Gov. Rell is ordering $35 million more in cuts to state agencies.
As a process note, the state comptroller will decide tomorrow whether the deficit totals at least 1% of the state budget, which would mean that Rell would be required to submit a deficit reduction plan to the legislature within 30 days. As in, right before the election.
Ask candidates when you see them, whenever you can, how they would like the state to deal with the deficit and shrinking revenues.
Posted in Uncategorized
Although the poll was taken before yesterday’s vote in the House, according to the Hartford COURANT on line, the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at UCONN has released a poll showing Congressman Joe Courtney favored by 50% of those surveyed (likely voters according to the article) versus 23% for Challenger Sean Sullivan. Green Party Candidate Scott Deshefy polled at 2%. There was no mention of Libertarian Dan Reale or what the remaining 25% of those polled thought. The poll is not currently posted on the CSRA web site.
Posted in Uncategorized
US Attorney General Michael Mukasey has named Acting Connecticut United States Attorney Nora Dannehy to lead a probe into the firings of nine US Attorneys in 2006. The appointment comes in response to a report by the Inspector General asking for counsel to be appointed.
Dannehy is a 17 year veteran of the Connecticut US Attorney’s Office and is currently the acting US Attorney, replacing Kevin O’Connor when he was moved to Washington about six months after he was moved to DC, first as Alberto Gonzalez’s Chief of Staff and then as the third-ranking official in the Justice Department.
This is not an appointment made to sweep the scandal under the rug (see Rowland, John – Dannehy prosecuted the Governor after Kevin O’Connor was forced to recuse himself from the prosecution because his wife was Deputy Legal Counsel for Rowland; Silvester, Paul, former State Treasurer). Dannehy is a prosecutor, not a politician – if, after investigation, there is someone to prosecute, politics will not have a role. Likewise, if there is no one to prosecute. Dannehy has a reputation as being apolitical. If you don’t believe me, ask her colleagues (including Rowland Attorney Willie Dow). She also avoids the media, rather than trying cases there. This pick gives me a lot of confidence that we will one day know what happened at the root of the US Attorney firings – one way or the other.
On a related note, when did the Connecticut US Attorney’s office become the recruiting ground for state and federal officials to solve thorny problems? In the last two years former AUSA (and one-time Acting US Attorney) John Danaher replaced Len Boyle as head of the state Department of Public Safety, Kevin O’Connor moved up to Washington, John Durham was tapped to lead the investigation into the CIA torture tapes, and now Dannehy. Combine this with the second iteration of the O’Connor replacement being stuck (likely forever) in confirmation hell! I know our prosecutors are good, but, could we maybe keep some of them? Please?
Posted in Corruption, Government, Government Reform
We knew this already, but now a report is confirming it–we have some of the highest property taxes in the country. And why is that? According to the CT Conference of Municipalities, it’s because state aid hasn’t kept up with what it costs to run a town:
Annual increases in state aid have not kept up with the rising cost of running local schools and governments, according to a study released Monday by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
“Shackled to an 18th century property tax system that is insensitive to income, and an incoherent and fractious land use system that fosters intermunicipal competition and sprawl development, towns and cities face a host of challenges,” said the 21-page annual report. The study said that the state’s Education Cost Sharing system has not kept up with the rising cost of running public schools.
The basic ECS grant has risen from $1.3 billion in 2002, to $1.5 billion last year, but the state share of total costs has declined from 31 percent to 28 percent over the same period. (Dixon)
The report itself is here.
A meeting down on the shoreline held over the weekend attempted to address some of these issues. You can read about it here. With the economy the way it is, and with state spending not likely to increase any time soon, towns and cities are going to be left looking for solutions. It could be a very painful budget season next year.
Source
Dixon, Ken. “Report on state released.” Connecticut Post 29 September, 2008.
Posted in Towns and Cities
Connecticut’s House delegation was split over the bailout bill today, with Reps. Murphy, DeLauro, Shays and Larson voting in favor, but Rep. Joe Courtney voting against. Their reactions and rationales:
Larson:
I remain as skeptical and as frustrated as the citizens I serve. The Bush Administration laid this crisis at our doorstep – a financial mismanagement version of Hurricane Katrina, except this was no natural disaster, it was entirely manmade. The uncertainty and danger of not acting, in my mind, would place citizens in greater peril, by not protecting their pensions, their jobs and their security.
