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DC Lobbyist Joins Governor Lamont Wednesday Morning for party Fundraiser.



Lobbyist, Friend of Angelo and former Senator Christopher Dodd will join Governor Ned Lamont Wednesday morning on a virtual fundraiser for Connecticut Democrats. A donation of any amount will get a contributor into the breakfast without breakfast event.

Dodd, who served for 30 years in the Senate before becoming a lobbyist, is coming off a hard summer. The Harvey Weinstein favorite failed to torpedo the vice presidential prospects of Senator Kamala Harris from his perch on Joe Biden’s search committee. Harris and her allies made short work of Dodd’s attempt to boost the prospects of Representative Karen Bass. The California congresswoman’s affinity for late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro quickly deflated her Dodd-inspired boomlet.

The invitation:

Tomorrow, October 14th at 8:30 a.m. ET, you’re invited to join me and Governor Ned Lamont for coffee and conversation!

During this informal virtual event, we’ll talk about how important it is for the nation and the world that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are elected in November. Additionally, I will share some of my personal reflections and take your questions.

Register today by making a contribution of ANY amount to the Connecticut Democratic Party.

Morning Coffee and Conversation w/ Former Senator Chris Dodd
Hosted by Governor Ned Lamont
Wednesday, October 14th, 2020
8:30 a.m. ET
Zoom Invite Upon RSVP

RSVP Now

I’ll see you tomorrow!

— Chris Dodd

October 13, 2020   Comments Off on DC Lobbyist Joins Governor Lamont Wednesday Morning for party Fundraiser.

Obsitnik Supporters Agree to Pay $25K to Settle PAC Coordination Complaint.

Political committee FixCT officials Scott DePetris and Lawrence McGonegal will pay hefty fines to settle an ongoing State Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC) complaint that FixCT “made disallowed contributions to the Steve Obsitnik for Governor campaign committee.” Obsitnik sought the 2018 Republican nomination for governor.

DePetris served as chairman of FixCT, McGonegal as treasurer. DePetris, according to the October 7th consent agreement reached with the SEEC staff, served as a fundraiser for Obsitnik’s campaign committee and had critical contacts with Obsitnik. FixCT expended more than $88,000 in support of Obsitnik’s unsuccessful race for governor.

The SEEC found that McGonegal as treasurer was responsible for the illegal FixCT expenditures. The agreement notes that both DePetris and McGonegal were “responsive and cooperative with this investigation” and did not knowingly violate the law.

DePetris will pay a fine of $20,000, McGonegal $5,000. The agreement will be presented to the commission for approval.

A footnote warns, “Allegations concerning respondents to this matter not named herein shall be addressed in a separate document.” That may refer to Obsitnik. Evidence of his contacts with DePetris is mentioned in several critical paragraphs of the consent agreement.

Obsitnik’s bid for governor gained momentum at the Republican nomination but stalled when he had trouble qualifying for public financing. The Westport Republican finished fifth in the party’s primary.

October 11, 2020   Comments Off on Obsitnik Supporters Agree to Pay $25K to Settle PAC Coordination Complaint.

Waterbury Democrat DiGiovancarlo Donated to Trump. Patrol Officer Has Endorsement of Party That Wants to Defund Police.

Mike DiGiovancarlo is the Democratic nominee for the House of Representative from the state’s 74th District. The Waterbury Democrat serves on the city’s board of aldermen and is an ally of Mayor Neil O’Leary.

A Waterbury patrol and community relations officer, DiGiovancarlo contributed to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign committee in 2016, according to Federal Election Commission reports. DiGiovancarlo may be ready to give up his day job. He is endorsed by the Working Families Party, which has been in the forefront of the movement to defund the police.

DiGiovancarlo faces two-term incumbent Republican Stephanie Cummings.

October 8, 2020   Comments Off on Waterbury Democrat DiGiovancarlo Donated to Trump. Patrol Officer Has Endorsement of Party That Wants to Defund Police.

The Cruelty of Cara Pavalock-D’Amato.

There was no misunderstanding. State Representative Cara Pavalock-D’Amato thought a neighbor whose uninhabited house had been foreclosed left a crude note on her windshield. The Bristol Republican responded with a cruel message to the neighbor. The neighbor had not written the note, but that did not keep Pavalock-D’Amato-D’Amato from unfurling her ugly instincts.

Pavalock-D’Amato’s message appears above. The incident occurred Saturday evening. A social media dustup and condemnation from Bristol’s mayor, Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, and press inquiries preceded a statement issued Tuesday by Pavalock-D’Amato, according to The Courant. The third term legislator wrote, “I apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding caused over the weekend in my Bristol neighborhood. I brought my two-year-old son with me to an event Saturday night and parked nearby. When asked to move my car, I did.”

