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State Treasurer Shawn Wooden’s brief and carefully crafted announcement Thursday that he will not seek a second term has bewildered Democrats sorting the possibilities of a replacement.

The Hartford Democrat ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2011, but was elected to the City Council that year. Wooden suffered a bruising defeat in a 2014 primary against incumbent state Senator Eric Coleman. Four years later, Wooden won the state party’s endorsement for treasurer and defeated Greenwich Democrat Dita Bhargava in an August primary. Wooden beat Republican Thad Gray in their fall contest.

Wooden’s carefully managed public image received a boost in September when he was picked in September to lead the National Association of State Treasurers. He and his office, which was marked by the frequent hirings and departures of aides, refused to confirm or deny to Jon Lender that actors were hired to portray his children in an ad he fronted for CHET, the state’s college savings plan.

Democratic hopefuls who seek to win the party’s nomination to succeed Wooden four weeks from Saturday face some daunting obstacles. Due to the nature of the business conducted in the treasurer’s office, candidates are restricted in soliciting campaign contributions from people in the financial industry.

The Democratic nomination is a valuable prize. A Republican has not been elected treasurer since 1994–that result set in motion a staggering scandal of influence for sale. Republican Paul Silvester and several top aides were convicted of corruption.

Prospective candidates began making calls shortly after Wooden’s announcement to test their support. The field will take a few days to take shape. Party leaders and delegates may want to refresh their recollection of the Earl O’Garra and Adam Cloud saga before making any commitments.

Published April 7, 2022.

Another painful day at the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). The home of a State Police dispatcher was searched Wednesday for child pornography by federal law enforcement agents.

“A civilian employee of the Connecticut State Police was placed on administrative leave Wednesday pending the outcome of an ongoing criminal investigation,” according to a brief statement from Brian Foley, executive assistant to Commissioner James Rovella.

The search comes less than three weeks after eight State Police recruits were fired for cheating on an online exam.

This post corrects an earlier one that reported the employee was arrested.

Published April 6, 2022.

State Representative Laura Devlin will join Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Stefanowski as his running mate in November’s election, Daily Ructions can report. The former communications professional is serving her 4th term from the 134th Assembly District, which includes parts of Fairfield and Trumbull. Devlin is a Deputy House Republican Leader.

The pair will make a formal announcement Tuesday. On Monday evening, the running mates appeared at a Fairfield Republican Town Committee for a preview of the news with Devlin’s local supporters.

Devlin, according to her official biography, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and was one of five children. Devlin’s mother was an elementary school teacher. Her father stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and fought more Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge later in that year when the liberation of Europe began.

Devlin “started working at 15 and largely put herself through college, graduating from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana in four years.” Devlin has lived in Fairfield for more than 20 years. She is married and has two children.

Before winning her House seat in 2014, Devlin served on Fairfield’s Representative Town Meeting. She serves on the Education; Finance, Revenue and Bonding; and Transportation committees.

Republicans meet next month to select their ticket. Stefanowski and Devlin will face little opposition. Devlin’s nomination signals Stefanowski’s hope to regain ground Republicans lost as suburban voters grew increasingly alarmed at the party establishment’s embrace of Donald Trump’s disdain of freedom, embrace of dictators, and unending vituperation for democratic norms.

Stefanowski’s choice of Devlin signals he understands he needs a safe pair of hands who can articulate sound policies without a thick coating of angry grievance.

Published April 4, 2022.

Independent audits conclude that West Haven government is still a mess. The report provided by accounting firm CohnReznick to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) will raise more questions about the state budget’s office ability to oversee programs under its jurisdiction.

Of the $1.136,085 in Covid Relief Funds (CRF) expenditures submitted by the City administration to CohnReznick for review, only $243,198 met federal government criteria for CRF spending. The audit finds $892,887 was spent outside the rules. Auditors found that West Haven “did not have sufficient controls and safeguards to ensure the proper accounting and reporting of CRF” The implications of the findings extend beyond the CRF opening. “The lack of internal controls, policies and procedures and other weaknesses identified are not restricted to the CRF expenditures, but impact the overall financial operations and management of the City.”

The report examined expenditures beyond those identified in the federal criminal investigation and indictment of former state Representative Michael DiMassa.

The report is an indictment of OPM’s five years of overseeing West Haven’s parlous finances. The City continues to provide inadequate controls over the use of checks. It fails to track properly overtime or compensatory payments for some employees. “in many cases, the reporting is reporting is performed directly by the employee,” auditors found.

