Author: Christopher Keating

The Connecticut Supreme Court issued a major ruling Monday on the long-running battle over education funding in the public schools.

The Horton vs. Meskill battle has prompted the state legislature to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars through the years to Hartford and far lower amounts to other communities. As such, Hartford consistently spends more money per student than communities like Simsbury and Glastonbury.

In the current fiscal year, Hartford’s education cost-sharing grant from the state is about $187 million, compared to about $5.36 million for Simsbury, $3.4 million for Greenwich, $1.5 million for New Canaan, and $1.2 million for Avon.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal noted that the case is being sent back to a lower court and is “lacking a majority for a clear result.”

The details from Arielle Levin Becker are at http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-supreme-court-education-suit-0322,0,676398.story

Ned Lamont has complained about Connecticut’s transportation system during his campaign for governor, but it hit him personally Friday night.

When the cameras started rolling for the first live television debate at the local NBC affiliate, Lamont was not there – and the camera showed an empty spot.

“We begin with an empty lectern,” moderator Gerry Brooks told the TV viewers. “We will welcome Ned Lamont, who is stuck in traffic.”

Moments later, Lamont finally showed up and was asked a question about the state budget deficits in the current year and in the future by television reporter Tom Monahan.

“Tom, I hope at some point you ask me about transportation because I’m loaded for bear on that now,” said Lamont, a Greenwich resident who often drives long distances for campaign events. 

Lamont currently holds a lead in the latest Quinnipiac University poll of 28 percent to 18 percent over former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who lost to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano in the August 2006 Democratic primary. Unlike Lamont, Malloy is seeking to qualify for public financing in the campaign. So far, Malloy has raised about $100,000 in qualifying contributions on the way toward the necessary $250,000 that is needed.

Poll: Who Impressed You?

If Lamont spends millions, as expected, Malloy could qualify for a maximum of $2.5 million for the primary that will be held on August 10.

Besides Lamont and Malloy, the debate included Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, former state Rep. Juan Figueroa and Waterbury Mayor Mike Jarjura. In the latest poll, Glassman had 4 percent, followed by Marconi at 2 percent and Figueroa at 1 percent.

 

 

 

The candidates talked about the projected deficit of more than $500 million for the fiscal year that ends on June 30 and the projected deficit as high as $3.8 billion for the 2012 fiscal year.

“We need to begin shrinking our government to a degree,” Marconi said. “We also need to look at revenues, and by that I mean tolls.”

Jarjura said, “We have to have a plan of action that takes us out over the next four years. … I know we can do it.”

Malloy, the longest-serving mayor in Stamford’s history, said that both Republicans and Democrats deserve blame for the financial problems at the state Capitol.

“Connecticut is in trouble,” Malloy said. “The reality is we have not been served well by our leadership. … We need a laser-like focus on job creation. … The reality is we’re spending too much money – more money than we have.”

When asked if the so-called millionaires’ tax is wise, Malloy said, “We have to be very careful. We have to benchmark our tax structure. … I desperately want the state to become more efficient.”

Since incomes are the highest in the state in lower Fairfield County, some local Democrats have balked about raising the state income tax on the richest residents. Malloy has been asked in the past about hiking the income tax, and he has avoided placing a specific number on how high the tax should be. The state legislature increased the tax last year for the 2009 calendar year on couples earning $1 million or more.

Glassman said that the state must first examine its spending before deciding to raise taxes.

“I’m in favor of forming a tax-modernization commission,” Marconi said, adding that property tax relief is needed.

Since the state’s fiscal problems are so huge, the candidates were asked what accomplishments they had to tackle such a gigantic task.

“I tried 23 felony cases and had 22 convictions,” Malloy said, describing his early days as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, N.Y.

He returned to that issue again when asked about the death penalty, saying that he was the only person on the stage with a record of convictions as a prosecutor.

“The last four of those cases, including convictions, were murders,” Malloy said. “The reality is there is no connection between the death penalty” and deterring crime.

“I want to begin by treating everyone with respect,” Malloy said, adding that all groups have not always been treated with respect in recent years. “I will also call on the legislature to be a partner” by consolidating more than 200 agencies into a smaller number.

Glassman said she comes from a traditionally Republican town and has worked well with both Republicans and Democrats.

The candidates all weighed in on whether Connecticut should become the first state in the nation to adopt mandatory, paid sick days in the private sector.

“This is an easy issue for me,” Malloy said, adding that there would be an exemption if employers gave vacation time. “I think it’s time to address this issue.”

Lamont answered by saying that his Greenwich-based cable television company provides paid sick days and personal days. The bigger issue, though, is to reduce unemployment and get workers back to work, he said. Lamont added that he supports the federal paid sick leave bill that is being sponsored by U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of New Haven.

Glassman said, “Paid sick leave is obviously a good thing for workers. … There’s no stability in our laws or our government. … It took five days for the governor to pick up the phone and say we want you to stay here.”

Marconi said, “I believe, yes, people do deserve the right to have paid sick leave. … As a mandate, that’s the word I have a problem with. We need to get rid of anything associated with a mandate. … Mandates have to end.”

Marconi said that, for the past couple of years, the state has been enjoying a large and delicious dinner. Now, though, it’s time to pay.

“We’re trying to figure out who is going to pick up the tab,” Marconi said.

“The first thing we do is open the Hawaiian room on the fifth floor of the Capitol,” said Jarjura, a former legislator.

Of the Democratic group Friday night, Jarjura has been the most quiet of the candidates. Jarjura talked months ago of possibly running for attorney general, and he has not yet formed an exploratory committee for governor.

