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State Senator Genarro Bizzarro (R-New Britain) took his seat in the legislature’s upper chamber Monday after scoring a notable upset in a February 26th special election. The oath of office was first administered by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, the Penelope of Connecticut politics, though it’s not clear why.

The secretary of state administers the oath of office to legislators. Bysiewicz might remember that from her 12 years in that office before she crashed out of that office with unsuccessful races for governor and attorney general in 2010. Incumbent Secretary of State Denise Merrill, a veteran Democrat familiar with the Bysiewicz method, appeared on the scene and pointed out what the rules require. Merrill quietly administered the oath that mattered to Bizzarro, giving the new legislator a closeup of Bysiewicz’s ceaseless quest for a closeup.

At least one prominent Democrat is reluctant to credit Bizzarro with the shrewd and energetic campaign that allowed him to win a seat held by Democrats since Republican Nancy Johnson gave it up in 1982 to make a successful run for Congress. Democratic state chair Nancy Wyman attributed Bizzarro’s win to his unusual name. That, she thinks, caught voters’ attention. An odd explanation given Bizzarro’s earlier attempt to win a seat in the House fell short. He had the same name then.

Former Attorney General George Jepsen and Perry Zinn Rowthorn, Jepsen’s deputy for six years, make the case in today’s Wall Street Journal for state attorneys general to lead litigation against opioid manufacturers and others in the deadly chain of distribution. The op-ed provides a reminder of the influence Connecticut lost among busy and far-flung attorneys general when Jepsen announced last year he would not seek a third term. The opinion piece makes the case for consolidating public interest litigation in chief legal officers of the states, blocking scores of municipal suits.

The popular Democrat rose in the ranks of his colleagues in their partisan and bipartisan associations. Jepsen was an active fundraiser for some of them, tapping into Connecticut donors who were limited in what they could contribute to him.

The WSJ piece will serve as an unhappy reminder that Jepsen’s successor, William “Tahoe” Tong, will struggle to exercise the influence Jepsen began to enjoy soon after taking office in 2011.

A Ructions reader points out the per vote cost to the public in one special election campaign. In the 39th House District, Republican Kat Goulart qualified for a $21,112.53 grant from the public purse. In the overwhelmingly Democratic district Goulart received 276 votes, placing third in the four-way race to succeed Democrat Chris Soto, who declined to keep his pledge to serve in the office he sought and won in November.

The grant for the short campaign means Goulart spent $76.49 in public funds for each vote she received. No wonder we are on the verge of taxing textbooks and over the counter medicine.

U.S. Representative John B. Larson must also be hearing about the calls. Washington progressives have been hunting for a challenger to the 11-term East Hartford Democrat. Larson fits the profile of Joseph Crowley and Michael Capuano, vintage Democratic congressmen who were defeated in 2018 primaries by energetic campaigns to their left challenging the established order.

Connecticut’s First CD is a temptation to activitists inspired by the New York and Massachusetts victores last year. Larson has made some staff changes and unfurled has renovated operation at his favorite district spot, Hartford’s Peppercorn’s Grille, Thursday night. Here’s the invitation:S

Dear Chief Elected Officials, Business Representatives, and Community Leaders:

I am writing on behalf of Congressman John Larson to invite you to a reception hosted by the Congressman on February 21, 2019 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Peppercorn’s Grill, 357 Main Street, Hartford, CT. The Congressman will announce staff changes in his District Office in Hartford, CT and introduce you to members of his district staff. As organizations with established working relationships with our office, the Congressman wants to ensure that you get to know his team, who collectively can assist you with a variety of issues.

We kindly ask that you RSVP to Erica.Fitzpatrick@mail.house.gov by Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions. We hope you can stop by for some food and drink!

Best regards,

Conor P. Quinn

Deputy Chief of Staff

Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01)

The 2020 election calendar could be treacherous for Larson. There are no statewide races, so he would be competing in a low turnout summer primary against party activists and other groups he see a clear shot at creating a more modern Democratic Party in the capital region, where their party dominates. Savvy insiders suggest the task of tipping over Larson could be achieved with less $1 million and some enthusiasm for change.

Hartford Democrat Arunan Arulampalam will serve join the Department of Consumer Protection as deputy commissioner, Daily Ructions has learned. He will begin his service to the people of Connecticut on March 8th.

Arulampalam (or Arunan!) as he was known in 2018, ran for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer and made it to the state convention. He made many friends on the campaign trail, which is what smart candidates who are unlikely to win do in their first bid for public office.

Governor Ned Lamont will seek support for his budget proposal on a conference call Wednesday afternoon with local Democratic town committee chairs and state central committee members. The call is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and will include party chair Nancy Wyman. Wyman was the lieutenant governor for 8 years in the administration responsible for many of the troubles Lamont confronts in his new budget.

The governor’s budget proposal is heavy with regressive taxes that would once have elicited howls from Democrats. Today’s conference call will begin to reveal if Democrats will remain silent as Connecticut residents face more punishment from their state government.

Surrounded by highways, New Britain drivers could face hefty tolls everywhere they turn now that Governor Ned Lamont has broken his pledge for trucks-only tolls. The city is uniquely surrounded by limited access state highways. Two, I-84 and Route 9 have already been targeted by the Department of Transportation for tolls. Lamont’s plan could add Route 72 in his dash for cash.

New Britain voters go to the polls in a week to elect a new state senator.

That was fast. Natalie Wagner’s appointment to a top position in the Lamont administration was announced with fanfare a month ago, but last week a terse email marked her unexplained departure from her new job as deputy secretary at the Office of Policy and Management.

Wagner served in the Malloy administration at OPM, leaving for the private sector. She joined the newly formed Malloy administration, departing from the Hartford law firm Shipman and Goodwin. That firm has recently hired former attorney general George Jepsen and Joette Katz, whose eight years at the Department of Children and Families inflicted a string of brutal failures on the state’s most vulnerable children.

Wagner’s sudden absence from OPM leaves a vacancy as Governor Ned Lamont prepares to reveal his first budget proposal next week.

New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart has reacted on Twitter to the story first reported early Wednesday morning on Daily Ructions of her father’s appalling Tuesday night Facebook comments. Timothy Stewart characterized a photograph of female Democratic legislators as “Bitches in heat!” Erin Stewart has said she is “embarrassed” and “mortified” by the incident.

Timothy Steward is the head of the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, which will have a serious decision to make today.