After receiving emails and phone calls, reading this opinion piece, and being just plain unsatisfied with the response to the issue I sent a letter to the governor this morning. Below is the associated press release and letter.
The temperatures outside this weekend may be beautifully autumnal, but it seems to be getting quite hot for Gov. Rell and her chief of staff. In a brutal editorial, the Norwich Bulletin has called on the Governor to immediately fire Lisa Moody:
This is not the first time Moody has stepped over the line of improper political activity. The governor suspended her for two weeks without pay four years ago for improperly conducting campaign fundraising activities from her office at the Capitol.
It's time the governor requested Moody's immediate resignation.
To say this is disappointing would be an understatement. And if the governor was aware of what was transpiring, and did nothing to stop it, she has certainly disappointed many of the citizens who have long supported her.
But whether she knew or not, she needs to address this matter. She needs to dismiss those involved and return to the state any funds that were used improperly.
The Connecticut Post's editorial on the Dautrich Project does not name Moody, but expresses a similar sentiment:
If the governor will only give vague answers, taxpayers will have to count on auditors to do an exhaustive job. When their probe is over, there can be no lingering doubt as to exactly what services were provided and who paid for what.
The last few years might have offered a bit of a respite from headlines about government malfeasance. But the stink of corruption still lingers over our state. There is zero room for misappropriation of funds, or even broadly interpreting the rules that guard against such things, especially in the governor's office.
Even John Rowland, who went to prison for corruption, did not engage in the dirty enterprise that Rell, Moody and Dautrich concocted.
(Make sure to read the entire op-ed for Rennie's full and entertaining take on what he describes as Dautrich's "servile" behavior in conversations with Moody.)
Forget about focus groups - Moody would have been better off finding a way to secretly procure some more Teflon. Because the current supply, which has lasted for five years, appears to be running out.
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.
Hartford - Gov. M. Jodi Rell's administration has publicly committed more than $220,000 for a University of Connecticut professor's 30-month project to study ways to streamline state government.
But in that project, Dr. Kenneth Dautrich, a polling expert and confidant of Rell's chief of staff, has also been studying something else:
How best to frame the Republican governor's positions to win approval from state voters.
Ted Mann's must-read investigative report today on Rell's use of $220,000 in taxpayer money for political purposes reveals that the Office of Policy and Management compensated UConn for the services provided by Ken Dautrich, a professor and former head of UConn's polling outfit.
The political services Dautrich has provided to Rell's administration and which were funded by taxpayers include a December 2008 focus group in Wethersfield on budget messaging, which resulted in a memo sent to Lisa Moody that warned of the popularity of Attorney General Blumenthal (then a potential gubernatorial challenger). They also include a January 2009 memo addressing the governor's political standing - including a draft introduction of Rell's budget speech - which was sent to Moody.
A PDF file of the focus group memo has been made available here by The Day.
Mann also reports that Rell's administration has not been forthcoming about their relationship with Dautrich - they did not make the documents available easily, and have kept Dautrich's involvement with Rell "a closely guarded secret":
Dautrich's efforts to gauge and manage public sentiment - on everything from income taxes to leadership qualities to the public's opinion of a potential political rival - have been a closely guarded secret in the Rell administration, presumably to avoid criticism that the governor has employed the professor to provide political guidance on the public dime.
But The Day obtained correspondence and documents related to the project this week, after a monthslong effort to obtain more information about Dautrich's work under state open records laws.
If Connecticut-under-Rell were not, effectively, the Bizzarro planet, this would be a scandal of huge proportions.
Perhaps, thanks to other recent scandals that have hit the Rell administration and a parallel unprecedented decline in her polling numbers, Connecticut is finally leaving Bizarro world.
