Poor John Pavia and the Elusive Punch.
It does not take much to knock state Republican party chairman hopeful John Pavia off his pins. An innocuous comment by rival J.R. Romano on a newspaper blog last week sent the Easton political dilettante into a revealing twist.
Irritated that Romano pointed out that Pavia’s wife is a Superior Court judge whose prospects for reappointment and elevation are at Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s pleasure. It is an unusual tie that members of the party’s central committee might want to include in their deliberations.
Pavia’s response showed he has not spent much time in the arena of political combat. The whiny businessman cannot take a mild punch and certainly does not know how to land one. Somebody take away his keyboard. Pavia’s rambling response showed he’s shooting blanks in this contest.
Here’s the tedious message [italics added] Pavia sent to the small universe of voters he needs to persuade to support him later this month:
From: John Pavia <johnpaviaforgopchair@gmail.com>
Date: May 30, 2015 at 9:43:56 AM EDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Addressing It
Throughout the course of this campaign for State Party Chairman, I have publicly complimented the other candidates for being professional, respectful, and acting like gentlemen. Our Party has self-inflicted many wounds to our image over the last few years, so there is no better way to demonstrate leadership than by behaving with professionalism, maturity and class, even in the midst of a competitive race. Campaigns should be about vision and ideas, but as we all know they often decline into petty personal attacks. I think the three of us have stayed focused on articulating our vision for the Party, and respectfully discussing our differences.
On Wednesday, a story posted on Neil Vigdor’s blog focused on my candidacy and my wife’s position as a Superior Court Judge. Instead of declining comment and taking the position that candidates’ spouses and children are off limits, one of the candidates took the position that I needed to address this issue. I have already spoken to that candidate, and I take him at his word that the comment was not made maliciously. However, I would like to make two important points.
The race for Republican Chairman is being watched by a lot of people. The question at the top of everyone’s list is whether the Connecticut Republican Party can shed itself of its bad habits and become a strong, unified, and successful organization. The candidates for Chairman have the unique opportunity to begin the process of changing voters’ opinions about the CT GOP and its ability to lead in a mature and professional manner. The results of the last few election cycles have shown that we damage our own brand when we decide to take the low road and throw fellow Republicans under the proverbial bus. We are only going to discredit ourselves and hurt our party if we opt to go down the path of personal attacks. I am not going be the one to lead us down that road.
I understand that my wife is a public official. I have never attempted to downplay her position, and have always put it out front and center when discussing my family. Up until now, not a single person has, in any way, questioned my ability to be an effective Chairman because of her position, or suggested that her role as a Superior Court Judge creates a conflict. That being said, I guess I have no choice but to “address” the issue now that it’s been raised.
After serving the people of Connecticut for 15 years as a prosecutor, my wife had the honor of being appointed as a Superior Court Judge by Governor Jodi Rell in 2006. All judges in Connecticut are appointed for an eight year term. Her first term expired this year and she, along with other of Governor Rell’s judicial appointees were reappointed by Governor Malloy and were confirmed by the General Assembly. Robin has served with distinction and will now serve her second eight year term which will expire in 2022.
During her first term as a Judge, I served as Finance Chair for our Party, helping to raise campaign funds in support of our effort to defeat Dan Malloy and return common sense to Connecticut’s government. I never once hesitated to ask a donor for a contribution out of concern that my wife would not be reappointed should Governor Malloy be reelected. This simply was not a concern of mine or my wife’s. While I realize that anything is possible, I don’t think any of us believe that Dan Malloy will be Governor in 2022 when my wife’s current term expires. Therefore, the issue raised on Neil Vigdor’s blog will probably rate as the biggest “Red Herring” of this campaign.
The race for Chairman is now less than a month away, and the campaign is sure to intensify. Nonetheless, I strongly urge that we continue to show the class and professionalism that Republicans around the State are looking for. If we want to find a legitimate target for our ire, we don’t have to look any further than Dan Malloy and the Democrats. His administration is by far the single biggest threat to our State’s survival. His policies are flat out wrong, and the numbers prove it. While the rest of the country continues to ride the wave of recovery that began around the time he took office, Connecticut ranks near last in job growth. During that same period, our unemployment rate was 6.6%, and our Working Age population declined at 5x (five times) the national average. These numbers are alarming, and the trends are not going to reverse unless we come together and send more Republicans to Hartford. Our Party is the only hope Connecticut has to roll back the tax and spend policies that are literally driving people and companies out of Connecticut. Come June 23rd, Governor Malloy will soon realize that we are going to challenge him with substance and hard facts on every front as a unified Republican Party.
In order to accomplish these goals, we, as leaders of our Party, need to find ways to attract voters to the Republican Party and not continue the same old slash and burn tactics that have caused voters to reject our message. I can assure you that as we move forward, my focus will remain on having substantive discussions with the members of State Central and other Republicans on how to build up our party, and how to elect Republicans.
Thank you for your service and commitment to our Party.
With best regards,
John Pavia