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Even veteran members of the State Police force are agog at K-9 officer Bruce LaChance’s 2023 overtime. The 15-year Trooper First Class has made $282,506 in overtime so far this year. That’s in addition to his projected salary of $106,000, according to the state’s Open Payroll website. LaChance’s total pay this year is $422,040. That’s an increase from last year’s $229,208 in overtime, which was 64% of his total pay of $356,648.

Governor Ned Lamont has had no success getting state police overtime costs under control. The LaChance example also raises urgent safety issues. How can a trooper work that many hours and remain effective?

In a separate development, two high-ranking civilian officials in the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection were suspended from their positions Wednesday. DESPP did not release details. CTInsider.com, which has five reporters on the story, reported the suspensions were unrelated to the continuing investigation into thousands of fake traffic tickets that came to light earlier this year.

Daily Ructions has learned the cause of the suspensions will likely add to the problems the fractious agency’s new commissioner, Ronnell Higgins, who begins his tenure with high hopes that he will be able to solve the accumulating challenges to DESPP’s ability to carry out its responsibilities to the public.

Published December 14, 2023.

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Twenty years after his conviction for sexually abusing 9- and 11-year-old girls, Philip Giordano, the former mayor of Waterbury, has lost another round in his attempt to get out of federal prison. Today the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reject Giordano’s appeal of a U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill’s denial of Giordano’s bid for release.

Judge Underhill noted in his 2022 decision that the good works Giordano claimed to be performing in prison included details the 2000 Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate omitted. Giordano, the judge pointed out “had been disciplined for taking money from prisoners in exchange for legal work,” according to a WTNH report.

The appellate court noted in its decision released today noted that Judge Underhill did not abuse his discretion to in denying Giordano’s claim that “severe health concerns, his age, rehabilitation, [and] family circumstances” should compel his release 20 years into his 37-year sentence. Giordano also complained about the length of his sentence.

The Giordano case shocked the state when details of his chilling predatory behavior became public during his 2003 trial. They have lost none of their power.

Published December 13, 2023.

Connecticut Democrat Jahana Hayes was one of only three Democrats to vote to censure her House colleague Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) over a September alarm incident. It has been a hard week for Bowman. On Wednesday, popular Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced he will challenge Bowman for the Democratic nomination in the 16th House District. The contest was quickly dubbed one of the most expensive primary contests of 2024.

House Democrats, according to Axios, cried out “shame, shame” at House members who voted for the Republican measure to censure Bowman. The censure motion arose from Bowman’s admission that he set off a fire alarm in the Cannon Office Building during a September House vote on funding the government.

Hayes may face a rematch with Meriden and Ansonia Republican George Logan. Hayes eked out a 1,800 vote victory in 2022 to win a third term.

Published December 7, 2023.

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The celebration of the Maccabees defeat of the mighty the Seleucids will have to wait for denizens of the Capitol village to pay tribute to the Senate Democrats in New Haven on this, the first day of Hanukkah.

The eight-day Jewish holiday begins at sunset today, which is at 4:19 p.m. The Senate Democrats kick off their event in New Haven at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $100 to $2,000.

House Democrats changed the time of their December 7th fundraiser to 3:30 p.m.

Published December 7, 2023.

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House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Haven) Tuesday appointed Hartford area lawyer Herman Woodard as a member of the Public Defender Services Commission. Woodard, a Republican, replaces former state Representative William Dyson, a new Haven Democrat whose term expired soon September 30th. Woodard’s appointment is effective immediately.

Woodard, a popular defense attorney, joins the commission as months of tumult continue to rack the vital state agency. All commission members but Dyson resigned in April after an attorney for Chief Public Defender TaShun Bowden Lewis accused them of creating a pretext for discrimination by declining to act on her recommendations for promotions. Relations with new board members have been more contentious as members continue to stand their ground in support of frontline lawyers and agency administrators.

The commission meets today for what may be an extended executive session to discuss personnel matters.

Updates as events require.

Published December 5, 2023.

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University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric must have been ill-prepared for her October meeting with Governor Ned Lamont to discuss the future of Farmington-based UConn Health. On October 26th, Maric, Board of Trustees Chair Daniel Toscano, Trustee and UConn Health Board of Directors Chair Sanford Cloud and UConn Health Interim CEO Bruce T. Laing signed a letter acknowledging Lamont’s interest in “issuing an RFI or RFP to explore alternative option for the clinical enterprise at UConn Health.” The letter then dives into a long explanation on why Lamont would be wrong to proceed, raising points she ought to have fluently made at the meeting.

The quartet told Lamont, “We are extremely concerned that if any responses include selling the clinical enterprise [the hospital], the two schools’ [medical and dental] accreditation–and therefore their ability to continue to operate–could be in considerable jeopardy.” This is the last resort nonsense argument. Harvard Medical School, like many medical schools, does not own or operate a hospital and is in no jeopardy of losing its accreditation. The world renown school has, according to its website, “agreements with 15 clinical affiliates and research institutes, vital partners that provide patient care and clinical training.”

UConn Health remains a costly drain on state finances. That’s why earlier this year Lamont publicly asked State Comptroller Sean Scanlon to explore options for the hospital’s future without annual bailouts from taxpayers. Maric’s letter inadvertently emphasized in bold the hospital’s continuing financial troubles. It claims UConn’s 10-year financial forecast predicts state support will decline to $105.4 million in 2033. By its own estimate, UConn Health will require more than $1 billion in taxpayer support in the next decade. The letter omits Lamont’s support for the state to take on UConn and UConn Health’s pension and retiree benefit costs.

