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The Nokia 8800 must have been out of camera range. The Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) is now AdvanceCT. The organization features a museum of ancient office technology in its latest announcement. That fax machine on the left in the photo above may have arrived in a box when George W. Bush was president.

AdvanceCT’s mission is to work “in collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), AdvanceCT strives to build a place where business, government, higher education, and nonprofits come together to implement high impact and inclusive economic development solutions for the state.”

AdvanceCT may be part of Lamont’s Partnership to Advance Connecticut’s Tomorrow (PACT), or it may not be. PACT has gone missing. Governor Ned Lamont’s economic development renovations may be in some disarray. Shhh, don’t say anything that might be seen as badmouthing Connecticut. Send a fax instead.

Fresh face Steve Weir knows how to raise campaign contributions. In three days as a candidate, the Hebron Republican has raised half of the $16,000 required to qualify for public financing in his race to defeat five-term Democrat Cathy Osten in the ten town Senate district.

Weir is a popular Glastonbury business owner with a wide network of friends and well wishers. The political outsider is active in local, regional and state volunteer organizations.

Osten is a retired corrections officer who suffered a stinging defeat last fall in her campaign for another term as Sprague’s first selectman. Osten, who serves as co-chair of the legislature’s budget committee, struggled as the manager of tiny Sprague’s finances. The bitter aftermath of that hometown campaign has caused considerable comment in the Capitol village as colleagues fret over the once-steady legislator’s vituperative outbursts.

Watch for a bitter campaign in the 19th as the contrast grows bright between the optimistic Weir and the economically incomprehensible Osten.

Former Republican state Representative Dan Carter will seek to win back his 2nd House District seat the November.

Carter served in the House from 2010 to 2016, when he was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

In a prepared statement released Monday, Carter wrote, “”Serving as a representative of my community in Hartford was a great honor and it’s is clear we need common sense in Hartford more than ever. While other parts of the country have enjoyed a robust economy, Connecticut continues to lag behind due to high taxes and poor fiscal policy. We need experienced, thoughtful representation and with the support of my community I will be the advocate the people in the 2^nd district rightfully deserve.”

The seat is currently held by Democratic incumbent Raghib Allie-Brennan, who is serving his first term.

Denizens of the Capitol village expect a Friday night dump of a new tolls proposal—this one agreed to by Governor Ned Lamont and Democratic legislative leaders.

Attracting as little attention as possible for the latest iteration of Lamont’s transportation plan may be part of what Ryan Drajewicz, Lamont’s chief of staff, called a “hard pivot” in a July 26th email to Ann Huntress Lamont, hailing the hiring of former NBC Connecticut political reporter Max Reiss, deemed “a Godsend.”

The message also reveals that Reiss’ “media strategy” includes “getting aggressive on all fronts.” The Reiss plan to revive Lamont’s dismal approval ratings includes hurling insults at Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven). Reiss, who was covering Fasano as a reporter during last year’s legislative session, charged recently that Fasano “continues to whine about the state budget while he never had the guts to propose his own line-by-line spending plan.” Reiss continued his abuse, “As evidenced by his refusal to get off the sidelines, these are goals not shared by Sen. Fasano, through his actions and words, and I doubt he will ever share them based on his continuous comments.” Fasano has been known to try to assist the flailing administration with some sound public policy ideas.

The Godsend’s surly tone may hinder Lamont’s hope to improve the tone of discourse at the Capitol. The Reiss way also risks discouraging legislators with deep knowledge of public policy from walking through the open door Lamont says he wants public officials of both parties to walk through. Abuse of elected officials by an appointed mouthpiece is more hurdle than enticement.

Manchester Republican Matthew Corey is a likely challenger to state Senator Steve Cassano (D-Manchester), for the 4th District seat. The district includes Andover, Bolton, Glastonbury and Manchester.

Corey has run for the 1st Congressional District against U.S. Representative John Larson. In 2018, he was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. A state Senate race would allow the energetic businessman to enjoy his first campaign with funding parity under the state’s generous taxpayer-financed campaign finance program.

Cassano is serving his fifth term in the Senate. He announced he would not seek a sixth and shortly thereafter changed his mind. He is also a former mayor of Manchester.

Coventry resident Jennifer Burdette alleged at a Coventry town council meeting Tuesday night that her then-minor daughter was sexually harassed for nearly a year by a local police officer. The video of Burdette’s statement is compelling. The link is here . Video is not available for embed.

The Journal Inquirer has more.

State Representative Anne Hughes (D-Easton) will not enjoy an easy path to a second term serving the 135th House district. The far-left Easton Democrat is expected to face Weston Democrat Gayle Weinstein in an August primary.

Weinstein is the former Weston first selectman. She quit her seat on the board of selectman after failing to win a fourth term as first selectman in 2015.

Democratic town committees will choose delegates In March from Easton, Redding and Weston to select a party-endorsed nominee at a May nominating convention. Hughes defeated a one-term Republican incumbent in 2018.

Greenwich Republican Harry Arora has won the 151st House District special election. Arora defeated Democrat Cheryl Moss.

Arora appears to have won by a thumping 10 point margin, continuing a Republican recovery in the one-time party bastion.

Governor Ned Lamont wants his administration to “keep diversity a big priority,” according to emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The governor’s wife agrees in a June 16th exchange in anticipation of the annual state Democratic fundraising dinner, previously known as the JJB.

Assigning a body person to the governor prompted Ann Huntress Lamont’s comment that “Ned is concerned about not having more diversity in that position.” The top jobs in Lamont’s office have been filled by white men. His body person is a white male.

The Criminal Justice Commission could be guided by Lamont’s desire to “keep diversity a big priority.” The commission anticipates choosing a new Chief State’s Attorney on January 30th. The position has not been held by a woman or minority since the position was created in 1973.

One of the four finalists for the job, Erik Lohr, an African American, is a Navy veteran and former prosecutor. Another finalist, Maureen Platt, is the first woman to serve as the state’s attorney for the Waterbury judicial district.

Rudolph Giuliani crony Lev Parnas was the big get of the week and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow got him. Parnas told Maddow that he delivered the message to Ukraine that American support would be withheld unless the new government announced an investigation into into Hunter Biden’s lucrative business dealings in the nation under attack by Russia.

The Parnas interview undermines the Trump defense that Ukraine’s newly elected president did not know that American military assistance was being held hostage to Trump’s demand for a political favor to advance his prospects against rival Joe Biden

Parnas was a prolific donor to Republican committees late in the 2016 campaign, including $661 to Connecticut Republicans.