Update: Dan Malloy has a few questions for Rell (via press release):
"It certainly appears that Governor Rell used taxpayer money for her own political benefit, which, at the very least, raises serious ethical concerns. If true, it means she paid to find out what people wanted to hear, and then she told them exactly that - knowing it wasn't true, but that it might work for her politically. This may very well explain her bizarre behavior in the budget debacle over the past eight months. What's needed here is a full accounting. Exactly how was the $220,000 spent? Was other research done? If so, what type of research? And, what is a professor known for his expertise in polling and research doing trying to streamline state government? Isn't that the job of people at OPM and in the Governor's office? The Governor needs to answer these questions immediately - and if she won't, legislators need to begin asking questions."
Update 2: Nancy DiNardo calls for an investigation (via press release):
"It's beyond outrageous that Governor M. Jodi Rell used more than $200,000 in taxpayer dollars to fund what was, in essence, a focus group to gauge support for her possible re-election bid next year," said State Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo. "At the very least this looks as though it violates state ethics guidelines, and possibly even the law. ... Once again, Governor Rell needs to come clean and tell the people of Connecticut why they are paying for her re-election campaign, and I also feel strongly that the appropriate body - perhaps State Ethics, the State Auditor, or the Attorney General - must look into this matter, as well."
A new Quinnipiac poll out this morning has Jodi Rell slipping to a 65% approval rating, her lowest number ever in that poll, which itself you something about how thick a coat of Teflon has been slathered on her governorship ever since John Rowland resigned in June 2004.
Still, there are some indications that that coat is now starting to crack. Her disapproval rate climbed 10 points in the last two months as she played political games with the budget while the job picture soured. In fact, a plurality of voters, by a margin of 48% to 45%, now say "an increase in taxes is necessary to balance the budget," a huge move in opinion from the 32% who agreed with that statement and the 63% who didn't when the same question was asked in March.
The state legislature in general also comes in for a hit. One politician surveyed still retains sky-high approval ratings: Richard Blumenthal at 79%.
Democratic legislators should take note of this bit of data from the poll:
"Voters support 71 - 27 percent raising the state income tax for individuals making at least $265,000 per year and couples making at least $500,000. The measure wins 90 - 9 percent support from Democrats and 71 - 26 percent support from independent voters, while Republicans oppose it 57 - 40 percent."
Ted Mann at The Day reports that Gov. Rell's decision to sign the Senate Vacancy Bill is touching off something of a firestorm within a party that increasingly seems to think they've been sold out and hung up to dry on this issue:
House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, learned from reporters that Rell had signed the bill, and said he had received no indication why the governor changed her position.
"Maybe she completely changed her mind," Cafero said sarcastically, rattling off a list of potential explanations....
"It was clearly a political move," Cafero said of the Senate vacancy bill. "She said it was. For her to today sign that was a complete about face of which we had no prior notice, so I guess you'd have to ask her why."
After an initial "no comment" on the matter, Cafero is now voicing his displeasure widely, including to the AP:
"It came as a complete surprise to me and without any previous notice whatsoever that the governor signed this bill," said House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., miffed by Rell's decision....
Cafero said the previous system, with the governor filling a vacant seat, "had served us well."
"In defense of our governor, 48 out of 49 Republican legislators stood up in this chamber for over five hours - five hours - and defended the status quo system," Cafero said.
"This law is consistent with my long-held belief that we should take every action possible to involve our citizens in their government," [said Rell].
That language further infuriated some Republican lawmakers, who had fought hard to argue that leaving appointment powers to the governor was consistent with good government
All this open discontent within the GOP with their own governor - and over giving Connecticut voters more power to democratically elect Senators of all things - makes one wonder what Explore Cafero might actually be "exploring" these days.
I don't think anyone saw this one coming, least of all the CT Republican party and their acolytes who spent the last few months arguing that giving CT voters a more functional democracy was somehow a partisan "power grab". From CTNewsJunkie:
In an unexpected move, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed the US Senate vacancy bill which takes away the governor's power to appoint someone to a vacant US Senate seat.
"Although the current process for filling a Senate vacancy has worked well in our state for many decades, this bill gives directly to the people of Connecticut the decision on who would fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate," Rell said in a press release. "Since taking office as Governor, I have done everything in my power to make Connecticut a model for all states when it comes to openness, transparency and citizen participation in government."