Murphy:
Since Friday, two major U.S. banks have failed, money market accounts have been put at risk, and the Dow has dropped another 500 points. Peoples retirement and jobs are at risk of disappearing. This is the hardest vote Ive cast since coming to Washington, but I simply cannot allow my constituents retirement and jobs to be put at risk by Congress refusing to act.
This legislation, though far from perfect, is a completely different bill than the three page proposal initiated by the President. It makes sure that Wall Street bears the burden of paying for the program, puts real limits on pay for CEOs that participate in it, and limits the amount of taxpayer money made available for the program. It wasnt an easy vote, but it was the responsible vote.
As a Member of the Financial Services Committee, I stand ready to go back to the table to come up with a new proposal that can gain the support of a majority of the House.
DeLauro:
It is in the interest of the countrys economy for the Congress to act on this crisis. I hope that we will act on an amended bill later this week.
And against, Courtney:
Despite the best efforts of Congressional Leaders to improve the unprecedented request from the Bush Administration for a $700 billion blank check for Wall Street, I believe the Financial Rescue Package falls short of effectively addressing Americas financial crisis. I voted against the measure today.
[…]
The stubborn refusal of President Bush and Secretary Paulson to provide a meaningful solution to the home-mortgage foreclosure crisis means that the underlying cause of this financial disaster will continue unabated. I cannot in good conscience vote to borrow $700 billion in taxpayer money for a plan that does not stem the downward spiral in the real estate market, nor invest in economic stimulus that will help struggling middle class families.
And lastly, Rep. Chris Shays, who was in favor of the bill, in what has to be the best quote of the day:
Nancy blew it.
Did she ever. Of course, the GOP leaders, not to mention Bush, Obama and McCain, also blew it.
Or was it Congress, fearful of election politics, that blew it instead? The stock market is down almost 800 points today at the news. Right now I can’t get on to the House of Representatives’ website, which has probably been overloaded by angry constituents.
I don’t think the House leadership–in either party–expected this to happen. I don’t think the leaders knew how many votes they had (or didn’t have). They brought an unpopular, flawed bill to the table during the height of election season, and it flopped. Surprise!
They’ll be lucky if this doesn’t lead to an unmitigated disaster. Pelosi and Boehner should be replaced for failing at a crucial moment in our country’s history.
Posted in Uncategorized
Well, it looks like the bailout bill is ready. A lot of people don’t seem happy, including lawmakers, but the president and party leaders are hoping they’ll hold their noses and support it.
Not surprisingly, there’s a lot about Chris Dodd in papers this morning. Here’s an article about Dodd’s bumpy ride as banking committee chair.
And here’s one about how banking and mortgage giants contributed generously to Dodd–in fact, he’s received more contributions from them than just about anyone else.
Campaign finance reform and public financing help a candidate in Norwich.
Sen. Tom Colapietro is suddenly running unopposed after his GOP rival drops out. Colapietro is usually in the middle of a close race every two years.
A little under 3,000 people attended a rally in support of a constitutional convention yesterday.
What else is going on?
Posted in Uncategorized
No surprises here, but SurveyUSA is showing Barack Obama with a huge 54%-38% lead over John McCain in Connecticut.
The most interesting part of the poll is that Obama leads McCain 55%-38% in Fairfield County. Kerry-Edwards did win in Fairfield County in 2004, but by a much, much smaller 51%-47% margin.
The upshot? If the reeling economy can drive that many of Fairfield County’s voters to Obama, Rep. Chris Shays could find himself out of a job. The best thing that Jim Himes has going for him right now is that he’s on a ballot line with Obama.
Posted in Chris Shays, Jim Himes
It is common knowledge that State Senator David Cappiello was among the first of Republicans to call on Governor John G. Rowland to resign his office as revelations of corruption and the sale of his office came to light. It may be difficult to recall how back in 2004, it required a bit of political courage to do so against a governor who held a vice-grip on the party mechanism.
So maybe we all shouldn’t be too shocked to find out now, some four years later, John Rowland may be returning the favor by supporting Democrat Chris Murphy in his bid for re-election, as John Lender points out in today’s Courant.
In a Sept. 12 e-mail a copy of which found its way to The Courant Rowland urged friends and political associates to attend a fundraising reception for Murphy, at $250 a pop, this coming Tuesday at the Roma Ristorante in Oakville.
“We want to have a good Waterbury turnout,” Rowland wrote. “Please let us know if you can attend.”