When asked about the budget and taxes, Jarjura said, “I think Ned said it earlier. We have not earned the right to start raising taxes.”

Jarjura said that some officials “have abused the Gold Coast” regarding the collection of taxes.

Traditionally, the top 5 percent of taxpayers in Connecticut pay more than the bottom 95 percent combined in the state income tax.

“Most of the income tax is paid by very few people,” Jarjura said.

Some insiders were surprised to see Jarjura on the stage Friday night in the same way that they were surprised to see an appearance in the Republican debate by Christopher Duffy Acevedo, a Branford financial analyst who is a political unknown.

Before the debate, Figueroa issued a statement that the state needs “reasonable revenue increases” – meaning tax increases.

“Connecticut’s middle class is on life support, and those struggling families can’t afford to spend the next 15 months losing their jobs, homes, and health care,” he said. “But that’s how long it will be if we wait for the first budget of the next governor, which takes effect in July 2011.”

Figueroa noted, “My statements on this topic may not be politically wise, but I know I have to speak up. Our citizens deserve respect; they need someone who will speak up even if it’s not popular. I know the public can’t wait any longer for our elected officials to avoid the tough decisions.”

During the debate, Figueroa said, “The governorship is not a ceremonial position. … We need to be better at being more strategic” in economic development programs.

In her closing statement, Glassman said she’s the daughter of a mother who grew up in foster care and she is the first woman in her family to graduate from college. As a six-term Democratic first selectman in a Republican town, she said she has “the experience and the discipline to get Connecticut moving again.”

Jarjura, the youngest of seven sons, said it was “an honor and a privilege” to be on the stage Friday night. He took over Waterbury when it was on the brink of bankruptcy, and says “I think you’ve got the whole package here” for the governor’s office.

Malloy said that Connecticut is known as the land of steady habits, but “those habits have been bad habits. … It’s time to make a difference. I believe my time as a mayor and a prosecutor prepares me” to be the next governor.

Figueroa said that his mother – a seamstress and chaplain – taught him lessons that he carries until this day.

Lamont said, “I promise to you, as your governor, that I will present a balanced budget. … More importantly, we have to get this state growing again. … I am going to bring out the best in the state. … Where else can you be a Yankees fan or a Red Sox fan?”

After the closing statements, there was still time left in the one-hour program – prompting a question about the upcoming baseball season in the longtime rivalry.

Lamont, Malloy, Marconi, and Jarjura all said they are Yankees fans.

“Go Red Sox,” said Glassman as the debate was ending.

Despite his late arrival, Lamont was never asked about transportation.

For your Friday night viewing, the Democratic candidates for governor will be debating live tonight at 7 p.m. on NBC 30.

The candidates will be gathering in the studio in West Hartford – one night after 8 Republicans stood behind identical podiums and answered questions from journalists.

The expected participants Friday night will be Greenwich cable television entrepreneur Ned Lamont, former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, former state Rep. Juan Figueroa of Meriden, and Waterbury Mayor Mike Jarjura.

Jarjura, who had been thinking about running for attorney general, has not yet formed an exploratory committee for governor.

Some insiders were surprised Thursday night to see an appearance by Christopher Duffy Acevedo, a political unknown and Branford financial analyst who has been relatively quiet in the gubernatorial race.

U. S. Rep. Christopher Murphy will be voting in favor of President Barack Obama’s health care plan on Sunday, prompting criticism from Republicans.

Murphy, who represents a sprawling district that touches the Massachusetts and New York State borders, issued a statement Friday that he would be voting in favor of the bill.

“The message from the people I represent is clear – health care costs and health insurance practices are out of control,” Murphy said. “While nearly every person I meet has a different idea about what the exact fix should be, everyone agrees that doing nothing is not an option.  We need to make changes to the current system to provide people access to affordable care, to cut costs for businesses, and to strengthen Medicare for seniors. The changes we need to make to our health care system will only come by transferring power away from the health insurance industry and to consumers.  The current health insurance reform bill does this, and that’s why I plan on voting in favor of its final passage.”

He added, “This bill has real, immediate benefits for people. It closes the Medicare drug donut hole, lowers small business health costs, and insures 18,000 of my constituents that currently don’t have health care.  But maybe most importantly, the bill extends the solvency of Medicare for another decade, and cuts the national deficit by $140 billion.  That’s real progress that shouldn’t be denied to the people of Connecticut.”

State GOP chairman Chris Healy said that Murphy’s statement was nothing more than “standard Nancy Pelosi boilerplate.”

http://www.everydayrepublican.com/

Republican Justin Bernier, who is running against Murphy in the 5th Congressional District, said, “Like many voters in central and western Connecticut, I am disappointed with Chris Murphy’s decision to vote for the health care takeover being rammed through the House of Representatives.  Connecticut voters want real reforms, but the current plan in Congress will explode the budget deficit and lead to even higher health care costs.  We have talked about real reforms, including lawsuit reform, that would lower costs and expand access to care.  Democrats should not reject these ideas because they are coming from Republicans.”

Bernier added, “Every American has a right to access affordable health care, and the government has a responsibility to create a positive environment for this to happen.  The health care plan that Chris Murphy supports does not meet this standard.”

The University of Connecticut Foundation will be paying for much of the new furniture at President Michael Hogan’s office.

Window treatments cost more than $8,000, and a rug was purchased for more than $4,000.

The Courant’s Dave Altimari has the details at http://www.courant.com/community/storrs/hc-uconn-gulleyhall-renovations.artmar19,0,6045852.story

and http://www.courant.com/community/storrs/hc-uconn-gulley-hall-renovations-pdf-html,0,1719328.htmlpage

Gov. M. Jodi Rell, former Gov. John G. Rowland, and former U.S. Attorney Kevin O’Connor were among a crowd of more than 900 on Wednesday at the 10th Annual Archbishop’s St. Patrick’s Day breakfast to benefit Catholic schools.