Pavalock-D’Amato’s instincts are jarring but not surprising to Capitol denizens who have observed her. Zoppo-Sassu dropped a revelation in her statement that ought to add to voters’ worries. “In the three years I have been mayor, I have never had a conversation or a phone call from Rep. Pavalock, nor has she ever responded to any emails about the city’s legislative agendas or wishlists that I send to the Hartford delegation,” Zoppo-Sassu said in a statement Tuesday.

October 7, 2020   Comments Off on The Cruelty of Cara Pavalock-D’Amato.

What a Dump. Kasser Complains $5,200 a Month Apartment Next to Train Station is Inadequate. Tells Court She “Has No Experience in Finance.”

In the competitive world of available property listings, it’s not uncommon to hear of individuals searching for that perfect home that matches their previous standards of living. Take, for instance, State Senator Alex Kasser’s scenario, which seems to illustrate this trend vividly. Last year, she made headlines by declaring a war on privilege, yet recently, she voiced her dissatisfaction through a court motion. Kasser described her current $5,200 a month Greenwich apartment as a significant downgrade from her former “palatial…modern mansion on two manicured acres.” Amidst her ongoing divorce, Kasser is adamant about selling the marital home, where her estranged husband and children currently reside, in hopes of procuring a more spacious residence for herself from the available property listings that match her accustomed luxury.

The apartment, the Greenwich Democrat claims, makes one of her children “uncomfortable and unwilling to spend time” with her.

Kasser, elected in 2018 as Alex Bergstein before changing her surname, made the unusual decision to use her access to publicity as an elected official to fight her high-stakes divorce from Morgan Stanley investment banker Seth Bergstein. The Greenwich Democrat filed for a dissolution of her marriage in December 2018.

In July, Kasser delivered a monologue of her complaints against Seth Bergstein on the floor of the Senate during the legislature’s special session to consider a police accountability bill that Kasser supported.

Seth Bergstein has responded. He complains in a September 23rd court filing that Kasser’s desire to play out her divorce publicly and in the press negatively has consequences. Bergstein’s motion claims Kasser’s “posting extensively on Instagram announcing to everyone her relationship with her 31 year-old girlfriend without so much as letting her children know that she was doing so, giving a TEDX talk at Wesleyan, available online, during which she criticized [Seth Bergstein] and their family life, filing a motion in which she inappropriately included deceptive portions of emails and alleged misconduct by [him] which was then picked up by CNBC and many high profile networks, and changing her last name to Kasser, announcing it publicly without ever letting her children know, and then giving a press conference stating that the reason she was doing so was to ‘disassociate herself with the person she was married to.'”

Bergstein denies that his behavior toward Kasser was ever “threatening, volatile or intimidating. It is the plaintiff [Kasser] whose behavior was irrational and abusive.” He claims in a response that the $30,000 a month in alimony he pays Kasser and her additional $21,000 a month income are sufficient to afford “a more luxurious home for herself…” without forcing the sale of the home where her children live.

Seth Bergstein points out that Kasser owns “a multi-million-dollar two house compound in the two of Nantucket.” In addition, Kasser owns a home in New Milford that she designed and “spends significant amounts of time at this residence, including many weekends.”

The pending dissolution continues with disputes over the parties’ scores of millions of dollars of assets. Bergstein claims Kasser has undervalued her assets, including a $19 million trust fund. Kasser alleges that Bergstein manipulated her financial decisions throughout their decades-long marriage. She asserts in a motion that she “has no experience in finance.”

Bergstein responded that he “only began depositing his income into an account of his own name after the commencement of this actions. Prior to that, the entirety of the Defendant’s income for the entire course of the parties’ marriage was deposited into the parties’ joint accounts.” Bergstein continues, Kasser ‘stopped depositing the earnings from her investments into joint accounts after [Bergstein] found out she was having an affair with a woman from Greece in 2008.”

Bergstein says Kasser’s claim of ignorance of finance “is concerning given her claimed proficiency in finance during her successful campaign to become a Connecticut State Senator as well as her position as the Vice Chair of the Banking Committee.” Kasser is the co-chair. Bergstein points out that Kasser was an associate at a large New York law firm “for four years working on complex financial and real estate transactions.”

Kasser, according to Bergstein’s pleading, “has admitted under oath that she did not include a variety of assets on her five financial affidavits” submitted over the course of the contentious action.

September 29, 2020   Comments Off on What a Dump. Kasser Complains $5,200 a Month Apartment Next to Train Station is Inadequate. Tells Court She “Has No Experience in Finance.”

