Polluted municipal fields and a growing corruption scandal are combining to make Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreault one toxic Democrat. Forgery, larceny and kickbacks are three of the charges that have ensnared two high ranking municipal employees accused of breaking the law while Tetreau was not paying attention.

The investigation and arrests have alarmed locals in the tony town. No one’s more jittery than Tetreau’s running mate, Nancy Lefkowitz. You know a candidate is suffering a bad case of nerves when the joint Facebook page for the top of the ticket disappears.

TetreauLefkowitz2019 is one more casualty of the toxic scandal. Game On! becomes “Page Not Found” after weeks of astonishing revelations in Fairfield government.

Dear Ructions,

I don’t know how much you socialize with people in politics. You may not know that a simple dinner can be salted with land mines. A high ranking official of a former administration continues to be surprised at how few people keep in touch. I tried to arrange a dinner earlier this year for the former powerful figure and what I thought were some friends. Invitations were met with angry tales of arrogant, dismissive, and even cruel treatment. The calls included a lot of swearing on both ends. An ominous forecast intervened and caused us to cancel so I didn’t have to explain why so few people had agreed to attend.

I’m committed to trying again because the former official’s inbox remains bereft of invitations—even to fundraising events. How do I make this a pleasant occasion with more than just three of us at a forlorn table?

Sign me,

Trying

Dear Trying,

Ructions is not a stranger to the awkward social encounter. I continue to be surprised that people wielding power in the ugliest ways think no one will remember the slights and wounds. I admire your benevolent intent but you need to employ some stage management. No one will consider a tableful of muttering diners a success. Also, you don’t want every guest thinking they made a big deposit in your favor bank by showing up.

Pick a popular restaurant where you know the manager. Make your reservation in person. Slip the manager a generous wad of cash for reserving the table next to yours in the name of the person who now holds the job your mean guest of honor held. Tell your reluctant friends you saw who also has a reservation that night. They will be happy for a chance to ingratiate themselves with the new regime. Have the manager mention after the evening has begun that the official cancelled at the last minute.

You’re not done. On the afternoon of the dinner, give one discontented guest permission to work into the conversation an incident with the former official in a vivid but humorous recounting. If it is not met with an expression of regret, you have arranged your last dinner for the forlorn bully. Some regretful acknowledgement of past abuses may inspire someone else to take up your burdens. 

If you are impaled on the horns of a dilemma and want to risk receiving advice, send a message to kfr@dailyructions.com. Identities will be protected. Messages may be edited.

The 4-way Middletown contest for the Democratic mayoral nomination has challenger Ben Florsheim leading Bill Russo, also a challenger. Endorsed candidate Mary Bartolotta is third.

Incumbent Republican First Selectman Jeff Manville defeated endorsed candidate Jennifer Naylor in their Southbury race. Manville defeated Naylor 1047 to 621.

Justin Elicker has defeated Mayor Toni Harp in her bid for the Democratic nomination for re-election. Elicker has enjoyed strong support and a formidable turnout in his home area. Harp inspired low turnouts in districts where she was favored.

Campaign operative and party activist Bill Evans will be joining the staff of the House Republican caucus, Daily Ructions has learned. The Wolcott Republican has worked on the campaigns of Mark Greenberg, Mark Lauretti, Matt Corey, and David Stemerman. Evans has enjoyed more luck with local Republican campaigns than statewide and congressional efforts.

The Evans hire may cause House Republican members to add some energy to their efforts as they enter a critical election year after suffering significant losses in 2018.

Dear Ructions,

I’m excited to be running for office for the first time. The people who lead our local party were looking for candidates and someone suggested me. I don’t know the people I’m running with very well—and they know me almost not at all. Nobody asked me about my political views. They just wanted to make sure I would do some campaigning and had nothing embarrassing in my background. 

Now that I’m in this I want to show voters we can make a difference. My first idea is to ban drive-thru windows at local businesses. If we are serious about climate change we should not allow cars and SUVs to sit in a line spewing fumes and burning fossil fuels for a cup of coffee or a Happy Meal. We need to get serious. (I’m appalled that some of my neighbors don’t take recycling as seriously as they should.) My ticket team members, who have all been candidates before, seem timid and reluctant to do something meaningful, even if some selfish locals might grumble.

How can I persuade them to embrace my ideas? Should I go it alone in the name of the future?

In the name of the planet,

Acting Locally

Dear Acting,

These team campaigns can be tricky. You don’t want your fellow candidates to decide they would rather win a smaller majority without you than a bigger one with you. 

Unveil your ban on drive-thru windows at a closed campaign meeting. Do it with optimism. That you may know your neighbors’ recycling habits suggests a certain vigor that others may see as stark rigidity. Your home district may not be your strongest when the votes are counted. Others on your team may be able to help figure out how to rebut the opposition of local businesses and their customers. There are a lot of drive-thru windows in most towns. 

Some flexibility can be helpful. More cars are starting to have the feature that shuts them off while idling. Drive-thru windows can make the lives of the disabled easier. The ones at local pharmacies help keep ailing germ carriers away from the rest of the customers and that seems like a public benefit. Many banks have closed their drive-thru windows as they nudge their customers online. Talk to them about their experience and you may get some helpful ideas to polish your proposal. 

Here’s a thought. The drive-thru windows at food and beverage establishments often have trash receptacles (don’t tell Fotis Dulos) at the beginning and end of the lane. They don’t  have a way to separate recyclables from other trash. Find an establishment that will begin a voluntary program with split bins–recyclables and trash. Shine a bright light on it. It will be the beginning of a reputation for you. 

If you are impaled on the horns of a dilemma and want to risk receiving advice, send a message to kfr@dailyructions.com. Identities will be protected. Messages may be edited.