Rowland has been an attendee in the past, and Dennis House reported this year that he was standing so close to Rell at one point that they almost could have touched each other. But they were both talking to other people at the time and did not speak to each other.

Java has details at http://www.courant.com/entertainment/celebrity/java/hc-stpatric-catholic-java.artmar19,0,3117163.column

 

Coming off a new poll that puts him solidly in the lead among Republicans, Greenwich business executive Tom Foley said Thursday night that he would cut state spending by $1 billion if elected governor in November.

A multi-millionaire business executive who is largely funding his campaign, Foley said he would not accept the governor’s annual salary of $150,000 as a step toward cutting state spending.

“We definitely do not have a revenue problem,” he said. “We have a spending problem. … Our state government is broken and broke. … I am not one of the Hartford politicians who created these problems.”

Foley, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, has catapulted into the lead in the Republican primary as the only candidate who has been running extensive television advertisements. His name recognition has increased because he previously ran commercials when he was running for the U.S. Senate, but he has since dropped out of that race to run for governor.

Foley appeared on stage with seven other Republican candidates Thursday night in the first live, televised debate of the campaign season. All eight GOP candidates stood at identical podiums at the NBC studio in West Hartford for one hour, and they answered questions in either one minute or 30 seconds.

The clash included Foley and the two candidates who placed second in the poll – Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele of Stamford and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton. Both of those candidates had four percent – far behind Foley.

The race, however, is still wide open as 50 percent of Republicans said they are undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points for the GOP primary.

Boughton and other candidates complained about the Democratic-controlled legislature, saying they have consistently made the wrong choices about state spending.

“They’re kind of like the movie ‘Gremlins,’ ” said Boughton, a former state legislator. “If you feed them after midnight and give them water after midnight, they will multiply with bad ideas and bad public policy. So the bottom line here is we can’t feed the gremlin. We can’t give them any more money.”

Fedele briefly told the story of his immigrant past when he arrived in the United States from Italy 51 years ago.

“I want to have those same opportunities for you,” Fedele said, adding that he has created hundreds of jobs in 26 years in the business world.

As the lieutenant governor for more than three years under Rell and a former state legislator for 10 years, Fedele said he has the experience to understand the state budget and to know where to cut. This week, he unveiled his plan that calls for a four-year spending freeze and a four-year hiring freeze that could only be broken if the governor personally signs off on a new person being hired.

The candidates spoke out against binding arbitration for employees, unfunded mandates, the level of spending by the state, and sprawl. Several candidates spoke in favor of the death penalty.

“The most important social issue is economic,” longtime business executive Oz Griebel said when asked about the death penalty.

“In Connecticut, the death penalty does serve as a deterrent,” Foley said. “I’ve had no questions on the death penalty in that period of time” that he has been traveling around the state.

“As the mayor of one of the safest cities in America, I support the death penalty,” said Boughton, a former state legislator who followed in his father’s footsteps and became mayor of his hometown.

Former U.S. Rep. Larry DeNardis of Hamden, who once served in the state Senate, said that he has the experience to cut state spending. Depending on which estimate is used, the budget deficit for the 2012 fiscal year could be from $3.2 billion to $3.7 billion. He listed various reports, including one by the Thomas Commission, that had proposed cutting state spending through the years, but he said many of the recommendations had been ignored for years.

“I would cut every department, every agency, every board,” DeNardis said. “It can be cut in virtually every line item.”

Regarding urban policy, Boughton said some state officials have believed that large projects – such as the Adriaen’s Landing complex along the riverfront in Hartford – can turn around a city all by itself.

“There’s no silver bullet,” said Boughton, the mayor of the state’s seventh largest city.

In his closing remarks, Boughton said, “I believe our best days are ahead.”

Newington Mayor Jeff Wright, who said that several of his relatives have moved permanently out of Connecticut, said the state needs to take action, rather than simply studying the levels of state spending.

“By the time studies are done, people forget about the recommendations,” said Wright, a certified financial planner and a U.S. Marine.

Foley has clearly pulled ahead in the GOP primary because of a heavy barrage of statewide television commercials that show him driving around the state and then standing outside of the Capitol to say that he is going to fix Hartford. Before his television blitz, Foley had little name recognition because he has never held elective office. The recent blitz comes after previous television commercials when Foley was running in the race for the U.S. Senate – and the combined amount of air time has clearly raised his name recognition statewide.

A friend of former President George W. Bush, Foley is the former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland – having served there until Bush left office on January 20, 2009. Before that, Foley served in an appointed position in Iraq for seven months, overseeing the privatization of previously state-owned businesses.

Since he never served in the state legislature or other elected post, Foley has been making numerous trips around the state to raise his profile. That included an appearance at the state Capitol on St. Patrick’s Day for the traditional Irish Coffee Break that is held every year by the Motor Transport Association and always fills up a large, chandeliered function room on the third floor. Foley chatted there with Biagio “Billy” Ciotto, a former Democratic state senator who introduced him for the first time to former state Sen. Michael Meotti, another Democrat who serves now as the state commissioner of higher education.

Foley has also advertised on the Internet and recently sent a brochure to Republican households in an attempt to reach primary voters. The expensive, stapled, eight-page brochure contains 14 color photographs and includes Foley’s slogan that “Connecticut is broken and broke. Working together, we can fix it.”

