State Senator Heather Somers, a first term Republican, and her husband will open their Groton home in support of gubernatorial hopeful Tim Herbst on the last day of the fundraising quarter. This is an early endorsement from a legislator as race for the Republican nomination becomes more crowded and competitive.

Somers won the 2014 three-way primary for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Jon Conradi served as Somers’ campaign manager and is the general consultant for outgoing Trumbull First Selectman Herbst.

A special message from UConn President Susan Herbst

Dear UConn Alumni,

As you may have seen, the Connecticut General Assembly recently approved a budget that would cut more than $300 million in funding from the University of Connecticut over the next two years. We write to urge you to contact your State Senator  xxxxxx to voice your opposition to balancing the budget on the backs of UConn students.

UConn has managed reductions to our state support for several years and we always expect to absorb cuts as the state works to address its budget challenges. However, $300 million is triple the size of the cut we expected. A reduction of that magnitude is unprecedented and would be devastating for UConn.

As I told the university community, such a loss of funding would send UConn’s academic quality plummeting, drive excellent students away from the university and out of Connecticut, make a UConn education unaffordable for many students and families, drive down graduation rates, increase class sizes, and gut vital student services, among other terrible impacts.

In addition, we know UConn is helping to lead the way in Connecticut’s much needed economic recovery. The ability to offer a high-quality education while maintaining our strong commitment to funding student financial aid is why so many of Connecticut’s best students choose to come to UConn. And employers rely on UConn to shape these students into highly skilled, well-educated graduates prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy has indicated that he will veto this measure. A new budget will be negotiated by the legislature and the governor. We expect that will largely happen over the course of the next several days.

Many parents, students, employees and alumni have called and written to ask what they can do to help. The single most important thing you can do as a Connecticut resident and parent of a UConn student is to express your views to your State Senator TODAY by clicking here.

Thank you for your support in this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Susan Herbst
President
University of Connecticut

Greenwich Democrat Drew Marzullo (aka Joseph Andrew Marzullo) is on the docket Tuesday in Middletown Superior Court for a 5th degree larceny charge. Marzullo is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. He is serving his 4th term as the sole Democrat on tony Greenwich’s governing body and is on the November ballot for a 5th two-year term.

Marzullo was arrested at the popular Clinton Crossing outlet stores on August 26th for stealing more than $500 of merchandise. Police apparently reviewed video recordings.

Curiously, Marzullo gave his address as East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, though voter registration records list him as living on Orchard Street in Cos Cob.

Here’s a screenshot of the docket:

Marzullo is not represented by counsel.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Middletown mayor Dan Drew hopeful may have committed a disqualifying error with his solicitation of campaign donations from municipal employees. The Middletown Press had the startling story of Drew soliciting employees, including public safety workers whose personal contact information is protected from public disclosure. Police officers, for example, do not have to disclose their home address on voter registration rolls.

Rival hopeful Christopher Mattei sees an an opening. The former prosecutor issued a scathing indictment of Drew’s misbegotten ploy:

New Madison Republican Robert Stefanowski has formed the Bob for Governor campaign committee to seek Connecticut’s top job. Voter registration records show Stefanowski switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat last fall. He returned to the Republican fold this summer.

“Bob is a visionary executive and thought leader with 25 years of experience leading complex global organizations, business turnarounds and restructuring,” according to a campaign biography. He is not enough of a visionary to eschew the egregious term “thought leader.”

Stefanowski like to run marathons and was a generous donor to dodgy Ireland real estate owner and Friend of Angelo Christopher Dodd (D-Countrywide). No word on what vision prompted that ill-considered support.

At tonight’s state Republican fundraiser, Stefanowski is hosting a private session with pollster John McLaughlin. Conservative Republican Tom Scott, last heard from on the eventful 2016 Augie Wolf for Senate campaign, is handing press.

UPDATE: Robert Stefanowski writes, in part, in response to an email:

“Except for a few months, I have been a Republican my adult life. Over the past 20 years the failed policies of career politicians in Hartford have led to job loss and droves of businesses and people leaving this state.  This is what the governor campaign should be about.”

