Category — Posts

The Department of Public Health has begun its search for a new Director of Communications. The job is posted here. Candidates do not require the ability to intervene in a homicide investigation. DPH leaders may have revised their misbegotten decision to ask recently fired head of communications Av Harris, according to his lawyer, to obtain information from Bridgeport police investigating a December double fatal shooting at a bar.

Applicants should note that recent history suggests the deep roots in the state’s Democratic establishment are a decisive advantage in the competition for this position at the Department of Public Health.

Former Attorney General George Jepsen will be lobbying executive branch officials for Anthem, the health insurance company. Jepsen and law partner Perry Rowthorn registered with the state’s ethics agency Tuesday. They have registered to lobby the Office of State Comptroller, Office of the Attorney General, Department of Public Health, Office of the Governor, Department of Insurance, and Department of Corrections.

Health insurance is among the most regulated businesses in Connecticut.

Jepsen, a popular Democrat, served as attorney general from 2011 to 2019. He declined to seek a third term. Before becoming attorney general, Jepsen was a member of the state House of Representatives for two terms and the state Senate for six. He was the 2002 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor and later became head of the state party organization.

Anthem is paying Jepsen and Rowthorn $3,000 a month and anticipates their arrangement to last for all of 2021.

Av Harris has plenty of experience in the press, politics and government. He has seen, shared, explained, reported, and participated in a wide range of events. Even he must be astonished at this past year at the state’s Department of Public Health.

As Director of Communications and Government Relations at DPH as 2020 began, Harris was at the center of the state’s initial response to the approaching global health crisis. On April 13th, as the pandemic was days from its peak in Connecticut, Harris resigned, effective May 7th, to begin “a new professional opportunity in my home state of Massachusetts.” Four days later, Harris, “upon further reflection,” rescinded his resignation.

In December, according to Harris lawyer Irene Bassock, her client’s supervisors assigned Harris on an astounding mission. He was asked to obtain information from Bridgeport police officers about the alleged violation of COVID-19 rules at a bar where a December double homicide occurred.

Harris, who was a top adviser to Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim before joining the Lamont administration in 2019, possesses a highly developed instinct for recognizing trouble–for himself and others. Harris averred that asking a state health department spokesperson to intervene in a homicide investigation was unusual and beyond the scope of his authority. Harris attempted to raise his concerns with others in the department. When he was not able to reach them, he contacted a lawyer in Lamont’s office.

For his prudence, Harris says he was fired early this month. Thursday the 14th was his last day. The news came in a curt letter from Deidre Gifford, who is doing double duty as commissioner of public health and the state’s sprawling social services department.

Harris has been embroiled in controversy before. In March 2020, he referred to opponents removing the religious freedom exemption for inoculation of required vaccines as “the American Taliban.” Harris made the comments on Facebook. The group responded by calling for him to step down from his job.

His position would have been safer if the Malloy administration and the legislature had not moved public information officer positions out of the civil service. At-will state employers continue to enjoy whistleblower protections.

Erin Stewart will begin her campaign for a fifth term as mayor of New Britain on January 28th with a half-hour virtual fundraiser. Stewart has bucked a powerful trend that has seen many Connecticut Republicans lose what were seen as safe seats before Donald Trump took over their party.

Stewart’s 2019 win was big enough for Republicans to win a majority of New Britain’s city council. The win was a recovery after Stewart abandoned her 2018 bid for the Republican nomination for governor and was defeated in the party’s primary for lieutenant governor by Southington Republican Joe Markley.

Stewart is often included among prospective candidates for the 2022 Republican nomination for governor.

Former state Representative Kevin Skulczyck interviewed 2018 Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob Stefanowski on his News Rocky program on Facebook Live Thursday. The Griswold Republican announced as the program neared its conclusion that he is “ready and prepared to endorse Bob Stefanowski” in the 2022 race.

Skulczyck served in the legislature when Themis Klarides was the Republican leader. His announcement will not be welcome news as she continues to make calls and attempt to create a campaign organization.

Skulczyck, who served one term in the House, supported former Trumbull first selectman Tim Herbst in the 2018 Republican contest. Herbst place 4th in the five candidate primary.

American enterprises with business interruption insurance have been surprised and disappointed to learn that their policies provide no coverage in a global pandemic.

Small businesses in Britain won a significant high court victory Friday. Learn more from this Sky News report.

The global pandemic has not slowed the state’s hackerama. Maureen Magnan, who served as chief of staff to former Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, has joined the University of Connecticut lobbying team. Magnan was not retained by the new speaker, Matthew Ritter.

The announcement was made Thursday shortly after Daily Ructions inquired about the hiring of the West Hartford Democrat. Longtime Magnan friend and UConn lobbyist Joann Lombardo wrote in an email she expected to fill the post later this year. “In the interim, I am pleased to announce that Maureen Magnan will be providing us with much needed assistance during the 2021 Legislative Session.”

UConn, which is part of state government, enjoys a lobbying staff of five to lobby state government. Last year UConn paid $180,000 to a Washington lobbying firm, Clark Hill PLC.

News that UConn has hired Magnan came on the morning the Labor Department revealed national first-time unemployment claims surged to 965,000 last week.

Salting higher education with unemployed Democrats was begun by former Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s administration. It was at first ignored by Governor Ned Lamont and now appears to have been adopted and enthusiastically continued by him as the state’s unemployment has soared.

UPDATE: “Magnan,” according to UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, ” is being paid $70 an hour and is expected to work 25 hours per week or up to 35 hours with permission of her immediate supervisor. She is not filling the full-time position of director.” Magnan’s compensation will range between $1,750 and $2,450 a week.

Stamford Republicans are condemning Mayor David Martin for his unambiguous criticism of Donald Trump’s incitement of a murderous mob that invaded the Capitol on January 6th. “The events in our nation’s capitol are the result of the president and others turning honest debate into extreme populism based upon alternative facts and lives,” Martin wrote.

Stamford Republicans offered rides to the riot. On Tuesday, they equated Martin’s statement to the actions of the insurrectionists in a mewling Facebook post. The Stamford Republicans decline to condemn Trump’s role in the calamity, though they do include the obligatory call of Trump supporters for national healing through ignoring the attempt to overturn a democratic election.

The lower Fairfield Republican committee may want to engage in some quiet reflection on changing their symbol as they wash the incendiary rhetoric of the last five year.

This Facebook offer from Stamford Republicans to provide transportation to last week’s demonstration-turned-riot-turned failed insurrection continues to cause questions among local Republicans and others. Of most interest is who went and what did they do while there.

The email on the post is associated with local activist Arthur “Cort” Wrotnowski.

It is unusual to include in post a photo of gun laws in the jurisdiction where a political event is being held. That was an indication of the sort of travel plans likely passengers make. Something completely different than assurances that there would be time to stop for breakfast or if there’d be a way to charge phones in the livery.

There’s never a good time to be associated with an event that became a national trauma–at which a Capitol police office and veteran was murdered–but it is especially bad as Stamford Republicans might have been able to take advantage of a fractious Democratic contest for mayor this year.