Foley says he has been traveling across the state since June, and that the poll shows that citizens are concerned with “bringing jobs and the economy back to our state, reducing the cost and size of government, reducing the tax burden on working families, and changing the way business is done in Hartford.”

Branford financial analyst Christopher Duffy Acevedo of Branford has been relatively quiet during the campaign, but he was invited onto the stage for the evening.

“Being pro-union is not being anti-business,” Acevedo said. “I don’t see why people see unions as a challenge. … We’re in this together with the unions.”

“I’m not standing before you as Republican. I’m am standing here as a Yankee,” he said.

Playing off Foley’s comments that Hartford is broken, Chester First Selectman Thomas E. Marsh said that the cities and towns are not broken.

Griebel said the governor needs to attract private-sector investment, working six or seven days a week to recruit solid-paying jobs to Connecticut. He repeated his motto of thinking big, speaking clearly, and acting decisively.

Hartford Courant columnist Rick Green’s take is at http://blogs.courant.com/rick_green/2010/03/gop-gov-gettogether.html

In photo: From left, Chester First Selectman Thomas E. Marsh, financial analyst C. Duffy Acevedo of Branford, former U.S. Ambassador Tom Foley of Greenwich, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, Newington Mayor Jeff Wright, Simsbury business executive Oz Griebel, former U.S. Rep.  Lawrence DeNardis of Hamden, and Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele of Stamford stand at podiums for the Republican gubernatorial candidate debate in West Hartford. (Jessica Hill / AP)

In a blow to Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s plans, 70 percent of voters said they oppose the keno gambling game in the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

Keno
Should keno be allowed in Ct. restaurants, bars, convenience stores?
Yes	27
No	70
Don’t Know/No Answer	3
Margin of error: +/- 2.6 percentage points

Source: Quinnipiac University poll

Rell has proposed the legalization of keno in an estimated 600 to 1,000 bars, taverns, and restaurants across the state as a way to generate about $60 million in revenue per year. Some Democrats have strongly opposed the idea, saying that it could violate the compact between the state and the two Indian tribes in southeastern Connecticut that operate keno games at the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos.

Besides collecting the revenue, Rell was planning to use the keno proceeds as part of a “securitization” proposal to sell bonds in order to close the state budget deficit that is projected at more than $500 million in the current fiscal year and is expected to grow in the future.

Keno was the 69th and final question in a long poll that asked voters about political candidates in the gubernatorial and attorney general races, among other things.

“Voters disagree with Gov. Rell on Keno,” said Douglas Schwartz, the longtime director of the Hamden-based Quinnipiac poll. “They don’t want to see an expansion of gambling.”

Only 3 percent of voters did not have an opinion on keno – a tiny number at a time when a huge chunk of the electorate is undecided in the Republican and Democrat races for governor.

In the same poll, residents were against the installation of tolls on state highways by 56 percent to 40 percent.

Two Greenwich millionaires – Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Tom Foley – maintain their frontrunner status in the potential gubernatorial primaries in the latest Quinnipiac University poll that was released this morning.

Lamont, a cable television entrepreneur, leads former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy by 28 percent to 18 percent. Simsbury first selectman Mary Glassman is in third place at 4 percent, but 44 percent of Democrats remain undecided – making the race a wide open contest.

Democratic Candidates For Governor	Feb. 10, 2009	Nov. 10, 2009	Jan. 21, 2010	18-Mar-10
Lamont	na	23	27	28
Malloy	12	9	11	18
Glassman	na	na	4	4
Figueroa	na	na	1	1
Marconi	na	1	1	2
Amann	4	3	5	na
LeBeau	na	2	2	na
Bysiewicz	44	26	na	na
Someone Else	3	1	4	1
Wouldn’t Vote	2	2	2	2
Don’t Know/No Answer	36	33	44	44
Margin of error: +/- 4.2 percentage points

On the Republican side, Foley has increased his support to 30 percent against Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele of Stamford and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who are both tied at 4 percent. Some insiders believe that Boughton could have enough support from his days as a state legislator and mayor to capture 15 percent of the delegates at the convention and qualify for the GOP primary. In that race, 50 percent of Republicans are undecided – giving a chance for plenty of movement in the multi-candidate field, including a series of candidates who are polling in the single digits.

GOP Candidates for Governor	Jan. 21	18-Mar
Foley	17	30
Fedele	8	4
Griebel	2	2
Boughton	6	4
Wright	na	2
Marsh	na	—
DeNardis	4	2
Someone Else	2	2
Wouldn’t Vote	2	3
Don’t Know/No Answer	59	50
Margin of error: +/- 5 percentage points

In potentially the biggest surprise of the day, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz maintains a huge lead in the race for attorney general, despite a barrage of negative publicity for the past two months over whether she has the necessary 10 years of “active practice” of the law in Connecticut, which is the requirement under the law to be attorney general. Bysiewicz has the support of 54 percent of those polled, far ahead of former state Senate majority leader George Jepsen of Ridgefield at 10 percent. Overall, 31 percent of Democrats are still undecided in that race.

Attorney General
Democratic Candidate	Jan. 21	18-Mar
Bysiewicz	62	54
Jepsen	10	10
Staples	na	2
Schulman	na	2
Jarjura	3	na
Wouldn’t Vote	—	1
Don’t Know/No Answer	24	31
Margin of error: +/- 4.2 percentage points

“One has to wonder how long she can maintain her big lead if the various controversies surrounding her campaign continue,” said Douglas Schwartz, the longtime Quinnipiac pollster.

