Storm Clouds Over Waterbury. Feds Investigating O’Leary, Police and 2011 Campaign, Rep-Am Confirms.

Unsettling news from Waterbury. The Republican American reported this past weekend that federal authorities are investigating whether Waterbury police officers were on duty while they worked for Mayor Neil O’Leary’s 2011 election campaign against incumbent Michael Jarjura. O’Leary, a former Waterbury police chief and big winner in at least one local Super Bowl pool, says he is aware of the federal probe and there’s nothing there to see. Move along. What tawdry political doings could possibly have occurred in Waterbury during a fiercely conducted campaign for mayor.

One never knows where an investigation will lead, as Connecticut has often been remind. What would Waterbury be without FBI agents roaming the streets and asking questions?

The Republican-American is behind a paywall, but here are the first few paragraphs of the ominous story:

WATERBURY – A federal grand jury is investigating whether city police officers used on-duty time or public resources to help their former chief, Neil M. O’Leary, in his successful 2011 mayoral campaign.

Police and O’Leary confirm that city police officers have been subpoenaed in connection with the investigation of police involvement in the O’Leary campaign.

The FBI also has sought municipal records documenting the time that officers dedicated to a charity golf tournament that O’Leary helped organize.

After more than a week of rumors sweeping the city, O’Leary acknowledged the existence of the grand jury investigation in an interview in his City Hall office on Thursday.

He said he was uncertain of the details of the investigation because he hasn’t been interviewed or subpoenaed by the FBI or any other law enforcement agency about the 2011 election.

But O’Leary said he believes he has nothing to worry about because he repeatedly told city employees working on his campaign that all work must be done on their own time.

O’Leary sounds like he is straining to put a happy face on a damaging story. As students of public corruption investigations know, it’s a bad sign indeed when authorities have not questioned you when you or your campaign may be at the center of a criminal investigation.

Full marks to Jonathan Shugarts and Penelope Overton for getting the story.