(Update: Worth noting that Rell's complete 180 on a bill that her spokesman previously described as "blatant, partisan politics" happens to coincide with the likelihood that Democrats had the votes to override her veto. The legislation would have become law whether or not Rell signed it today.)
Update 2: Just got this postcard... I'm telling you it looks gorgeous!
Stamford's Democratic mayor Dannel Malloy appeared before the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee on Thursday evening and delivered an ebullient and wide-ranging address. Here's a roundup of Malloy's remarks:
Malloy began by expressing his pleasure that Greenwich resident Jim Himes had won his race for congress, unseating 21-year incumbent Republican Chris Shays last year. Malloy stated that he was proud to have worked with Jim and for Jim during his campaign. He revealed that he played the role of Chris Shays in Himes' debate prep last autumn, and joked that it was the only time that he had taken Shays' side of an argument.
Demonstration at Gov. Rell's Mansion Organized by COMA-CT, they will gather at Gov. Rell's manison in Hartford to send her a clear message that we are serious about health care reform in CT. She has ignored us for too long. We will join forces to send a clear message that we can no longer wait for universal health care.
Today from 5:45 pm To 7:30 pm.
I put it on the calendar so there is more event info here, including a Google map for ya. :)
Sadly, I will not be able to make it there but I posted it for any of you that might have the time.
Doug Schwartz at Quinnipiac reports on some numbers they've made up found in polling of CT (March 3-8, 1238 registered voters +/- 2.5%).
"These numbers have to worry Sen. Christopher Dodd. Former Congressman Simmons is not well known outside his district, yet he is running neck and neck with Dodd at this point," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD.
"Simmons easily wins his former district. The good news for Dodd is that this is the first poll in a long time where Dodd's job approval hasn't dropped. It appears that Dodd's slide may have ended."
Simmons is almost certainly running. From this morning at Politico:
In an interview with POLITICO on Monday, Simmons said he will make a final decision by the end of the month. He met with NRSC officials last Friday and is leaning towards jumping into the race.
"I'm definitely interested,'' Simmons told Capitol Watch. "I'm angry about what's going on in Washington, D.C. ... I've worked all my life, and I've watched my IRA go down 50 percent, and I'm luckier than most."
Mark Pazniokas has an intriguing little story in the NY Times about Ned Lamont now expressing interest in a gubernatorial campaign. He'd obviously be a damn sight better than Jodi Rell and might even be able to whip the legislature into an effective body.
With the same bluntness he once directed at Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and the war in Iraq, Mr. Lamont complained about the inability of Mrs. Rell and the General Assembly to tame Connecticut's deficit.
Then he delivered an urgent outline of the budget address he would have given if governor.
"To me that was the opportunity to stand up and say, 'We're confronted with a $4 billion deficit,' " he said during a telephone interview from his office in Greenwich on a snowy morning. "This is the time for Connecticut to change the way we do business. And I have to tell you I'm going to bring labor to the table, and they are going to be part of this solution."
He is months away from a final decision, but after previously disavowing any interest in the job, Mr. Lamont said that a gubernatorial campaign grows more intriguing as the economy worsens and the deficit deepens, all harbingers of a protracted budget fight in Hartford.
On the issue of whether Connecticut's sports coaches Jim Calhoun, Geno Auriemma, and Randy Edsall -- the 3 highest paid employees of the state -- should either give back some of their salary or negotiate lower-paying contracts, Governor Jodi Rell had this to say:
During a speech at Central Connecticut State University, Ned Lamont pointed out some of the glaring weaknesses of Governor Rell's latest budget as well as her handling of the state economy. His biggest criticism is that Rell seems to fail to recognize that Connecticut's economy has been stagnant for at least a generation, and the budget lacks the big changes needed to position the state for economic growth in the 21st century.
He called her budget - $38.3 billion over two years with cuts meant to correct predicted billion-dollar deficits - a smattering of quick fixes with little in the way of important changes.
Pointing out the projected deficits for the next several years, he said the need for change at the Capitol should be obvious.
