It Grows Worse: Reopening Consultant Contract Limits State’s Freedom to Communicate With Public.

Governor Ned Lamont has agreed to an extraordinary restriction in the state’s ability to communicate with the public during the public health crisis. Secrecy in conducting the people’s business at this critical hour is becoming a dangerous practice in the Lamont administration.

The administration’s growing aversion to openness is written into the state’s contract with Boston Consultant Group (BCG), the company Connecticut and neighboring states will be paying millions for suggestions on reopening the state’s economy. The contract states, in part, “No Party will make any public announcement or press release regarding the Engagement or Services performed without the prior written consent of the other Party, provided, however, BCG has the right to refer to State as a client of BCG for promotional purposes with with the written consent of the State.” This is an extraordinary voluntary restriction on Lamont’s ability to communicate with the public during a time when he is wielding unprecedented powers under a declaration of a state emergency.

The state will pay BCG as much as $140,000 a week “for a ‘medium team’ of four consultants,” according to CTnewsjunkie.com.

BCG will also assist the secretive Reopen Advisory Committee. Lamont Yale classmate and the committee’s co-chair, Indra Nooyi, was the subject of an obsequious profile for Forbes by BCG senior partner and managing director Grant Freeland. Prepare to cringe as you decide which is more sugary, the profile or the sugar-laden drinks Nooyi made a fortune peddling as the head of PepsiCo.