West Haven neglects in many instances to obtain financial interest disclosures from entities doing business with it. There are no “formal or written accounting and reporting policies and procedures….”

The report notes that $5,000 paid to state Representative Kara Rochelle for “fire station consulting…does not meet CRF expenditure requirements.” Nor does $46,080 to summer sports camps.

City Council member Robert Bruneau is the principal in four businesses that did business with West Haven. Auditors found payments to those companies “and other members of Mr. Bruneau’s family amounted to approximately $170,000” in both CRF and non-CRF funds.

The report also casts a searing light on Mayor Nancy Rossi’s failure to impose basic controls and procedure on West Haven’s finances. Rossi, who was narrowly re-elected in November, is an accountant by training, though nothing she has done as mayor would confirm that.

The audit does not include funds West Haven received under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Published April 1, 2022.

Blimey, this is becoming a bad habit. The University of Connecticut School of Law fell from 58th to 64th in the 2023 US News rankings of law schools. The annual release of the rankings causes much anxiety among law school administrators.

Another plummet in the influential rankings will likely elicit a carefully written explanation of where US News went wrong again this year. After the college basketball playoff season concludes in a few days, UConn trustees may want to spare a few thoughts to the trouble at the state’s public law school. Asking administrators to consider their positions seems like a logical first step.

A 64th place finish this year. tied with Penn State and the University of San Diego, will not yield the sort of job interviews many law students seek.

Published March 31, 2022 (the 54th anniversary of Lyndon Baines Johnson’s announcement that he would not seek re-election).

Supreme Court Associate Justice Christine Keller announced Thursday that she will take senior status beginning Friday. The move, made only two years after Governor Ned Lamont appointed Keller to the high court, allows the Greenwich Democrat to fill the vacancy with a Democrat.

Had Keller waited until after the regular session of the legislature adjourns on May 4th, Lamont would have had authority to make only a temporary appointment. That would have raised the possibility of Republican Bob Stefanowski making an appointment for a full eight-year term if he scored an upset and defeats Lamont in November.

Keller, who was nominated to the Superior Court in 1993 by Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., when her husband, lobbyist Thomas Ritter was Speaker of the House. The Hartford resident was nominated to the Appellate Court by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in 2013. Lamont elevated Keller to the top court in 2020 when her son, Matthew Ritter, was serving as the House Majority Leader.

The announcement in the land of steady connections comes one day before the Judicial Selection Commission meets to interview three applicants for elevation to the Supreme Court. Judges approved for promotion by the commission are placed on a list from which the governor may pick nominees. The interviews are scheduled for 30 minutes each. The commission will them adjourn for lunch and awards.

Published March 31, 2022.

State Representative Hilda Santiago’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for secretary of the state received a boost from dozens of Democratic elected and party officials. The first name on the list is U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. Santiago works in Murphy’s Connecticut office.

State Senator Joan Hartley is the rare member of the upper chamber supporting Santiago over her colleague Matt Lesser. Legislators are well-suited to influence local delegates in under-ticket races.

The endorsements come at a critical time for Santiago. The nominating convention is in early May. There Meriden Democrat’s campaign has been seen as facing a serious challenge from Lesser, with New Haven Democrat Maritza Bond showing some strength. Santiago is also facing a subtle hurdle that Murphy’s endorsement will highlight. Some party leaders are reluctant to have put Murphy acolytes on the state ticket. Comptroller candidate Sean Scanlon also worked on Murphy’s staff before his benefactors found a spot for him as executive director of Tweed-New Haven Airport.

Here’s Santiago’s Tuesday’s list of endorsers:

United States Senator Chris Murphy

State Senator Joan Hartley

State Representative Catherine Abercrombie

State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan

State Representative David Arconti

State Representative Andre Baker

State Representative Jill Barry

State Representative Pat Boyd

State Representative Larry Butler

State Representative Julio Concepcion

State Representative Michael DiGiovancarlo

State Representative Bob Godfrey

State Representative Minnie Gonzalez

State Representative Ken Gucker

State Representative John Hampton

State Representative Joshua Hall

State Representative Geoff Luxenberg

State Representative Ron Napoli, Jr.