"This is the time for Connecticut to make the big changes that are so long overdue," Lamont said. "We as a country and we as a state have consistently underestimated the scale of the issues and crisis in front of us."
Rell recommended that people turn out lights when leaving their offices and not travel out of state as a way of paying down the deficit. Lamont hit at her intention to borrow against the state's rainy-day fund.
"Her plan is extraordinarily shortsighted, and you young people should be outraged because they've borrowed against your future," he said to the students.
Lamont said he plans to take a crack at this budget himself, along with other members of his public policy committee at Central Connecticut State University.
Lamont, who was made a distinguished professor of political science and philosophy, said the university arts and sciences public policy committee he leads will be looking at ways to fix the economic problems and get the state going again.
"We're going to take a look at this deficit and look at it in a serious way and hopefully present an alternative to the governor that will prepare the state for when we're on the back side of this depression and get the state rolling again," he said.
Oh, and in case you were wondering ...
Lamont said he was not considering a run for either the governor's seat or a senate seat.
Bloggers once again bring to the attention of the traditional media some glaring issues with obvious misstatements by state politicians, in this case Gov. Jodi Rell.
The video linked to by Davis is the one on the frontpage at MyLeftNutmeg.
Story by: Mark Davis
Hartford (WTNH) - Democrats in the General Assembly are accusing Republican Governor Jodi Rell of ignoring the real state budget deficit so she could promise not to raise taxes.
Almost immediately after Rell announced her budget nine days ago, Democrats in the General Assembly complained that it was over two billion dollars out of whack. They now are pointing to a news confrence, held two weeks before her budget announcement, as evidence that she knew it, because of this response by her budget director to a question from Chief Capitol Correspondent Mark Davis.
"I think it's fair to say that we will be closer to eight than six," said Robert Genuario, state budget director.
The governor was sitting right next to Genuario and made no effort to dispute what he had said. A video clip now the subject of local bloggers and even a YouTube video.
If Senator Dodd had a serious challenger in 2010, he could lose. Fifty-one percent said they were unlikely to vote for Dodd in 2010 -- and that includes 32 percent who said they definitely won't vote for Dodd.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal remains popular, and if he ever decided to run against Lieberman, Blumenthal would likely win in a route. In a head-to-head race, Blumenthal leads Lieberman in the poll by 58% to 30%.
Governor Rell remains popular, and the Democrats running against her have a lot of work to do. Susan Bysiewicz has an early big lead over the other Democratic contenders.
"If the Democratic primary for governor were being held today and the candidates were Dan Malloy, Susan Bysiewicz and Jim Amann, for whom would you vote?"
Forty-four percent of Democrats polled answered Bysiewicz, Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy followed with 12 percent and former Speaker of the House James Amann trailed the pack with 4 percent.
Check out the poll here. What else jumps out at you?
These cuts -- if left intact, and if the state legislature believes it can treat these funds like spare change in a cookie jar -- will put the program in serious jeopardy. Common Cause, the advocacy group that has been leading the way for campaign finance reform from the beginning, estimates that the Citizens Election Fund will be at least $10 million short going into the crucial 2010 general elections. That year will see a full slate of state races, including heated contests for Governor among Democratic primary candidates and in the general election.
A statement released by the group spelled out what's at stake:
If Connecticut citizens don't act now to protect their power to influence electoral politics and prevent special interests from choosing our lawmakers, we may lose that power forever. We cannot let Connecticut move backwards into the corrupt past when so much depends on a clean future.
I somehow missed this, but last month Gov. Rell signed a new bill (PA 08-32) that places even more restrictions on teen driving in Connecticut.
The new law, starting August 1st, sets the curfew for drivers under age 18 at 11 PM.
It also doubles the amount of on-the-road training required and parents must attend driver’s education classes with their kids for at least two hours.
The law also calls for an immediate 48-day license suspension for any teens caught speeding, driving under the influence, or reckless driving.
Additionally, the current waiting period of 6 months between receiving a license and being able to drive others has been doubled to a full year.
