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No one should doubt how serious rookie Greenwich Republican David  Stemerman is about his bid for governor. The hedge fund honcho donated $1.8 million to his nascent campaign for the state’s top job, according to his first campaign finance report. It’s not a Linda McMahon size deposit to campaign coffers but it’s a big start in a race in which other candidates spending their days and nights chasing $100 donations. Candidates whose dreams are filled by visions of hitting the $250,000 mark.

Now Stemerman has to show he knows how to do more than write a fat check.

Stemerman did receive one contribution that has wags snickering. It was $1,000 from his treasurer, Henry Schaffer, of Trumbull. Yes, Trumbull.

Fairfield County Republican Mike Handler raised $114,000 in small contributions that his campaign says qualify under the state’s public financing program for generous grants. Handler, whose spokesman is veteran Republican Chris Cooper, is Stamford’s chief financial officer.

This is a fast start that will catch the attention of Republicans assessing the crowded field of candidates.

State Representative Themis Klarides (R-Derby) chose last Saturday, September 30th, to try to ingratiate herself with member of CCDL, many of whose members are devoted to the proliferation of semi-automatic weapons.

It took calls to some reluctant local Republican town committee members, but gubernatorial hopeful Prasad Srinivasan won the endorsement of the Glastonbury town committee this week. The vote, which was not mentioned in the candidate’s press release, was 16 in favor of the endorsement, 4 opposed. Srinivasan, as others have noted, struggles with the credible details on the state’s economy that people expect a candidate to be nimble in explaining, even extolling. Like rival Steve Obsitnik has started to do.

Even locals have been stumped on what accomplishments in the four terms in the legislature the Glastonbury allergist will be able to highlight to distinguish himself in a crowded field.

Srinivasan, who claims to be a fiscal conservative, is the first candidate to have raised the $250,000 in small contributions necessary to qualify for public financing of his campaign. Promising doctors you will raise Medicaid reimbursement rates and limit the consequences of medical negligence will send a lot of contributions over the transom from people with MD at the end of their name.

Here’s Srinivasan’s endorsement announcement:

Greenwich selectman and Democratic lieutenant governor hopeful Drew Marzullo (aka Joseph Andrew Marzullo) does not want to talk about his August 16th Clinton Crossing arrest for 5th degree larceny. In announcing his silence, the ambitious Democrat calls it an alleged incident.

The Clinton police report of Marzullo’s arrest makes it clear why he prefers silence to an explanation before Greenwich voters go to the polls in November. Marzullo, according to the report based on several witness accounts, engaged in repeated acts of stuffing merchandise into aan off-white canvas Black Dog bag with orange trim and taking the items to his new Lexus in the Clinton Crossing parking lot. The police report confirms there is video of Marzullo in J.Crew lifting the goods, sometimes by stuffing them in the bag, other times carrying them out in his hands.

The unemployed Marzullo at first denied taking the 26 articles of clothing that police found strewn in his car. After he was taken into custody, Marzullo admitted he’d lied to police when he said someone else had put the loot in his car.

Since Marzullo refuses to heed the call of local Democratic party leaders and get off the November ballot, he ought to obtain the J. Crew video and release it to the public before Greenwich voters go to the polls. Greenwich Republicans ought to join in a bipartisan call for the public to be allowed to see what happened at Clinton Crossing on the day of Marzullo’s “alleged incident.”

Curiously, the voices of state Democratic leaders have been oddly stilled, too. They may be worried that if they condemn a bizarre shoplifting scheme they will have no way to ignore the major corruption conviction of one of their candidates for governor.

If a politician is going to try to raise money off the dead and wounded of the Las Vegas slaughter only hours after the attack, be honest about it. U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy wants the money but wrapped his fundraising appeal in a deceptive request of support for gun control advocates.

Murphy’s Monday email sought contributions for Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC, Everytown and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. When supporters clicked through to the Act Blue donation site, there was a fourth organization splitting contributions, Murphy’s re-election campaign.

If you cannot resist the compulsion to raise money for your re-election as the dead are being identified, just do it. Don’t cloak your grimy impulses behind other groups on a solemn day.

When Greenwich board of selectman member Drew Marzullo (aka Joseph Andrew Marzullo) was arrested for shoplifting in Clinton, Connecticut on August 26th, he had 25 items in his Blackdog tote bag and no evidence he’d paid for any of them. The Democratic lieutenant governor hopeful and candidate for re-election in Greenwich this fall is accused of of stealing merchandise from the J. Crew and Sketchers stores and the popular Clinton Crossing outlets.

The Clinton police report states that Marzullo at first denied taking more than $600 in clothing items. He became emotional and admitted he’d taken the goods and apologized for lying to police, who had been called to the scene by a J. Crew employee.

Marzullo has declined to comment on what he calls an “alleged incident” and may hope postponing the resolution of the matter until after this November’s municipal election will help him get past the finish line in tony Greenwich.

The ambitious Democrat told police, the arrest report states, that he did not know why he had stolen the clothes (pictures of which are above) when he could have purchased them.

State Senator Heather Somers, a first term Republican, and her husband will open their Groton home in support of gubernatorial hopeful Tim Herbst on the last day of the fundraising quarter. This is an early endorsement from a legislator as race for the Republican nomination becomes more crowded and competitive.

Somers won the 2014 three-way primary for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Jon Conradi served as Somers’ campaign manager and is the general consultant for outgoing Trumbull First Selectman Herbst.

A special message from UConn President Susan Herbst

Dear UConn Alumni,

As you may have seen, the Connecticut General Assembly recently approved a budget that would cut more than $300 million in funding from the University of Connecticut over the next two years. We write to urge you to contact your State Senator  xxxxxx to voice your opposition to balancing the budget on the backs of UConn students.

UConn has managed reductions to our state support for several years and we always expect to absorb cuts as the state works to address its budget challenges. However, $300 million is triple the size of the cut we expected. A reduction of that magnitude is unprecedented and would be devastating for UConn.

As I told the university community, such a loss of funding would send UConn’s academic quality plummeting, drive excellent students away from the university and out of Connecticut, make a UConn education unaffordable for many students and families, drive down graduation rates, increase class sizes, and gut vital student services, among other terrible impacts.

In addition, we know UConn is helping to lead the way in Connecticut’s much needed economic recovery. The ability to offer a high-quality education while maintaining our strong commitment to funding student financial aid is why so many of Connecticut’s best students choose to come to UConn. And employers rely on UConn to shape these students into highly skilled, well-educated graduates prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has indicated that he will veto this measure. A new budget will be negotiated by the legislature and the governor. We expect that will largely happen over the course of the next several days.

Many parents, students, employees and alumni have called and written to ask what they can do to help. The single most important thing you can do as a Connecticut resident and parent of a UConn student is to express your views to your State Senator TODAY by clicking here.

Thank you for your support in this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Susan Herbst
President
University of Connecticut

Greenwich Democrat Drew Marzullo (aka Joseph Andrew Marzullo) is on the docket Tuesday in Middletown Superior Court for a 5th degree larceny charge. Marzullo is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. He is serving his 4th term as the sole Democrat on tony Greenwich’s governing body and is on the November ballot for a 5th two-year term.

Marzullo was arrested at the popular Clinton Crossing outlet stores on August 26th for stealing more than $500 of merchandise. Police apparently reviewed video recordings.

Curiously, Marzullo gave his address as East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, though voter registration records list him as living on Orchard Street in Cos Cob.

Here’s a screenshot of the docket:

Marzullo is not represented by counsel.