Logic at the Legislature: Energy Bill Invites Competition in Energy Efficiency Programs.

This makes sense. The energy bill the legislature is expected to consider at this month’s special session invites competition into the state’s energy efficiency programs. Not everyone is pleased, but changes in monopolies always cause some resistance.

The bill, according to Energy News Network, “would potentially make utilities compete for control of the energy efficiency programs they’ve operated for more than 20 years.” It has always seemed counterintuitive to put the distributors of power in charge of efficiency programs. Innovation has never been a characteristic of monopolies. The proposal would invite independent entities to promote and test their ideas to reduce energy consumption. That seems like a sensible policy to adopt.

The distribution of energy does not lend itself to the benefits of competition, as Connecticut residents are reminded at unhappy intervals. Generation and conservation do–as long as regulators restrain the instincts of monopolists.

September 22, 2020   Comments Off on Logic at the Legislature: Energy Bill Invites Competition in Energy Efficiency Programs.

Klarides/Butler Merger Completed in Ode to Expensive Things.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides (R-Derby) became the First Lady of EversourceCT Sunday with her marriage to the power monopoly’s general counsel and executive vice president Gregory Butler.

The cakes marking the occasion celebrate love of things. The tower of luxury consumer brands appears to be an announcement by Klarides that if she runs for governor in 2022 it will be in the previously undetected Marie Antionette lane.

The self-proclaimed shopping addict is leaving the legislature in January after eleven terms, three of them as minority leader.

September 21, 2020   Comments Off on Klarides/Butler Merger Completed in Ode to Expensive Things.

For Our Best Friends, and Cats, Too. Comptroller Issues RFP for Pet Insurance.

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo’s office is seeking proposals for pet insurance. The 13-page document sets forth criteria for insurance companies to provide pet insurance for state employees. Premiums will be administered by the comptroller’s office and paid from employee paycheck deductions.

Proposals are due October 1st.

September 11, 2020   Comments Off on For Our Best Friends, and Cats, Too. Comptroller Issues RFP for Pet Insurance.

In the Field. Survey Asks Democrats About Tong, Lamont. AG’s PAC Accepting Contributions from Lawyers.

Democrats were surprised to learn that a pollster is calling Democrats to solicit opinions about two state officials not on the ballot this year. The survey asked Democrats if they view Governor Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong favorably or unfavorably.

The random Democratic voters, Daily Ructions can report, were also asked about Tong’s accomplishments in office. The Stamford Democrat, who aided anti-Semites in their vicious 2018 defeat of the renomination of Superior Court judge Jane Emons, may be the beneficiary of the poll. Lamont, who has seen his leadership of the state win public approval during the coronavirus crisis, is not conducting a poll.

The contents of the poll suggest Tong has cast his eye on the 2022 race for governor in the event Lamont does not seek a second term. The Greenwich Democrat may have plenty of options. He endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden early in 2019 when the former vice president’s campaign was faltering. Biden might be happy to consider Lamont for a range of appointments in a new administration. That would give Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz a head start on the 2022 Democratic nomination for governor. As a self-funding candidate, Lamont does not need to make his intentions clear for months. He has spent $50 million in three races for statewide office. There’s no reason to think he would hesitate to spend millions more on a re-election campaign, which would discourage any challengers, even the self-regarding Tong.

Tong has created a political action committee to fund ongoing activities.. In a September 1st email hymn to himself, the Stamford Democrat wrote, “To expand our reach and impact, my team and I formed the Firewall Fund, a political action committee to support Democrats across our state.” He warned, “We’ll be reaching out to you soon with more information about the Firewall Fund and updates on what our office is working on.” The message included an invitation to join Tong in a conversation with his predecessor, George Jepsen, to benefit Stamford Democrats.

Firewall Fund has raised more than $26,000 since it was formed in October last year. A hefty portion of the contributions were in the maximum amount of $1,000, including one from Democratic party chair Nancy DiNardo, who is listed as chairperson of the committee. Lawyers have been generous contributors.

September 10, 2020   Comments Off on In the Field. Survey Asks Democrats About Tong, Lamont. AG’s PAC Accepting Contributions from Lawyers.

Our Dennis Opens a New Window.

After 28 years at WFSB, popular anchor Dennis House will begin something new. He made the announcement Tuesday in a gracious statement on his website.

What adventures await our friend Dennis in this new world of media. Talents finds its way.

Ructions readers, here is an immutable fact of Connecticut life in uncertain times: You can learn a lot from Dennis House.

September 1, 2020   Comments Off on Our Dennis Opens a New Window.