Senate Returns to Business as Usual. Deal Allows Coleman and Kane to Launch Bids for New Jobs, Forsaking Voters.

State Senators Eric Coleman (D-Bloomfield) and Rob Kane (R-Watertown) must have been eyeing other jobs while seeking re-election last fall. They did not mention to voters that they might not serve only two months after winning new terms in November. A deal among Senate leaders nullified November’s election results Wednesday morning as Coleman and Kane seek more lucrative state jobs. Neither took their oath of office on the first day of the new legislative session. Coleman is expected to seek a seat on the Superior Court bench, though leaders in the judicial branch believe there’s no need for additional judicial appointments in theses austere times. Kane will be nominated by Republican legislative leaders for the state auditor’s position reserved for a Republican.

Coleman will first need to make his way through the Judicial Selection Commission. Approval there would be followed by a gubernatorial nomination and then legislative approval.

Kane’s vetting will be more public and eventful. Putting Kane in an office that is the first stop on many whistleblower complaints will cause consternation among serious-minded legislators, state employees, and traditional government watchdogs.

Henry Becker, Bob Jaekle, Bob Ward, and Rob Kane. Who doesn’t belong and why? The who is obvious. They why is a longer saga.