Fresh face Steve Weir knows how to raise campaign contributions. In three days as a candidate, the Hebron Republican has raised half of the $16,000 required to qualify for public financing in his race to defeat five-term Democrat Cathy Osten in the ten town Senate district.

Weir is a popular Glastonbury business owner with a wide network of friends and well wishers. The political outsider is active in local, regional and state volunteer organizations.

Osten is a retired corrections officer who suffered a stinging defeat last fall in her campaign for another term as Sprague’s first selectman. Osten, who serves as co-chair of the legislature’s budget committee, struggled as the manager of tiny Sprague’s finances. The bitter aftermath of that hometown campaign has caused considerable comment in the Capitol village as colleagues fret over the once-steady legislator’s vituperative outbursts.

Watch for a bitter campaign in the 19th as the contrast grows bright between the optimistic Weir and the economically incomprehensible Osten.

Southbury Republican Cindy Harrison launched her campaign Monday for the open 69th House District seat. Incumbent Arthur O’Neill is retiring after 18 terms.

The district includes Southbury, Bridgewater, Roxbury, and Washington.

Harrison is a CPA with an MBA and has served in Southbury’s municipal government.

Judge Barbara Bellis kept her word. The Superior Court judge presided over a controversy arising from an extended 2017 Bridgeport city council primary. Absentee ballot manipulations caused the Democratic primary for the 133rd Council District to be held three times.

During the extended proceedings, Bellis announced that her ruling would be sent to elections administrators and law enforcement officials. She did and FBI agents have made inquiries about absentee ballot practices in Bridgeport, Daily Ructions has learned.

The absentee ballot investigation appears to have expanded into other areas of Bridgeport politics. The story was first reported Saturday by Only in Bridgeport and included considerable detail. It included a geshrai of pain from first term state Senator Dennis Bradley, who is feeling the business end of a federal investigation. Investigations of Bradley’s campaign finance practices are also pending at the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

The cases continue.

Former Republican state Representative Dan Carter will seek to win back his 2nd House District seat the November.

Carter served in the House from 2010 to 2016, when he was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

In a prepared statement released Monday, Carter wrote, “”Serving as a representative of my community in Hartford was a great honor and it’s is clear we need common sense in Hartford more than ever. While other parts of the country have enjoyed a robust economy, Connecticut continues to lag behind due to high taxes and poor fiscal policy. We need experienced, thoughtful representation and with the support of my community I will be the advocate the people in the 2^nd district rightfully deserve.”

The seat is currently held by Democratic incumbent Raghib Allie-Brennan, who is serving his first term.

Denizens of the Capitol village expect a Friday night dump of a new tolls proposal—this one agreed to by Governor Ned Lamont and Democratic legislative leaders.

Attracting as little attention as possible for the latest iteration of Lamont’s transportation plan may be part of what Ryan Drajewicz, Lamont’s chief of staff, called a “hard pivot” in a July 26th email to Ann Huntress Lamont, hailing the hiring of former NBC Connecticut political reporter Max Reiss, deemed “a Godsend.”

The message also reveals that Reiss’ “media strategy” includes “getting aggressive on all fronts.” The Reiss plan to revive Lamont’s dismal approval ratings includes hurling insults at Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven). Reiss, who was covering Fasano as a reporter during last year’s legislative session, charged recently that Fasano “continues to whine about the state budget while he never had the guts to propose his own line-by-line spending plan.” Reiss continued his abuse, “As evidenced by his refusal to get off the sidelines, these are goals not shared by Sen. Fasano, through his actions and words, and I doubt he will ever share them based on his continuous comments.” Fasano has been known to try to assist the flailing administration with some sound public policy ideas.

The Godsend’s surly tone may hinder Lamont’s hope to improve the tone of discourse at the Capitol. The Reiss way also risks discouraging legislators with deep knowledge of public policy from walking through the open door Lamont says he wants public officials of both parties to walk through. Abuse of elected officials by an appointed mouthpiece is more hurdle than enticement.

State Representative Kim Rose (D-Milford) will not seek a sixth term in the House. Rose announced Friday that serving the people of “the 118th district has been such a blessing and the honor of a lifetime.”

Manchester Republican Matthew Corey is a likely challenger to state Senator Steve Cassano (D-Manchester), for the 4th District seat. The district includes Andover, Bolton, Glastonbury and Manchester.

Corey has run for the 1st Congressional District against U.S. Representative John Larson. In 2018, he was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. A state Senate race would allow the energetic businessman to enjoy his first campaign with funding parity under the state’s generous taxpayer-financed campaign finance program.

Cassano is serving his fifth term in the Senate. He announced he would not seek a sixth and shortly thereafter changed his mind. He is also a former mayor of Manchester.

Coventry resident Jennifer Burdette alleged at a Coventry town council meeting Tuesday night that her then-minor daughter was sexually harassed for nearly a year by a local police officer. The video of Burdette’s statement is compelling. The link is here . Video is not available for embed.

The Journal Inquirer has more.

State Representative Anne Hughes (D-Easton) will not enjoy an easy path to a second term serving the 135th House district. The far-left Easton Democrat is expected to face Weston Democrat Gayle Weinstein in an August primary.

Weinstein is the former Weston first selectman. She quit her seat on the board of selectman after failing to win a fourth term as first selectman in 2015.

Democratic town committees will choose delegates In March from Easton, Redding and Weston to select a party-endorsed nominee at a May nominating convention. Hughes defeated a one-term Republican incumbent in 2018.

Greenwich Republican Harry Arora has won the 151st House District special election. Arora defeated Democrat Cheryl Moss.

Arora appears to have won by a thumping 10 point margin, continuing a Republican recovery in the one-time party bastion.