State Representative Anthony Nolan

State Representative Michael Quinn

State Representative Geraldo Reyes

State Representative Bobby Sanchez

State Representative Manny Sanchez

State Representative Charlie Stallworth

State Representative Peter Tercyak

State Representative Edwin Vargas

Meriden Deputy Mayor Michael Cardona

Manchester Deputy Mayor Sarah Jones

New London City Council President Efraín Dominguez, Jr.

Hartford City Council President Maly Rosado

Meriden City Council Majority Leader Sonya Jelks

Groton Town Councilor Aundré Bumgardner

Meriden City Councilor Yvette Cortez

Waterbury Alderman Sandra Martinez-McCarthy

Manchester Board of Directors Jessee Muñiz Poland

Plainville DTC Chair Rebecca Martinez

Manchester DTC Chair Mike Pohl

Meriden DTC Chair Millie Torres-Ferguson

DSCC Representative David Dumaine

DSCC Representative Larry Goldman

DSCC Representative Billy Taylor

Former Coventry DTC Chair Dorothy Grady

Former Norwich DTC Treasurer Susan Goldman

Former New Haven Chief of Staff Tomas Reyes

CHDC Chair Miguel Castro

CHDC Treasurer Frank Alvarado

CHDC Founding Member Yolanda Castillo

Published March 29, 2022.

Even the noble State Contracting Standards Board can become the home of a rat’s nest. Raised Bill 473, An Act Concerning the State Contracting Standards Board, creates an unusual exception for the Board’s executive director. It allows the Governor to appoint as executive director a retired executor director. There may soon be someone who fits the description.

David L. Guay, the board’s current executive director, is expected to retire soon. This legislation would make Guay eligible to continue in or return to his position as executive director if Governor Lamont chose to appoint him.

Disappointing that the board, which does consistently excellent work, would engage in a bid for an exemption from rules. But here it is:

Sec. 4. Subsections (f) to (h), inclusive, of section 4e-2 of the general

213  statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof

214  (Effective July 1, 2022):

215  (f) The Governor shall appoint an executive director of the board who

216  shall serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the board. The

217  executive director shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions

218  of section 4-7 and may be removed from office for reasonable cause, in

219  accordance with chapter 67. The board may recommend that the

220  Governor appoint as executive director a person who has retired from

221  state service after serving as the executive director of the board. 

Published March 25, 2022.

Attorney General William Tong began his re-election campaign with a two-minute online ad. Tong maintains the oddly grim mood that pervaded his 2018 ads. Even surrounded by his children in their school uniforms getting ready for the school run, the Stamford maintains a sullen tone, telling viewers “every day is a struggle.”

Tong’s pessimism suggests not much progress has been made in Connecticut the past four years.

There is no joy in Tong’s Connecticut. Expect Governor Ned Lamont, also a Fairfield County Democrat, to sound more cheerful when he begins his first advertising blitz this spring.

Meanwhile, Republicans, who have not elected an attorney general in more than 60 years, have a candidate. Jessica Kordas, a Norwalk lawyer, has entered the race. Kordas, a criminal defense attorney, has recently become involved in local politics.

Published March 25, 2022.

Democratic congressional hopeful Muad Hrezi has caught the attention of the Federal Election Commission. In a March 13th letter, the FEC asked for an explanation of two salary payments made to Hrezi by his campaign.

Hrezi’s paid himself $1,500 on October 5th and another $1,500 on November 3rd. The payments violate the FEC’s rules against “personal use of campaign funds by the candidate.” Hrezi’s campaign finance report noted that the two payments were “Salary (to be paid back to committee).”

The $3,000 could be seen as a loan to the candidate but that would also be a violation of federal campaign finance laws. Hrezi’s error was in not waiting longer. Remarkably, a candidate may draw a salary from his or her own campaign committee after the last day to qualify for a primary. In Connecticut this year, that’s June 7th this year.

Hrezi hopes to force an August primary against 12-term incumbent John Larson. Democratic town committees are in the process of selecting delegates to the May nominating convention. Hrezi will need the support of 15% of the convention delegates or the signatures of 2% of the registered Democrats in the First District.

At moments like this the relationship between a campaign treasurer and a candidate can become adversarial. “The committee must,” according to the FEC letter, “seek reimbursement for the full amount of the personal use violation(s) from the candidate and notify the Commission of such a reimbursement.”

Muad for Congress has until April 18th to respond to the FEC letter.

Published March 22, 2022.