CT Mirror reports that Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides have interviewed a member of the Senate Republican caucus for the vacancy in the state auditor’s position that will go to a Republican. Since the Senate will be tied at an historic 18-18 when the new legislature convenes on January 4th, a member’s abandonment of his commitment to serve in the legislature may be seen by colleagues as betrayal of them and the people of Connecticut.

Look for some icy stares in the Republican caucus room if the member seeking personal advantage over service pursues his interest.

Peter Lumaj, the 2014 Republican candidate for secretary of the state, continues his exploration of high office for 2018 with a late in the quarter fundraiser. Lumaj supporters will be gathering at the home of former state legislator Dennis Cleary’s Wolcott home on December 20th.

Lumaj is a Fairfield lawyer who made a brief and unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

Sources tell Daily Ructions that Lumaj has been busy making the rounds and raising small contributions for his 2018 campaign. Keep an eye on the 4th quarter numbers he posts. Early money is the easiest to raise as you put the touch on family and friends. A slow start can doom a promising bid.

The Steering Committee of Lumaj Explore
Cordially Invites You To Attend A Holiday Fundraiser In Support of
PETER LUMAJ
Exploratory Candidate for Statewide Office

At The Home of Dennis and Eileen Cleary
Thursday, December 29th, 2016
108 Mad River Road
Wolcott, Connecticut
6pm – 8pm

Hors d’eouvres and Cocktails Will Be Served
Please Make Checks Payable to “Lumaj Explore”
Suggested Donation – $100.00
Maximum Donation – $375.00
Donations Can Be Made In Advance at peterlumaj.com

Please RSVP TO Brock L. Weber
brock@peterlumaj.com or 860.878.4350

Paid for by Lumaj Explore, Jeffrey Caggiano, Treasurer. Approved by Peter Lumaj.

The venerable British radio program Desert Island Discs always saves a big dog guest for its Christmas show. This year its Bruce Springsteen talking about the eight pieces of music that he’d take with him to a desert island. There are plenty of Springsteen fans among DailyRuction readers who will enjoy this extended program. You can hear an extended version of host Kirsty Young’s interview here.

Don’t be surprised if after listening you find yourself poling around the Desert Island Discs remarkable archive.

State Representative Prasad Srinivasan has formed a candidate committee for governor, according to records filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. The Glastonbury Republican will begin raising money from his extensive network of supporters. He was re-elected to his fourth term in the House last month and began taking soundings for the 2018 statewide race not long after.

Srinivasan is the first Indian-American elected to the Connecticut legislature. You can learn more about him here.

A coup of the most unexpected sort. Veteran state labor negotiator Linda Yelmini will be putting decades of knowledge to work for the Senate Republicans during the crucial legislative session that begins on January 4th. Yelmini was shoved out of state service shortly after Malloy was narrowly re-elected to a second term in 2014. Yelmini received a $325,000.00 settlement as a result of her action against the Malloy administration for its ugly manipulations.

Yelmini, who knows where plenty of bodies are buried, and her legal team found some embarrassing emails between budget chief Ben Barnes and former Malloy chief of staff Mark Ojakian. “Was it awful? Will she go quietly?” Ojakian, who learned nothing about these sorts of communications during the 2014 campaign that is the subject of a federal criminal investigation, asked Barnes in fraught text messages. The $325,000 paid Yelmini is the same amount Connecticut Democrats paid to keep 2014 campaign emails from Ojakian, Malloy and others from the state’s erratic election commission.

“When facing challenging economic times and exploding budget deficits, Connecticut leaders need to consult with people who understand specific parts of the state budget inside and out. Linda Yelmini is one of those people,” said Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven), who has a contentious history with Yelmini, in a written statement. “Ms. Yelmini knows more about Connecticut’s state employee contracts than most people in state government.  As OPM’s former labor relations chief, she was responsible for negotiating contracts and retirement agreements and bringing multiple parties together. I believe her expertise and 28 years of experience will be a benefit to the taxpayers of Connecticut as Republican lawmakers look to identify ways to get state spending under control without placing further burdens on Connecticut families and with the goal of avoiding further state employee layoffs.  She will continue to serve as a neutral arbitrator on a number of arbitration panels which demonstrates both her knowledge of labor relations matters and fair-mindedness.”

Yelmini will work as a part-time hourly employee during the legislative session that is expected to devote considerable attention to labor contracts and the state’s generous employee benefits.

Insurance agency and lobbying group Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) has elected a New York resident as chairman of it board of directors. John Ciulla, of affluent Larchmont, in Westchester County, is CBIA’s new board chair.

Ciulla is the president of Webster Financial Corporation and Webster Bank. “I’m honored to work with CBIA and had this group of directors in creating a better business climate in Connecticut,” Ciulla said in a statement on the organization’s website. You’ll know there’s been progress on reaching that goal  job when Ciulla moves to the state he’s working to improve.

The late national treasure  Joan Rivers made Larchmont famous with tales of her friend Heidi Abromowitz.

State Republicans will devote some of their December meeting Tuesday to considering a resolution calling on 14 moderate Democrats to break ranks and block union factotum Joe Aresimowicz from becoming Speaker of the House in January. The lengthy resolution shines a light on the Berlin Democrat’s union ties and the urgent need to address state labor policies.

No word on how Aresimowicz close ally Themis Klarides, the House Republican leader, would stick with her party on a contested vote involving her Berlin chum.

This looks like the sort of event the candidate/steak merchant hollered against in his campaign.

If you harbor any doubts that the 2018 race for governor will be full of swings and roundabouts, throw them away. Norwalk’s Scott Merrell, the Rowayton Cowboy, is running for the Republican nomination for governor. Merrell filed his campaign committee registration last week.

You may have missed it. Merrell was a candidate in 2010. That was also the year he was arrested for trespassing in the aftermath of a foreclosure action.