Attorney General
GOP Candidates	18-Mar
Deane	9
Roraback	13
Pavia	8
Someone Else	2
Wouldn’t Vote	3
Don’t Know/No Answer	66
Margin of error: +/- 5 percentage points

The candidates are battling for the support of delegates at the party conventions in May in Hartford, and then they will clash in statewide primaries on August 10.

In the Democratic race for governor, Lamont is expected to spend millions of dollars in the way that he spent nearly $17 million of his own money in the primary and general election races against U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in 2006.

Justine Sessions, a new spokeswoman for Lamont who previously worked for five years for U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, said, “This is the third poll in a row where Ned is up by double digits over his closest challenger. Ned’s business background and his focus on creating jobs are resonating with voters, and this comes before campaign season has even kicked into high gear.”

Unlike Foley, Lamont has not yet started his television blitz that is expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Lamont told Capitol Watch in an interview that he has no intention of allowing Foley to be the only candidate on the airwaves for an extended period of time.

Lamont had been ahead of Malloy by 16 points in the previous Quinnipiac poll, and he is now up by 10 points among those polled. Lamont has been ahead of Malloy in the past three Q polls over the past four months, dating back to November.

But Roy Occhiogrosso, a senior campaign adviser for Malloy, said that Malloy is doing well “without spending a dime on paid communications.” Lamont, though, has had no TV commercials since entering the race. Since Susan Bysiewicz dropped out of the race, Lamont has been the Democratic frontrunner by double digits.

“Is Ned really highlighting a poll that shows his lead shrinking?” Occhiogrosso asked. “That’s an interesting strategy. … Dan is proving that you don’t have to spend millions of your own dollars to become better known and to generate enthusiasm and support for your candidacy.”

In a potential Republican primary for attorney general, state Sen. Andrew Roraback of Goshen leads with 13 percent to 9 percent for Martha Dean, an Avon attorney who lost in a previous race for attorney general against longtime Democrat Richard Blumenthal. Republican fundraiser John Pavia of Easton is close behind at 8 percent with 66 percent of Republicans undecided.

In the Republican race for governor, a group of candidates is fighting for name recognition and the attention of delegates. Longtime business executive Oz Griebel of Simsbury, Newington Mayor Jeff Wright, and former U.S. Rep. Larry DeNardis of Hamden are all tied at 2 percent. They are all behind the three leading candidates.

Ramani Ayer, the retired CEO of The Hartford who is now a senior adviser to Griebel, said, “Having been in the gubernatorial race for less than eight weeks, Oz continues to build his brand. … As a practical business executive with nearly 30 years experience leading and coaching teams, Oz has the momentum and is just the guy for the job.”

Foley has clearly pulled ahead in the GOP primary because of a heavy barrage of statewide television commercials that show him driving around the state and then standing outside of the Capitol to say that he is going to fix Hartford. Before his television blitz, Foley had little name recognition because he has never held elective office. The recent blitz comes after previous television commercials when Foley was running in the race for the U.S. Senate – and the combined amount of air time has clearly raised his name recognition statewide.

A friend of former President George W. Bush, Foley is the former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland – having served there until Bush left office on January 20, 2009. Before that, Foley served in an appointed position in Iraq for seven months, overseeing the privatization of previously state-owned businesses.

Since he never served in the state legislature or other elected post, Foley has been making numerous trips around the state to raise his profile. That included an appearance at the state Capitol on St. Patrick’s Day for the traditional Irish Coffee Break that is held every year by the Motor Transport Association and always fills up a large, chandeliered function room on the third floor. Foley chatted there with Biagio “Billy” Ciotto, a former Democratic state senator who introduced him for the first time to former state Sen. Michael Meotti, another Democrat.

Foley has also advertised on the Internet and recently sent a brochure to Republican households in an attempt to reach primary voters. The expensive, stapled, eight-page brochure contains 14 color photographs and includes Foley’s slogan that “Connecticut is broken and broke. Working together, we can fix it.”

Foley says he has been traveling across the state since June, and that the poll shows that citizens are concerned with “bringing jobs and the economy back to our state, reducing the cost and size of government, reducing the tax burden on working families, and changing the way business is done in Hartford.”

Source: Quinnipiac University poll

Many of the top office-seekers in the state are scheduled to appear Thursday night at a candidates forum at the Canton Community Center.

The list of scheduled speakers includes three leading Democratic candidates for governor : Greenwich cable television entrepreneur Ned Lamont, former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, and Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman.

In the latest Quinnipiac University poll, Lamont is ahead of Malloy by 28 percent to 18 percent with 44 percent of Democrats still undecided. Glassman, who won a primary for lieutenant governor in August 2006, is in third place at 4 percent.

Three candidates for attorney general – Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz of Middletown, former state party chairman George Jepsen of Ridgefield, and state Rep. Cameron Staples of New Haven – are scheduled to be at the forum that starts at 7 p.m. at the center at 40 Dyer Avenue in Canton.

Bysiewicz is currently leading Jepsen by 54 percent to 10 percent, despite two full months of negative publicity over whether she has the necessary 10 years of “active practice” of the law to be attorney general. Bysiewicz has a favorable rating of 59 percent, while 10 percent view her unfavorably. Overall, 29 percent have not heard enough of her to have an opinion.

By contrast, 75 percent of those polled said they have not heard enough about Jepsen to have an opinion. Jepsen has not served in elective office since January 2003 – when his state Senate term ended from his former hometown of Stamford. He had run unsuccessfully for governor against Democrat Bill Curry, who lost in the general election in November 2002 to Republican John G. Rowland. Jepsen eventually joined Curry’s ticket and later became the Democratic state chairman.

Two candidates for Secretary of the State – Sen. Jonathan Harris of West Hartford and state House Majority Leader Denise Merrill of Storrs – are on the list.

