations, the Republican theme Saturday was unity. That message was underscored when Paul Streitz of Darien dropped out of the U.S. Senate race - handing the nomination by acclamation to former state legislator and Derby Mayor Alan Schlesinger.

Before the nomination, Schlesinger acknowledged that his best hope is for Democratic challenger Ned Lamont to beat incumbent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in the August primary, and for Lieberman to run as an independent. In his acceptance speech, he targeted Lieberman, who won the party endorsement Friday night.

Schlesinger said Lieberman has been widely mischaracterized as a conservative Democrat.

"For 18 years, our Democrat senator has talked right and voted left - appearing to be all things to all people," Schlesinger declared. "We have to let our Republican brethren know that for 18 years our Democrat senator has received the lowest ratings from tax watchdog agencies and the highest grades from liberal Democrats."

Following the chants of his supporters, Schlesinger repeatedly returned to the same line in his speech: "Joe must go!"

After thanking the delegates and those who have helped him, Schlesinger said, "Thank you, Democrats, for splitting right down the middle!"

Republicans preached a message of unity throughout the day Saturday, starting in the morning with the underticket candidates.

"We have a minority party that's having a lovefest and a majority party that is having two ferocious fights," said Sen. William Nickerson of Greenwich. "We're having an all-inclusive block party, and they're having a mud fight. Not a good way to start the summer."

Nickerson, who served with Rell in the state House of Representatives, said the Democrats have no equivalent candidate on the ballot to compete with the stature and popularity of Rell. That, he said, will help GOP candidates in various races around the state.

The most entertaining speech of the day came from Rep. Robert Farr, a state legislator for the past 26 years who will battle against four-term incumbent Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Making the noise of a sheep by repeatedly saying "Baaaaah!" Farr then noted: "That's the last time you're going to hear me sounding like a sacrificial lamb!"

Farr told the crowd to remember 1954, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House, the last time that Republicans won the attorney general's seat in Connecticut.

"They've held that longer than Castro held Cuba and Mao controlled China," Farr said. "It's time for a change. It's time for Bob Farr as attorney general. ... I stand here ready to give them hell and give them Rell."

Besides Farr, the delegates endorsed four other underticket candidates by acclamation: Sen. Cathy Cook for comptroller, East Windsor First Selectwoman Linda Roberts for state treasurer, Cheshire Republican Registrar of Voters Richard Abbate for secretary of the state, and Michael Fedele for lieutenant governor.

The supporters of Malloy, who won the party endorsement Saturday, have said in recent days that the selection of Fedele, a longtime Stamford resident, was an obvious admission by Rell that Malloy would be a more difficult candidate to defeat than DeStefano.

But Rell's chief of staff, M. Lisa Moody, dismissed that notion, alluding to a recent poll that showed Rell easily beating either Democrat.

"Dan who?" Moody asked. "Mister 16 percent? Mister 20 percent? What did he get in the last poll? That's my official response." 

Budget deal kills Rell's prized car tax elimination plan
DAY
By SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press Writer
Apr 30, 12:22 AM EDT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Democratic legislative leaders agreed Saturday to a one-year budget that abandoned a plan to abolish Connecticut's car tax, a centerpiece of the Republican governor's proposed budget.

Rell also lost out on her proposal to phase out the state inheritance tax.

But the nearly $16.1 billion tax and spending plan, which takes effect July 1, axed some key initiatives the majority Democrats wanted, such as a $500 tax credit for low-income taxpayers and a new earned income tax credit program, Democratic leaders said.

Tax relief in the proposed budget comes in the form of a higher property tax credit against the personal income tax, to $500 from the current $400.

"Basically we've reached a budget detente and avoided nuclear disaster here as far as budgets go," said House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford. "This morning we came to a final agreement with the administration on a great budget and tax package."

Rell, in a statement, said the tax and spending plan controls spending and improves the state's business climate.

"This budget keeps us on the road to job growth and economic expansion, which have been my top priorities since I announced my budget package in February," she said.

