The Riddle: Saving Marissa Gillett.

“We all are caught in the middle of one long treacherous riddle. Can I trust you? Can you trust me too?

—The Riddle from The Scarlet Pimpernel

What will Governor Ned Lamont do about his Marissa Gillett problem? The chair of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) faces a difficult confirmation hearing for a second term on Thursday. Lamont was scrambling to reach an agreement with legislative leaders on heaving Gillett over the finish line without giving away many of his prerogatives over energy regulation.

State Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford) and Lamont have met with no agreement on reconfiguring PURA into a quasi-public entity with five members, one of whom could be Fonfara, who served for more than a decade as co-chair of the General Assembly’s energy committee. Lamont has expressed his opposition to the idea but may have gone wobbly as opposition to a second four-year term for Gillett has hardened in a controversy that has become a significant distraction for legislators.

The Gillett nomination holds promise and danger for the shrinking ranks of Republican legislators. If they remain united in opposing Gillett they will have accomplished something rare for them: influenced a significant decision at the Capitol. It their unity cracks and Republican votes provide Gillett with a second term, they will have tagged themselves as responsible for all that follows in the next four years of energy costs. Senate Republicans appear especially susceptible to bargaining their souls away for trinkets. House Republicans seem more resolute in ushering in a new dawn in utility regulation.

Any deal comes with a pressing question each party must answer: Can they trust each other to keep their word? Will they fulfill in the future the promises they make today? That is the riddle.

Published February 19, 2025.