“The career politicians love to distract the public from their own abysmal record, but we should be focused on how we fix this state, not political rhetoric. I’m not trying to convince anyone I’m the best politician in Connecticut. I was born here, went to public school here, attended college here, worked here and raised a family here. I’m a businessman and a job creator, period  If you want a story on who’s the best political insider, call Dan Malloy.”

He provided no response to a question about his generous support for career politician and professor  lobbyist Christopher Dodd.

Admit it. You knew the double losses of Ned Lamont, Linda McMahon and Tom Foley would not be enough to discourage a wealthy Fairfield County titan–probably living in Greenwich–from running for governor. Enter hedge fund manager David Stemerman.

Bloomberg reports the Greenwich resident is shuttering his successful fund, Conatus Capital Management, to explore a run for governor of beleaguered Connecticut.

Stemerman has been a generous Republican donor, including $100,000.00 to American Crossroads in 2012, and also made a maximum contribution to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, according to Open Secrets.

Republicans taking part in taxpayer financing of their campaigns are about to find out the trials of running a statewide race on $250,000.00 until May of next year. They risk finding themselves as one collective afterthought if Stemerman is able to marry a common touch to persuasive and innovative ideas. Add some first rate political talent–which his nascent campaign appears not have yet–and a powerful force will have arrived in the crowded race.

From Republican gubernatorial hopeful:

“Friday night was a watershed moment in our state where it became crystal clear that struggling Connecticut taxpayers will not tolerate any more tax increases from Hartford,” Herbst said.

“Connecticut residents have had enough of the business-as-usual attitude in Hartford that has brought our state’s economy to its knees, driven businesses and residents out and suppressed wages and opportunity for hardworking taxpayers,” Herbst continued.

“The plan, passed by both chambers, is imperfect but takes some significant steps in the right direction and would avert another massive tax hike,” Herbst said, “and so I urge Gov. Malloy to reconsider his pledge to veto this budget.”

“A veto from Gov. Malloy will embolden his insider allies in Hartford to make a renewed push for job-crushing tax hikes and allow the governor to slash municipal and education aid,” Herbst warned.

“Most of all,” Herbst said, “a veto would reaffirm the servile commitment of Democratic insiders in Hartford to putting the welfare of big labor special interests above what is right for Connecticut workers, families, businesses and retirees.”

Republican Steve Obsitnik, who is exploring a 2018 race for governor, Saturday morning issued the following statement on the legislature’s adoption of a bipartisan budget:

“I commend Sen. Fasano and Rep. Klarides on their leadership in passing a sensible budget that takes the state in a new direction.

I applaud the Senate and House Republicans, as well as the brave legislators who broke with their party and put Connecticut first. This budget provides the much-needed stability, confidence and, most importantly, a plan for future prosperity for all Connecticut residents.

Gov. Malloy has a choice — to continue to stand with the special interests that are driving people out of our state, or he can sign this budget and chart a new path for the future. I encourage him to support this budget.”

Thursday and Friday were historic days in modern Connecticut political history. On Thursday, the legislature’s Democratic leadership imploded into incoherence as its members were appalled to discover they were expected to vote for a messy, greedy budget. The stampede left leaders undone and incapable of explaining the way forward for even a few hours at a time.

Friday afternoon saw a bipartisan response forming on the rubble of the previous day. It began with a Republican budget proposal–shaped by the Senate Republicans and eventually supported by House Republicans–that had been unveiled months before. The decisive moment, however, came when three Democrats voted for it, providing a wide margin of victory in the evenly divided upper chamber.

Early Saturday morning, after an extended and notably bitter debate, enough Democrats joined their House Republican colleagues to provide a majority for the Republican proposal.

Missing in action was the herd of Republican and Democratic candidates for governor. The next governor will have to live with the biennial budget that is finally adopted. The opening days of the new administration will be spent coping with the new budget and proposing one to follow it.

Budget decisions made this week–even with Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s veto of the bipartisan budget–are of lasting significance. We have entered into a new era of consequences. The politically ambitious, who spend their days seeking to persuade party activitists of their ability to lead, have been hibernating. Some cowering. Those are not the hallmarks of leadership that seeks to lead the state through the many perils that await.

When will they find their voices and add specific ideas to this critical debate?