Republican lawmakers and Rell's spokesman dismissed claims by Democrats that the governor gave up on her car tax plan during negotiations. The proposal had come under fire from Democrats, who said it might lead to a revenue loss for some cities and towns, and could create budget problems in the coming years.


"I cannot stress enough that Gov. Rell fought hard for elimination of the car tax, believing it was the best form of tax relief for Connecticut families," said Judd Everhart, Rell's spokesman. "It is wrong for the majority to say the governor somehow just gave up on it. She did not. In the end, it was not part of (the) final agreement, but neither is the earned income tax credit."

The House of Representatives has scheduled a rare Sunday session to vote on the budget proposal. The Senate is expected to take it up on Monday. The General Assembly is set to adjourn at midnight Wednesday.

"We did not want to leave here without running a budget and a tax package," said Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn.

Rell and lawmakers had some leeway: a surplus of about $660 million as they negotiated a revised version of the second year of the two-year budget that was approved last year.

Under the agreement, the largest portion of the surplus, $246 million, will make a full payment to the teachers' retirement fund, which is estimated to be underfunded by $5 billion. Nearly $136 million will be deposited into the state's Rainy Day Fund, $33 million distributed to cities and towns for a one-time revenue sharing program and $85.5 million to pay off borrowing from the 2003 budget crisis, Republican lawmakers said.

A detailed version of the budget was not available on Saturday.

Rep. Denise Merrill, D-Mansfield, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said funding for some new programs has been eliminated. She said legislators focused on replenishing money to programs that suffered reductions in federal funding.

She estimated that nursing homes across the state will receive about $40 million more than previously budgeted. Democrats relented and agreed not to target additional aid to only unionized facilities.

Calling the budget agreement "lean and fiscally prudent," Democrats said it sets aside enough money to help ward off future budget deficits. The legislature's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis says the state could be $224.4 million in the red in fiscal year 2008, $307.7 million in fiscal year 2009, and $412.5 million in fiscal year 2010.

"By not cutting permanent taxes any deeper than the ones we've made, we've made great progress in balancing those budgets right out of the gate," said Rep. Cameron Staples, D-New Haven, co-chairman of the tax-writing Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

The budget also includes Rell's job creation tax credit for companies that create at least 50 jobs. The credit would be equal to 25 percent of the estimated withholding tax per employee. Rell's tax credit for companies that hire laid-off workers also is part of the budget agreement, her spokesman said.

Republican legislators said they were pleased with the tax and spending plan.
"The governor succeeded in keeping the Democrats under the spending cap. It's much closer, only $17 million more than she proposed. It really is on the spending side a Republican proposal," said House Minority Leader Robert Ward, R-North Branford.

Democrats say the budget is $1 million under the spending cap.

Ward said the GOP is particularly pleased the budget eliminates the 15 percent surcharge on the corporate income tax in 2007.

Bills already approved by the legislature call for phasing out the local property tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment over five years and establishing incentives for the film industry.


Highlights of tentative budget deal between Rell and legislature

Following are highlights, provided by leaders of the General Assembly, of the tentative, one-year $16 billion budget agreement for the fiscal year that begins on July 1. The House of Representatives and Senate must vote on the deal.

The budget would:

- Increase the property tax credit against the personal income tax from $400 to $500.

- Eliminate a 15 percent corporate tax surcharge for 2007.

- Deposit $135.7 million of the budget surplus into the state's Rainy Day Fund.

- Deposit $246 million of the budget surplus into the underfunded Teachers Retirement Fund.

- Establish a one-time $33 million revenue sharing program with cities and towns.

- Set aside about $35 million more for special education aid.

- Provide about $40 million more for nursing homes.

The budget agreement does not include the following:

- Gov. M. Jodi Rell's plans to eliminate property taxes on cars and pickup trucks and phase out the state inheritance tax.

- The Democrats' proposals to establish an earned income tax credit for low-income residents and provide a $500 property tax credit to those who do not earn enough to pay income taxes.
Business, transit focus of Rell's visit
By CHRIS BOSAK, Hour Staff Writer
April 26, 2006

WILTON — About 200 business people waited patiently for Gov. M. Jodi Rell to deliver a speech at Rolling Hills Country Club on Tuesday morning.