I agree that it makes some sense to limit late-night driving and passenger distractions, both possible contributing factors for unsafe driving. I'll even admit that I was a fairly poor driver for a while after I received my license, a condition that was exacerbated by the typical teenage desire to speed.
But this latest bill is ridiculous. 11:00pm? No one can seriously expect teenagers to leave friends' houses before 11 on weekend nights. This now requires parents or older siblings to be 'on-call' on these nights to pick up teens, who will not even be able to catch a ride with under-18 friends.
The new bill has a negative environmental impact. By requiring parents to shuttle kids around for an additional few months, and by making it more difficult for teens to carpool, the bill forces both parents and teens to log more miles. With skyrocketing gas prices and the prospect of dangerous climate change, we should be encouraging teens to share rides to friends' houses or to the movies, and not forcing them to drive separately.
Most importantly, the bill seeks to legislate a decision that should be left to families. I'm not close to being a limited-government Republican or Libertarian, but this is an area in which that our legislators have little right to intrude. Leave it to parents to decide if they trust their child to drive home at midnight. Allow the family to make a decision as to when teenage drivers can be trusted to have passengers.
I entered college at age 17. Parents are the best judges of when teens are ready to accept responsibility. When lawmakers seek to place these sorts of restrictions on families' abilities to make decisions, we must call it for what it is: a political stunt, an overreaction to unfortunate teenage deaths in car accidents.
The drivers affected by these regulations can't vote, and so they are unable to hold their elected officials accountable for their votes. But older siblings, parents, and environmentalists should all be disappointed by the passage of this bill
Allstate Insurance released a study in April that ranked Connecticut fifth lowest in fatal deaths per capita among teenage drivers. It's obvious that the current system of lesser restrictions is suitable, and there is no need for the (Democratic-controlled!!) State Assembly and Gov. Rell to further mettle in what should be a family affair.
You can send a check to the Charter Oak chapter of the Red Cross, said the Governor to morning deejay today, urging citizens to contribute to the relief fund for the home fire that knocked 150 people out of 120 apartments in Norwich this weekend.
Can't somebody do something about this traffic, gasped the Congressman trapped on the Merritt Parkway to the morning jock about the price of gas and the situation on the highways.
Ain't nothing we can't handle, said the man pushing the broom to his friend as they stood under the grocery store awning, under the raining gray sky.
Of all the conversations I heard today, I like the man pushing the broom the best.
I was ready to pull out my hair by the time I was done listening to Chaz and AJ and Billy and Megan Dahl hang out with Governor M. Jodi Rell and Congressman Chris Murphy this morning on WPLR.
And that was after I missed the beginning of their conversation while channel surfing down I-91, on my way to a property law exam from Hartford to Hamden, by car, of course.
Remember the famous New Hampshire phone-jamming scheme? The mastermind behind those attacks, Allen Raymond, is about to release a tell-all book about that plus other dirty and illegal tricks employed by the GOP. The book, How to Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative is due out in January.*
Raymond is the same character that arranged a racist phone campaign in New Jersey in 2000. The idea came from a GOP consulting firm, Jamestown Associates, that hired Raymond to do the dirty work. Jamestown Associates is the same political consultant that proudly displays clients Shris Shays and Jodi Rell on their home page. Why are these two associating themselves with consultants whose tactics have actually landed people in jail? I suppose we'll have to ask Shays and Rell about the company they keep.
When asked if he had asked DeLuca to resign, McKinney said: "I'd rather not answer that question."
Republican Governor Jodi Rell:
"The senator, and the senator alone, and his family, will be the decision-makers on whether or not he should resign."
Senate President Pro Tem Donald E. Williams:
Williams ... declined to say if DeLuca should consider quitting. "That is a matter for him to consider. I know that most senators are trying to be circumspect in their comments right now," Williams said.
To have ethical government, political leaders have to make clear what's acceptable behavior and what isn't. The silence of Rell, McKinney and Williams speaks volumes.
MLN is powered by