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman and Kevin Lembo, who is running for lieutenant governor, are also expected to attend.

Attorneys and advocates called Wednesday for Connecticut to become the fourth state in the nation to eliminate the civil statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases.

The current age of 48 was established by the legislature in 2002 when lawmakers said that a victim should have 30 years to make a claim upon reaching the age of 18. As such, the age of 48 was written into the law.

Sen. Andrew McDonald, a Stamford Democrat who co-chairs the judiciary committee, said that many of the witnesses Wednesday were talking about the Roman Catholic Church and the allegations of sexual abuse against the late Dr. George Reardon at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. But he said the bill doesn’t mention any particular entity.

“This legislation doesn’t speak about anybody in particular,” McDonald said. “It could be family members suing family members.”

Prompted by the Reardon case, some lawmakers are trying to eliminate the statute of limitations – in a similar move to a failed attempt last year that expired in the judiciary committee without a vote. While attorneys in the Reardon case favor the bill, the Catholic Church, the American Tort Reform Association, and the Insurance Association of Connecticut all testfied against it. An attorney for the Catholic Church said the bill is “almost certainly to be unconstitutional” if it is passed and signed into law.

“The purpose of the statute of limitations is to provide rights to both parties,” said Susan Giacalone, representing the insurance association. “It would allow cases that have ceased – this would revive a claim that might be unconstitutional.”

Maine, Delaware, and Alaska have all eliminated the civil statute of limitations in child sexual abuse cases, said Richard Kenny, an attorney for the past 35 years. In Delaware, there was a “window bill” that eliminated the statute of limitations retroactively for two years.

“The age 48 is purely an arbitrary number,” Kenny said. “Someone that’s 48 years of age and one week” is barred from making a claim, but someone who is 47 can file a lawsuit.

“We are not changing any of the requirements in terms of proving a case,” Kenny said. “If the case cannot be proven, that case is going out the door. … It’s the plaintiff that needs to prove that case. … The trend is going in the direction of extending the statute of limitations.”

The civil statute of limitations has been changed three times in Connecticut, and the last extension was in 2002.

In some cases from decades ago, claims can be difficult to prove because many of the witnesses may have died. Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, the committee’s co-chairman, said that in those cases, there may be very little provable evidence.

“You’re relying on the emotions of the jury in some ways,”  Lawlor said.

Well-known Hartford attorney Wesley Horton, on behalf of the Catholic Church, submitted written testimony against the bill that said the current law “is already extraordinarily generous to people with sexual abuse claims from their childhood.”

“The important public purposes of having statutes of limitations will be eroded” if the bill passes, Horton wrote. “Law-abiding people, corporations, and insurance companies will lose confidence that they can rely on existing statute of limitations as they ask themselves and their legislators: ‘what statute of limitations will be the next one to fall?’ ”

“I feel like that pedophile gets away with it after the statute of limitations. I don’t agree with it,” said Sen. Edwin Gomes, a Bridgeport Democrat. “I want him to get everything that comes to him. Everything.”

Some victims have committed suicide, while others have suffered from substance abuse and depression, officials said.

“Sexual abuse and incest live and thrive in silence,” said Andrea Judd Laws, who is now 51 years old.

She said she was 14 years old and was babysitting when she was abused by a family member.

“I was an easy going, happy, little kid, but now I was broken,” Laws said. “At age 16, I attempted suicide for the first time. … There are still times that I wish I said nothing. … At least my parents understood why my personality changed so much. … Make coming forward worth it. Change this law. No statute of limitations.”

“Thank you for your bravery and your courage,” McDonald told Laws.

Cary Silverman, an attorney representating the American Tort Reform Association, opposed the bill because he said that any statute of limitation should not be changed after the fact.

“They ought not to be changed retroactively,” said Silverman, who also testified against the Connecticut bill last year. “Connecticut has the longest statute of limitations that I’m aware of.”

Nine other states have studied the issue during the past year, and eight did not receive a vote out of the legislative committee, Silverman said. But Oregon passed a law during the past year that raised the statute of limitations to 40 years of age – which is lower than Connecticut’s current level of 48 years old.

West Hartford resident John C. Brandon, 57, said that he met Dr. Reardon when he was 10 years old in 1962 and was in traction “when he came onto the ward one night” at St. Francis Hospital. Brandon said he then left with Reardon and went to an office in the hospital that was equipped as a photography studio.

“This guy had no business to be trolling the wards like the Grim Reaper,” Brandon said. “He did it many, many times for many, many years. I think it’s clear he was a doctor, and doctors are treated with a lot of reverence and respect.”

Brandon said he recalled the details of the photography studio in the hospital.

“This was big equipment – reflectors that you use to reflect the light,” he said. “Folks like me would like to have some redress because it’s the right thing to do. … You’re just left shaking your head, like what just happened?”

He said he had not recalled Reardon’s name, adding, “This was the first and only time meeting the guy.”

“What happened to you is outrageous, whether it happened in 1962 or now,” Gomes said. “I don’t care when it happened. … I don’t think there should be any statute of limitations.”

Anne Latrina Brown, a former nurse at the state’s Riverview Hospital, said the statute should be lifted. Many of those she treated at Riverview who had severe addictions to alcohol and drugs had been sexually abused as children.

Jennifer Judd Aparico said she was “still in survivor mode” and did not immediately report the alleged abuse by her family member for many years. Her aunt, Andrea Judd Laws, testified earlier at the hearing.

“Counseling was not an option because they are mandated reporters,” she said. “Every door was closed at every turn. … I thought I was protecting my siblings. You can do what you want to me. Just leave them alone.”