State Senator Robert Duff, the Senate Majority Leader, claims the state’s constitution exempts him from the Freedom of Information Act. Bob Welsh, a writer for the respected local news website NancyOnNorwalk.com, requested from Duff on April 19th and June 21st, “emails received during the period February 1 through March 31 2019 [sic], regarding school regionalization, which mention Norwalk.”

Duff refused to comply with the request. His Senate Democratic caucus attorney claimed in a message to Welsh that the request is barred by Article Third, Section 15 of the state’s constitution. It reads:

SEC. 15. The senators and representatives shall, in all cases of civil process, be privileged from arrest, during any session of the general assembly, and for four days before the commencement and after the termination of any session thereof. And for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

Welsh is not seeking to have Duff arrested. He’s seeking information on school regionalization in Norwalk. The Freedom of Information Commission will hold a hearing on Welsh’s complaint Monday, September 9th at 11 a.m. Duff’s assault on open government is the most serious mounted by a high-ranking public official in many years.

The hearing comes at an embarrassing time for Duff. On Thursday, he endorsed Pete Buttigieg for the Democratic nomination for president. Buttigieg has tried to stake out some turf in the crowded field as a notable advocate for transparency in government. His campaign website declares, “Pete believes in our democratic republic, but knows that our government has not been nearly democratic or accountable enough.”

Duff and Buttigieg appear ill-suited for each other.

Robert Matthews wants some public assistance. Matthews was one of John G. Rowland’s favorites when the Waterbury Republican served as governor. The real estate developer and con man was at the center of a scheme for Rowland to sell his Washington, D.C. condominium in his first term as governor. The plan caught the attention of federal investigators and resulted in the 2004 conviction of straw man and schnook Wayne Pratt, who gained some fame and notoriety as an antiques dealer.

Matthews left Connecticut and reinvented himself in Palm Beach, a favorite haunt of shady real estate developers. He came to grief last year when he was charged, according to The Hartford Courant, with “conspiracy, money laundering and tax offenses for stealing millions from foreign investors he persuaded to invest in a moribund Palm Beach hotel-condominium project.”

The mansions and yacht are long gone. Matthews and his wife are no longer familiar figures on the Palm Beach gala circuit. There are legal bills to be paid and Matthews says he’s out of money, the AP reports. The bankrupt Matthews found a benefactor to pay a $50,000 retainer to the Connecticut firm Wiggin & Dana. Matthews needs more money for his complicated legal affairs. The public will step in to pay the freight at reduced hourly rates under the Criminal Justice Act, according to the AP.

Matthews reported having $178 in a bank account in his bankruptcy filing.

Dear Ructions:

I saw your letter about New Haven, and as a Hartford resident, I find myself deeply conflicted. While I loathe the idea of Matt Hennessey returning to power in City Hall, through his patron Eddie Perez, I am also deeply disturbed by the colonial administration of Mayor Bronin.

Should I cast my ballot for a man convicted of a felony committed while in public service – the standard corrupt contractor does house renovations while in exchange for public works contracts? Or, do I vote for a man who has engaged in a soft corruption to maintain his power without the city even getting a new sidewalk for it?

The incumbent, in this Me Too moment, needs the support of a married member of City Council who stands very credibly accused of sexually harassing a council aide for more than a year. The incumbent also, according to a state audit, violated the law in getting money to build Dillon stadium for Bruce Mandel (who gave $45k illegally to Bob Stefanowski). The incumbent’s wife chairs the city’s Planing and Zoning commission, although her term expired in February 2017, she or a replacement has never been reappointed, so she remains by default.

While Eddie is at least accessible, empowering another Joe Ganim redemption story makes me kind of sick. And though Luke has the cooperation of corporate community, he does not listen to even those closest to him, who warned him against running for governor.

Which kind of corruption is worse? Eddie’s pay-to-play, or Luke’s blind, amoral ambition? Or should I just vote for the guy who parks his BMW in a handicap spot (who also is allied with the alleged sexual harasser)?

Sign me,

Confused in the Capital City

Dear Confused,

Despair has not diminished your powers of analysis or decription. You have joined the crowded ranks of baleful Hartford primary voters. This race pummels optimism. Your question suggests the answer. You sound like you have concluded Brandon McGee is the least objectionable of the three contenders on the September 10th ballot.

I must cavil with the notion of equivalent veins of corruption.  Eddie Perez engaged in the criminal betrayal of the public trust for home improvements and tried to blame it on dyslexia during his trial. Luke Bronin is a disappointment to many but not a felon. Still, you are right to be alarmed that Bronin’s spouse continues to chair the zoning commission with a term that goes on and on while also aggressively raising campaign funds for her husband. Down that path awaits disaster. Bronin was a high ranking official in the Malloy administration where the rule of law was never a priority.

Tumult in the police department—three chiefs in four years—announces Bronin’s management skills are not improving with experience. These stumbles become obstacles to competent leadership.

That leaves state Representative Brandon McGee. The car problems (handicap parking and local taxes) were more  disappointment than disqualifiers. In case he thinks no one noticed, McGee should not have solicited lobbyists for campaign contributions during this year’s legislative session. He doesn’t appear to value vengeful, which sets him apart from his competitors in an important way.

McGee deserves credit for running a campaign that emphasizes neighborhood issues. It’s heartening to see a candidate who understands the value of libraries and parks. Credit McGee with the virtue of not contemplating a run for governor in 2022.

Politics does not offer choices among perfect alternatives. Your savvy message tells me you have paid attention, weighed the risks, and arrived at the verge of a decision that should not embarrass you or Hartford. Don’t go wobbly.

If you are impaled on the horns of a dilemma and want to risk receiving advice, send a message to kfr@dailyructions.com. Identities will be protected. Messages may be edited.