The list of e-mail recipients included some familiar Waterbury-area family names such as Cicchetti, Mengacci and Sousa that were attached to top state appointments or lucrative contracts during Rowland’s 9 1/2 years as governor, and even now.
In fairness, I will say that as a Republican, I always liked John Rowland, and felt deeply betrayed by the actions that led to his resignation. I do believe in second chances though. Evidently, Democratic Mayor Michael Jarjura does as well, seeing as he placed Rowland in the job he holds now promoting economic development for Waterbury.
The interesting thing to me here is that Rowland is backing a liberal Democrat against a moderate Republican… as Lender notes:
Murphy is not the sort of conservative-edged candidate Rowland has favored in the past. On his campaign website, Murphy calls himself a “strong advocate for ethics reform” and bemoans Washington’s “culture of cronyism” in recent years. He says he wants to “tackle government corruption” and remove “private money … from the political process.”
Maybe we can see why Rowland would be happy to support Murphy. But doesn’t Murphy make himself a hypocrite by accepting Rowland’s help?
Source: Lender, John. “Cappiello Gets No Love from Rowland.” Hartford Courant. September 28, 2008.
Posted in Chris Murphy, David Cappiello
Some time ago, the League of Women Voters decided not to include third party candidates in their debates across the state. One of these debates was a 5th congressional district one to be held at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain–but now the university is backing out:
“We’ve hosted the League of Women Voters’ political debates several times, and we are proud of our association with the League,” said Mark McLaughlin, associate vice president of university marketing and communications. “In this matter, however, the League is welcome to do what it wants, but CCSU cannot participate in the event nor serve as the venue if candidates are excluded.”
The LWV says the third party candidates, in this case Green Party candidate Harold Burbank and independent Thomas Winn, did not meet their eligibility requirements. At the moment, it seems like neither party is going to give, so the debate is probably looking for a new home.
I guess we could have it at my house. I’ll order a pizza.
Update: The Murphy campaign last week also called for Burbank and Winn to be included. They sent a letter to debate organizers, which read in part:
To this end, we have accepted the invitation to participate in your debate with the assumption that all candidates who have qualified for the November ballot will participate in this important event. Just because some candidates might not have the resources to get their message onto the TV airwaves shouldnt mean that they are denied the opportunity to express their views in the context of a debate.
We consider a candidate to have earned the right to participate in debates if the Connecticut Secretary of the State has recognized him/her as having qualified for the November ballot.
They then listed Burbank and Winn as qualifying candidates alongside Murphy and Cappiello. The Cappiello campaign is currently withholding judgment, although they do want to see the debate go forward.
That Other Debate
I watched the majority of the Obama-McCain debate last night, and got the sense of a draw. Obama was cool under fire and got in some shots. McCain was patronizing, but also landed a few good hits.
The thing is, most debates don’t actually matter much to the outcome of the race. It’s also really hard to win an election based on a strong debate performance. It’s actually much more likely that a candidate will blow it somehow, like Dukakis in 1988, Bush I checking his watch all the time in 1992, or a poorly-shaved, sick Nixon standing next to Kennedy in 1960 (which is probably why after that televised debates disappeared until 1976).
Nothing like that last night. No gaffes. No chair fights. No swear words (except maybe a few muttered ones from McCain). No silly faces. Each candidate held his own and performed reasonably well. The CW seems to be that for McCain, that’s bad. He needed some sort of knockout, or for Obama to do something stupid, and that didn’t happen. Let’s see if the polls move any over the next few days before calling it.
What do you think?
Posted in Elections
Gov. Rell today came out in favor of holding a constitutional convention. Specifically, she said she wanted to see changes made to allow some sort of initiative and referendum process. However:
Rell was just finishing an impromptu news conference with reporters in the Capitol complex Friday afternoon when she was asked a final question on whether she favors a Constitutional Convention.
“Yes, I actually do,” Rell said. “But I also think that we should have some type of controls on a Constitutional Convention so that we don’t have an excess, if you will, of a number of types of frivolous types of amendments being offered year after year.” (Dixon)
However:
“I’m very reluctant to change the constitution. I would want some controls on it,” Rell said. “I don’t have any issues right now I’m looking forward to changing.”
This is definitely a boost for the groups pushing for a convention, although it isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.
Source
Dixon, Ken. “Rell Favors Constitutional Convention.” Connecticut Post 26 September, 2008.
Posted in Government Reform, Jodi Rell
Connecticut Local Politics 