“I’m not sure exactly when it stopped,” she said, adding that many thoughts had been blocked out from her mind.

Sen. John Kissel said, “That took an incredible amount of courage to do.”

Peter Sullivan said that in 1968 his three brothers and he were all victimized by Reardon.

“Only my youngest brother is allowed to bring suit,” Sullivan told legislators. “I have no recourse whatsoever because I am over 48. I don’t know how anyone can say that is justice. … I’ve been to the West Hartford Police Department to look at pictures of myself. It’s a nightmare I’m going to have to live with the rest of my life. … It’s just not justice.”

Sullivan contacted the West Hartford police, and he was asked to bring pictures of himself from those days in the 1960s.

“All four of us were victimized, and in 30 years, not one of us talked to each other about it,” Sullivan said. “We all thought it was an individual situation with each of us.”

A lawyer for various churches who handles abuse cases, L. Martin Nussbaum, said later that the church often hires insurance archaeologists to find old insurance policies.

“Claims that are that long ago are reparations,” Nussbaum told lawmakers. “Because of the out-sized press coverage, there’s less and less confidence in the judicial system.”

A lawsuit was filed against the Hare Krishnas with 400 claimants that led to a bankruptcy in Los Angeles that has not received much publicity nationally, he said.

“There’s been out-sized reporting about the Catholic situation,” Nussbaum said. “Compare that to the public schools, anywhere in the country, but there’s a perception that there’s a Catholic problem.”

“Because of sovereign immunity, there’s no recovery” in cases against public schools, he said. Both Nussbaum and John King, an attorney for the church, said there is no “level playing field” in the process of filing lawsuits between public and private cases.

After the Connecticut law was changed in 2002, 81 claims were filed against the Catholic Church, Nussbaum said. “Statute of limitations perform an important purpose,” he said.

“Every single time, in every single state … they have been plaintiffs attorneys seeking to sue the Catholic Church,” Nussbaum said. “The bill is almost certainly to be unconstitutional. … This legislation is really being driven by the Dr. Reardon case. … This is about the Reardon case.”

“Let me interrupt you. I don’t think that’s fair,” McDonald said. “I don’t think it’s an accurate statement to say that’s the focus of the legislation, at least from my perspective.”

Nussbaum added, “I’ve never seen a clearer record that if the legislature passes the bill, it will pass a bill that is unconstitutional.”

Both St. Francis Hospital and the Archdiocese of Hartford are currently being in the Reardon case.

“I didn’t know that the Archdiocese was a defendant in that litigation,” McDonald told the lawyers for the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference.

Nussbaum said the state legislature passed a law in 2002 that allowed more lawsuits against the Catholic Church, but “it did nothing about identical circumstances” in a case involving female athletes and sexual abuse at Southington High School.

“Is it possible that the Catholic Conference could be sued? The Vatican is being sued in some cases,” Nussbaum said.

At one point, a legislator said the testimony was personal for him.

“I understand this issue in a very personal way,” said Rep. Gary A. Holder Winfield, a New Haven Democrat. “This bill is not about the Catholic Church. This bill is beyond the Catholic Church. … There’s a lot of pain for those people.”

Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele called for deep cuts in spending Wednesday, including four-year hiring and spending freezes, merging state agencies, capping the lucrative pensions of state employees, and eliminating the current bonus payments for state employees.

Fedele, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, said he would propose no tax increases if he is elected governor in November. And if the Republicans win both the House of Representatives and Senate for the first time in decades, he would pledge to have no new taxes at all.

The state is currently paying more than $1.2 billion annually in pension benefits to more than 42,000 retirees – an amount that Fedele says is simply unsustainable. In addition, the state pension fund is underfunded by $9.3 billion, which he said is “the equivalent of a ticking time bomb” for the state.

“Quite simply, state employees should not enjoy benefits that far exceed those available to the average working person in our state,” Fedele said.

As such, Fedele says all new state employees would enroll in a 401 (k) – style plan that is common in the private sector.

Fedele has been in second place in the Quinnipiac University poll behind former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley – a Greenwich millionaire who has never held public office and has been running statewide television commercials to raise his name recognition. A new Quinnipiac poll on the governor’s race is scheduled to be released Thursday morning.

As governor, Fedele said he would abide by any of the cuts if he is elected governor – including the capping of his pension.

Fedele is also calling for the elimination of “longevity payments” for state employees, which are essentially bonuses that are paid to employees who have more than 10 years with the state. Some of the highest-paid employees receive the most money because the escalator clause allows the highest payments for those with more than 25 years of service.

The head of the Connecticut State University system receives one of the highest longevity payments. Fedele also said the bureaucracy needs to be trimmed significantly in the higher education system, which has four individual presidents for the four campuses in the CSU system at Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central.

“There is no need, I believe, for a central office at CSU,” Fedele said, adding that the state does not need “redundancy” that costs $6.5 million per year.

Both union and non-union employees receive the payments, and state House Republican leader Larry Cafero of Norwalk says that the legislature should move immediately to cut off the payments for the non-union employees that are scheduled to be made in April.

In addition, Fedele says that the longevity pay – as well as overtime – should not be used for calculations in state-employee pensions. He also says that pensions should be calculated simply on the final three years of employment, rather than the current system that bases the pension on the three highest-earning years.

Regarding pensions, Fedele says the payments should be capped based on a maximum salary of $150,000 – which is the governor’s rate of pay. But more than 1,000 state employees are paid more than the governor, and any salary beyond $150,000 would be calculated toward the 401 (k) plan that Fedele says should be installed.