Alas, Rell was stuck in traffic, having to divert from her planned route because of a truck accident on Route 7 south of Danbury.

"For you to plant an accident on Route 7 just to give me a flavor of how commuting can be was a big mistake," Rell joked as she addressed the crowd at the event, which was sponsored by Fairfield County Bank...

Rell addressed a variety of other issues including fiscal responsibility, the business climate in Connecticut, zone pricing, estate tax and car tax.

"Saying 'no' is not always popular when you are a politician, but to keep a budget balanced, sometimes it is necessary," Rell said.

She pointed out that she inherited a huge budget deficit when she took over the office in the middle of 2004 and now the state has a surplus of more than $600 million.

"We are holding the line on borrowing," she said. "I understand bonding and I asked, 'What can we borrow and still keep our bond rating?'"

Rell said she stayed within the $1.1 billion borrowing budget authorized by a bond agency her first year, even though the agency initially laughed at the prospect.

This year the agency authorized $2.5 billion.

"Just because it's authorized, that doesn't mean we're going to spend it. I've said 'no' so many times and I'm going to say 'no' again," Rell said. "Sometimes you have to say 'no.' In the long run, it will help us to stay on solid footing.

"I'm the type of person who wants to know how we're going to pay for it, how long it will take to pay for it and where exactly is the money going."

Rell drew cheers for her comments on fiscal responsibility...

Rell said she hasn't given up on eliminating the car tax to help alleviate individuals' property tax burden. She does not, however, have high hopes for it as the bill has not received strong support.

"It's not dead," she said. "I have it on life support."

Rell also painted a rosy picture of the business climate in Connecticut, although she expected some resistance on her views.

She said the "alphabet soup" of state agencies that promote business will be consolidated into one agency that will "answer to me." She added that Connecticut has the highest skilled labor force in the nation and that the Connecticut's quality of life is "second to none."

Rell said Connecticut also ranks high — relative to its location — in terms of being business friendly, ranking higher than neighboring states New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

"I know you don't believe me, but it's true," she stressed.

Rell starts campaign in high gear
KEN DIXON dixon.connpost@snet.net
Article created: 10/15/2005 04:20:29 AM

HARTFORD — Stormy weather forced Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell's 2006 candidacy announcement into the Capitol on Friday, but Democrats still tried to rain on her rally.

Rell, who has called for state ethics reforms since taking office after John G. Rowland's resignation amid a corruption scandal, took a shot of her own at Democratic challengers.  And political analysts said Rell has gained name recognition that will be hard for Democrats to beat.

During an emotional nine-minute speech, Rell fought back tears several times as she thanked family and friends for supporting her during her 15 months in office, which have included a battle with breast cancer and a mastectomy.

Speaking to about 300 people, Rell said she will continue to push for ethics and campaign-finance reforms. Rell said she has been on a "journey to restore faith and integrity to state government," predicting desperate efforts by Democratic challengers.

"They will need to tear down our state in order to build themselves up," Rell said. "Well I say to them: Those who see only the worst in Connecticut are not destined to lead it to its best."

Rell had planned to make her long-anticipated announcement on the north steps of the Capitol, where she took the oath of office under a blazing sun after Rowland's resigned.

But intermittent heavy rain forced the event indoors. William Hamzy, who chairs the state GOP, introduced Rell, saying the governor "has restored public trust in our state government."

Meanwhile, Democratic leaders, including the two announced challengers for governor, made preemptive strikes in the Capitol, telling reporters they have more governing experience than Rell, whom they hope to engage on economic issues.

Both Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., without delving into Rowland's corruption   conviction and yearlong federal prison sentence, were sure to use his name in a sentence with Rell, who was lieutenant governor for nine-and-a-half years in Rowland's administration.