Maric and company “question the need to issue a broad RFP or RFI, particularly because, as you know, we fear this will cause significant damage to UConn Health including its schools, its reputation, and most importantly, retention and recruitment of the best and brightest faculty, staff and students, many of whom build their lives and careers in Connecticut.” Maric, a scientist and UConn’s former vice president for research, innovation and entrepreneurship, favors sclerosis.

Maric, Toscano, Cloud and Laing may have had only a flash of alarm over Lamont’s plans to seek options and ideas. The day before the letter was sent to him, UConn’s Board of Trustees met. There is no mention of the issue on the agenda or in the draft of minutes to be adopted at December 7th’s meeting. Those minutes state under UConn Health activities, “There was no Report on Committee activities.”

The agenda for the December 7th trustees meeting lists the monthly item on UConn Health activities, but no attachments of information for trustees and the public.

October’s draft minutes include a reference to an executive session–and a dodgy justification for secrecy. It states the reason for the closed meeting was “Preliminary drafts or notes provided the public agency has determined that the public interest in withholding such documents clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.” To retreat into an executive session to discuss the draft of a letter would be an extraordinary abuse of the law by a public university. UConn’s trustees and its powerful bureaucracy would know that.

Nearly three weeks after requesting a copy of the October 26th letter to Governor Lamont, UConn had not provided a copy of it as of publication of this story. Daily Ructions obtained it by other means.

Published December 5, 2023.

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Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died yesterday at the age of 100, was long a friend of the Connecticut Republican party organization. Dr. Kissinger, who lived much of each year in Kent, was mentioned as a possible U.S. Senate candidate in 1979 though nothing came of the speculation.

In the fall of 1988, Dr. Kissinger was the main attraction at a Republican fundraising and campaign dinner at the Hartford Hilton–two years before it was demolished to become a parking lot.

I remember the evening not for the speech but for what came before it that night. Before Dr. Kissinger spoke, Jonathan Bush, George H. W. Bush’s youngest brother, also who lived in CT, took the podium and directed the audience to a page or insert in their programs. There we would find the lyrics to “George Bush for President” to be sung to the tune of Irving Berlin’s timeless “God Bless America.”

There’s a reason we honor great lyricists. It is a rare talent. Berlin is one of the few (along with Cole Porter) 20th century American songbook legends who wrote both music and lyrics. He had not provided the substitute lyrics that night.

Jonathan Bush had enjoyed several ultimately disappointing years as a Broadway chorus boy after a stint in the military but before a successful career in finance. He answered the call of the greasepaint that night. I remember it well.

I was a candidate that year and full of enthusiasm for politics. Though young, I also possessed a well-developed instinct for an uncomfortable moment. As soon as I saw those godawful lyrics, I knew I was witnessing a terrible idea unfold. I paid no attention to Jonathan Bush as he belted out the terrible lyrics to the Irving Berlin chest-sweller made famous by Kate Smith. Bush strained to convince the audience to join in.

Through more than one chorus, my eyes did not leave the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate as he stood and looked out at the audience. His lips did not move, and neither did the rest of his stony face, as I imaged he contemplated in horror the demands of politics.

Published November 30, 2023.

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A puny 636 vote win in his 2022 re-election campaign marked state Senator Tony Hwang as a tempting 2024 target for Democrats in the 28th District. Hwang, seeking his 5th term last year, defeated district newcomer Timothy Gavin by just over 1% of the vote. Hwang’s close call continued a trend of once Republican suburbs across the nation becoming reliably Democratic.

Fairfield County, once the powerhouse region of Republican fundraising and victories, has witnessed a clear-out of Republican officeholders. Hwang, whose hometown of Fairfield was the scene of a November 5th Republican drubbing, could be next.

Democrat Rob Blanchard can read augurs as well as anyone. The former Middletown council member won a seat on Fairfield’s Representative Town Meeting this month and is being urged to take on Hwang next year, Daily Ructions has learned. Blanchard, 35, has a Democratic pedigree that ought to allow him to draw on resources not available to other first-time legislative candidates. He was a top aide to former state Senator Ted Kennedy when he considered a 2018 run for governor. Blanchard served as a close advisor to Governor Ned Lamont in his 2018 campaign and during his first term as governor. He now serves as Comptroller Sean Scanlon’s chief of staff and Assistant Comptroller.

Hwang’s 2022 opponent, Gavin, had lived in the district, which includes Fairfield, Bethel, Easton and Newtown, for just six months when he nearly tipped over the incumbent. A presidential election year–such as 2024–will likely see a surge in Democrats who did not vote in 2022 casting ballots. They are not ticket splitters.

Blanchard would bring a skill to the race that Hwang has not confronted before. The Philadelphia native and Syracuse University graduate is a skilled practitioner of the takedown without fingerprints.

Published November 28, 2023.

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For something completely different, read and subscribe to Now You Know–The Cultural Lives of Others, a new Substack newsletter. This week’s guest is CNBC Squawk Box and Squawk Pod producer Katie Kramer. She shares a trove of cultural treasures that will make you smarter and more interesting. And it’s free.

You will not want to miss this week’s edition of Now You Know–The Cultural Lives of Others. Guest Katie Kramer shares a dazzling array of interests and anecdotes.

Published November 28, 2023.

A big day for Plan Bs in state government. The Lamont-Bysiewicz administration, after a holiday weekend of lobbying, appeared to recognize Monday that it did not have eight votes on the legislature’s Regulations Review Committee to adopt comprehensive Electric Vehicle regulations proposed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

After days of scrambling and sweet-talking committee members, Monday did not bring a breakthrough in committee support. The administration is expected to withdraw the regulations and pass on a vote that would have brought a high-profile defeat of the administration by a legislature his party controls.

Prudence has scored a win over pointless defiance. The public retreat will serve notice on Governor Ned Lamont that DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes may have become more of a burden than an asset in steering environmental and energy policy through the General Assembly and into law.

Published November 27, 2023.

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