More: Dautrich Project May Have Included Rell Campaign Work

by: tparty

Thu Oct 08, 2009 at 16:09:25 PM EDT

Ted Mann has filed an update to his earlier story at The Day on the Rell administration's apparent use of $220,000 in taxpayer money for political focus groups run by noted UConn pollster Ken Dautrich. The new story includes a link to a PDF of email exchanges between Lisa Moody and Dautrich that seem to strongly indicate the political intent behind the work (as if testing Dick Blumenthal's name wasn't sufficient evidence):

"I don't think opinion should drive decisions, but at a minimum should be taken into account and the governor should take the lead in shaping it," Dautrich wrote to M. Lisa Moody, Rell's chief of staff, last June. "A set of polls can be very useful in this regard."

And the deceptive budgeting that was used to hide the Dautrich Project, which was funded under the guise of an OPM "government streamlining project":

She wrote back to Dautrich: "I agree - got some money - Matt (Fritz, a Rell aide) will fill you in."

A spokesman for the governor's office said this week that the "money" to which Moody referred was additional funds made available in the budget of the Office of Policy and Management, which bankrolled the Dautrich project.

But what might be most interesting is the difference in recollection between Rell and Dautrich regarding Dautrich's apparent involvement in polling for Rell's gubernatorial exploratory committee - which, if true, could open up a big can of campaign finance worms:

In a phone interview, Rell flatly denied that Dautrich had helped craft a poll conducted by her exploratory committee by Braun Research of Princeton, N.J., a firm with which Dautrich has worked repeatedly during his time at UConn.

Dautrich said during two interviews that he did consult on that committee poll, both on the questions to be asked of voters and, after it was conducted, reviewing data and providing his comments on what pollsters found.

"I certainly had input," Dautrich said..."

Perhaps the Governor should talk again to her chief of staff, who probably has a better recollection of exactly what transpired with this hidden project.