The Courant has the unsavory details of Republican State Central Committee member Michelle Garabedian’s arrest by Manchester police arising out of allegedly engaging in sex in a daycare parking lot.

Garabedian represents the 29th Senate District on the Republican governing committee. The Windham Republican is secretary of her local town committee and also a justice of the peace.

Her Facebook page features the command to “Control Your Kids Not Our Guns.” Garabedian might want to start by controlling herself first.

Garabedian was in Facebook twist earlier this year over Democratic state Senator Mae Flexer’s nonsensical proposal to limit bear hunting to bears that are smarter than the average bear.

Annalisa Stravato has ended her bid for a second term as vice chairman of the Republican State Central Committee. Stravato made the announcement in a lengthy letter released Monday night. 

Here are the essential paragraphs:

“As we move forward into the municipal elections, as well as the tremendously important gubernatorial and statewide elections in 2018, it is absolutely imperative that our state party leadership team work hand in glove with each other. Unfortunately, it has become very clear that the Chairman’s continued neutrality as to who serves as his Vice Chair, is an indication that he would prefer to have someone else serve in the role of Vice Chairman.

 Therefore, even though my re-election is assured, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the Connecticut Republican Party, as we move forward into the most important election cycle in decades, that we have a leadership team in which doubt may exist within the Executive Committee. Therefore, I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for another term as Vice Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party.”

Stravato, who became a citizen of the United States six years ago, claims the mantle of the first Connecticut Republican leader to support anti-immigrant Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. She reached her decision to drop her re-election bid last weekend. 

Branford Republican Dominic Rapini appears to be preparing to run for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. If he’s successful, Rapini will face first term Democratic incumbent Christopher Murphy.

Here’s a brief opinion piece from Rapini and something from Flames of War, which Rapini seems adept at.

It certainly looks like pay-to-play in Connecticut. Today’s Democratic Governors Association Greenwich conference features two tribes as sponsors. The Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots require conference host Governor Daniel P. Malloy’s signature on a grimy piece of legislation that expands gaming allowing locals to play real bingo online if they are to move forward with a state licensed casino in East Windsor–where there is no reservation land.

Here’s how that bill will become law. The Mohegan Tribe is a silver sponsor of the DGA event. That required a $10,000 payment to Malloy’s DGA. The Mashantucket Tribal Nation is a general event sponsor. 

PhRMA and Purdue Pharma are gold sponsors. Daily Ructions awaits strong condemnation of the event from State Comptroller Kevin Lembo, who is exploring a run for governor and whacking away at pharmaceutical companies.

What’s all this highfalutin’ talk about not taking lobbyist dough? Exploring Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Chris Mattei mounted his very high horse and declared he would take no contributions from lobbyist. The former prosecutor appears to have left out the word “direct” in his pledge.

The first-time candidate attended today’s Democratic Governors Association lobbyist festival in Greenwich–sparking many eyerolls and much tittering among members of the permanent government participating in another Dannel P. Malloy shakedown. The dough that the DGA will be spending in Connecticut’s 2018 race for governor will come from lobbyists and the interests that employ them. It’s meaningless to eschew piddling $100 contributions to qualify for state taxpayer campaign financing if you are working the same crowd to write enormous checks to the DGA to spend on you.

Mattei may want to dial back on those lectures to Bridgeport’s Joe Ganim on the difference between clean and dirty, right and wrong.

Mark this day: The poseur stumbled in a Greenwich hotel, surrounded by smirking, chatty lobbyists.

Speaker of the House Joseph Aresimowicz (D-Berlin) skipped Tuesday’s budget negotiation meeting in Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s office to play golf. The high school football coach declined to begin addressing the state’s $5 billion deficit in order to participate in the Italian-American legislators golf tournament and dinner at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington. Serious observers of state government’s mounting problems were shaking their head at the cavalier leader of the House Democrats nixing budget talks for a day on the links.

Tournament players waited until after Tuesday to grumble that Aresimowicz won the competition by bringing a ringer with him. He’ll have a harder time putting together a state budget–but first he needs to show up.

Oy vez mir, he can call it whatever he likes but it’s not energy. Prasad Srinivasan’s campaign released a short , stilted video on Facebook of the Glastonbury Republican setting out the case for his campaign. Delegates and primary voters may want to ponder how the allergist in his fourth term in the legislature would do in debates and other forums with his wooden delivery. Even marginal improvements would make little difference to the overall impression he makes in front of a camera.

Srinivasan, Daily Ructions understands, will post another robust campaign finance report for the second quarter of the year. Promises to boost Medicaid payments and restrict the rights of those injured through medical malpractice will get a fella some donations.

Potential supporters will want to remember that Srinivasan’s commitment to robust democracy has sever limits. He spoke and voted against Republican colleagues’ amendment to require a local referendum before a state licensed casino could be built in East Windsor far from Indian reservation property. Srinivasan then voted for the casino bill.

A statement:

“We appreciate the Senate’s strong, bipartisan vote to help customers and to reject calls to double down on the failed system that has produced the highest electricity rates in the continental United States. We were disappointed that the House chose inaction. Continued inaction harms customers, the state’s ability to meet its climate goals, and the state’s economy. We will continue assessing our investments in Connecticut while advocating for needed action.”
Chet Wade

Vice President, Corporate Communications

Dominion

This may be the beginning of a “they make a desert, and they call it peace” chapter in Connecticut for Democratic leftists and their misbegotten allies.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides (R-Derby) is making a risky foray into a critical energy issue. Klarides is joining leftists in calling on Dominion to “open its books” before passing a bill that would initiate a process to create longterm energy contracts after a review by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The legislation made it through the state Senate in the middle of the night early Wednesday morning. It moves to the House for consideration on the fraught last day of the regular session.

Klarides adopting the “open its books” chant comes at a precarious time for the often-confused House Republican leader. She is engaged in a close personal relationship with Greg Butler, the chief lawyer and an executive vice president for energy giant Eversource. Boston-based Eversource has vigorously opposed the Dominion legislation. Klarides and other legislators did not require companies like UTC and the state’s casino-operating Indian tribes to open their books before serving them heaping helpings of crony capitalism.

Proceed with caution. Four state senators, more than 10% of the upper chamber’s membership, recused themselves from voting on the bill early today due to conflict concerns.

The corks will be popping among Connecticut’s protected liquor interests today. Total Wine, eager to disrupt the state’s tightly regulated alcohol markets, lost its challenge to the state’s comprehensive pricing scheme. United States District Court Judge Janet C. Hall’s decision is here.