UPDATE: The Terms of the Deal. Soft Landing: Magnan to Lobby for UConn.

The global pandemic has not slowed the state’s hackerama. Maureen Magnan, who served as chief of staff to former Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, has joined the University of Connecticut lobbying team. Magnan was not retained by the new speaker, Matthew Ritter.

The announcement was made Thursday shortly after Daily Ructions inquired about the hiring of the West Hartford Democrat. Longtime Magnan friend and UConn lobbyist Joann Lombardo wrote in an email she expected to fill the post later this year. “In the interim, I am pleased to announce that Maureen Magnan will be providing us with much needed assistance during the 2021 Legislative Session.”

UConn, which is part of state government, enjoys a lobbying staff of five to lobby state government. Last year UConn paid $180,000 to a Washington lobbying firm, Clark Hill PLC.

News that UConn has hired Magnan came on the morning the Labor Department revealed national first-time unemployment claims surged to 965,000 last week.

Salting higher education with unemployed Democrats was begun by former Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s administration. It was at first ignored by Governor Ned Lamont and now appears to have been adopted and enthusiastically continued by him as the state’s unemployment has soared.

UPDATE: “Magnan,” according to UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, ” is being paid $70 an hour and is expected to work 25 hours per week or up to 35 hours with permission of her immediate supervisor. She is not filling the full-time position of director.” Magnan’s compensation will range between $1,750 and $2,450 a week.