"I want to welcome her to the race," Malloy told reporters. "Finally we can have a debate about real issues in Connecticut. The reality is we've lost more jobs than most of the states in our neighborhood." DeStefano sounded a similar note. "Connecticut is a state of great promise and opportunity," he said. "But on issue after issue, over the last 11 years, the Rowland/Rell team has failed us." And Nancy DiNardo, the Democratic state chairwoman, charged that Rell's nascent campaign violated campaign-finance regulations this week by sponsoring a mailing before her candidate committee was officially formed on Thursday. But political analysts said Rell is going to be tough to unseat.

John M. Orman, the Fairfield University professor who recently ran — and withdrew — as a potential challenger to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in the state Democratic party, said that Rell's been doing "a pretty good job."

He said that neither Malloy nor DeStefano would be able to defeat Rell; and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's withdrawal as a contender, combined with her approval rating and high-profile battle with breast cancer, means the job is hers if she wants it.

He doubts there is enough statewide recognition for DeStefano, and Malloy's city of Stamford seems far away from Hartford.

"I think most of the state thinks Stamford is a football team in California," he said, referring to Stanford University.
Rell Exults After Vote;  GOP Legislators Parted With Governor
December 2, 2005
By MARK PAZNIOKAS, Courant Staff Writer
 

Gov. M. Jodi Rell celebrated the passage of far-reaching campaign finance reforms Thursday, even though fellow Republicans largely abandoned her on the issue and a court challenge is possible.

"We have set the standard," Rell said. "We are now a role model for the rest of the nation. I think that Connecticut can be very proud of this bill."

The Democratic-controlled Senate and House combined for nearly 14 hours of debate Wednesday night and Thursday morning, concluding at 2:44 a.m. with passage by the House on an 82-65 vote.

Seven hours earlier, the Senate voted 27-8 to approve the legislation, which bans contributions from lobbyists and contractors and creates a voluntary system of publicly financing campaigns for state office.

Only four Republicans in each chamber supported the bill, which was drafted by Democrats.

House Minority Leader Robert M. Ward, R-North Branford, rebuffed overtures from Rell's senior staff and led a vigorous floor fight against a bill that he described as badly flawed.  The political parties and legislative leadership's political action committees will be permitted to make unlimited expenditures, such as paying for direct mail appeals, on behalf of candidates who accept public financing.

"I found that loophole to be so overwhelming I couldn't support the bill," Ward said.

Rell said that she also was troubled by those provisions, but that bans on lobbyist and state contractor dollars, as well as public financing, go far to minimize what she called the corrosive influence of special interests in politics.

"I believe we got 85 percent or more of what I had hoped we would be able to have in a bill at the end of June," said Rell, who intends to sign the bill in the next few days.  The legislature had ended its regular session in June deadlocked over campaign finance reforms, an issue that Rell had made a priority soon after succeeding John G. Rowland as governor in 2004.

Rell said that she would seek legislation in the 2006 regular session to correct flaws in the bill. She wants to limit party and leadership expenditures and lower the threshold that petitioning and minor-party candidates must meet to qualify for public funds.

Petitioning candidates must gather signatures from 20 percent of affected voters, nearly an impossible task, to qualify for the same public funds available to Democrats and Republicans.

The Green Party is considering challenging the provision in court, said Michael DeRosa, the co-chairman of the party.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut is exploring a challenge on two grounds - the unequal treatment of major and minor candidates, and the violation of lobbyists' free speech rights. Courts have held that political contributions are a form of speech.

"We are obviously concerned about the constitutional issues raised by the law," said Roger C. Vann, executive director of the state's ACLU chapter.  Vann said that he expected no decision on a lawsuit for weeks.

"This kind of case potentially would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It would be potentially a long and difficult battle," he said. "We don't take these decisions lightly."

Passage of the legislation was a personal victory for the Democratic legislative leaders, who had been repeatedly outmaneuvered by Rell on the issue, most recently by her calling legislators into special session to tackle reform after they had refused to do so on their own.

House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, and Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams Jr., D-Brooklyn, delivered on a promise made Monday: If necessary, Democrats could have passed the measure without a single Republican vote.