“It is surprising that the lieutenant governor doesn’t understand our current pension plan,” said Matthew O’Connor, a spokesman for the Hartford-based Connecticut State Employees Association, SEIU Local 2001. “But his comments are not so surprising, considering where he is in the polls. It’s clear that what the lieutenant governor would rather do is pit public-sector workers against private-sector workers. All that does is continue boosting the already wealthy on Wall Street because it lets them get away with a free pass from paying their fair share by saying switching everyone to a 401 (k) is a panacea to solve all our problems. It would definitely help the hedge-funders on Wall Street, but it wouldn’t help anybody else.”

Referring to Foley’s plans for cutting $1 billion in the state budget, O’Connor added, “He’s trying to one-up Tom Foley. … If you’re proposing the wrong prescription for the wrong problem, it doesn’t matter how detailed it is. The fundamental problem is what he and Foley are not doing, which is talking about how to improve this economy.”

Besides Fedele and Foley, the Republicans in the race are former U.S. Rep. Larry DeNardis of Hamden, longtime business executive Oz Griebel of Simsbury, Newington Mayor Jeff Wright, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, and Chester First Selectman Thomas E. Marsh.

Since everyone is Irish today, we wish all of our readers a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Based on our daily traffic counts, we know that thousands of you are coming here every day to get the latest news from the state Capitol. Thanks for coming back.

 

 

Hartford Courant columnist Jim Shea opines on the boats of the candidates.

http://blogs.courant.com/jim_shea/2010/03/-stamford-advocate.html

State prisons commissioner Brian Murphy called Wednesday for passage of a comprehensive bill that is designed to increase the safety of prison guards and improve operations in the prisons.

The state is calling for stricter penalties against inmates who assault prison guards with bodily fluids, which is known as “fluid throws” at the prisons.

“We definitely want it as a greater deterrent,” Murphy told lawmakers at the state Capitol complex. “My staff should not be subjected … to an assault. …. I strongly feel this will be a deterrent.”

The “fluid throws” have been made by the prisoners through the years, and the correction officers currently take medication after the “fluid throws” in order to combat any potential diseases that they may be exposed to.

The bill is also seeking to change the state’s Freedom of Information laws to exempt “any records that pose a risk,” including drawings or aerial pictures of the prisons that inmates are seeking to receive. Also, guards currently are not allowed to bring cell phones and camera phones into the prisons without prior authorization because they are known there as “contraband.” The bill is targeted at inmates because prisoners who have access to private lines of communication can “intimidate their victims,” Murphy said.

“An inmate with a cellphone is a serious threat,” he said.

“These issues are very important,” said Sen. John Kissel, an Enfield Republican who has six prisons and more than 8,000 inmates in his district.

Public safety commissioner John Danaher spoke in favor of a bill that would restore eligibility to possess a gun for anyone who had been voluntarily or involuntarily committed to an institution for mental health problems in the past. The federal government will remove grant money from the state until the program is implemented, Danaher said.

“In some elements of society, there is prejudice against some who seek mental health treatment,” Danaher told lawmakers.

Those seeking a gun would have to prove in a probate court that their mental disability no longer exists, and the court proceeding must be recorded, he said.

The 1993 Brady bill reaffirmed the federal law on the issue, officials said. DMHAS, which is concerned about protecting confidential, psychiatric information, supports the bill.

The $100 million in federal funding for the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington is not guaranteed.

The state would need to apply for it – competing against other states.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/15/AR2010031501648.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Attorney Martha Dean of Avon is running again for attorney general, but she won’t be facing the same opponent this time.

Dean lost in a race against longtime AG Dick Blumenthal, who is now running for the U.S. Senate. If she wins the Republican nomination, Dean could be running against Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz of Middletown, former state Senator George Jepsen of Ridgefield, or state Rep. Cameron Staples of New Haven.

Dean will be battling against fellow Republican attorneys John Pavia of Easton and Andrew Roraback of Goshen for the nomination.

The Courant’s Edmund Mahony has the details at http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-web-attorney-generalmar17,0,6367750.story

Gov. M. Jodi Rell spoke with United Technologies Corp. CEO Louis Chenevert on Tuesday morning following remarks at a conference by UTC executives that anywhere is cheaper to do business than in Connecticut.

Chenevert, who was paid about $18 million last year, told Rell that he would meet with her – along with Democratic leaders of the state legislature – in order to talk about the business climate and how the legislature can help businesses.

“I had a very interesting conversation with him,” Rell told reporters. “I reminded him of the good quality of life we have in the state.”

Republicans and others have slammed the Democratic-controlled legislature for a series of proposed bills that they describe as anti-business, including paid sick leave and various forms of taxation that would generate more money from corporations. But state Rep. Cameron Staples, a New Haven Democrat who co-chairs the tax-writing finance committee, defended the General Assembly.

“I think we’ve done an awful lot to keep industry – particularly United Technologies – here,” Staples said. “We want them to stay. … We have the most generous research and development tax credit in the country.”

Staples said that, to his knowledge, UTC receives the maximum research and development tax credit every year on its corporate taxes.

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-utc-rell-sympathizes-0316,0,1277647.story

In a highly unusual move, the State Bond Commission blocked Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s plans Tuesday morning for a new, $70 million public health laboratory in Rocky Hill.

Democrats said they had not had enough time to analyze the state-of-the-art facility, which will allow testing for anthrax and various other bio-hazardous materials. Word started to leak out Monday night that the five Democratic members of the commission would oppose the plan, thus postponing the proposal.

While some legislators said the issue was over a lack of disclosure about the plans, insiders said the clash really involves a union dispute over whether union workers would build the new laboratory. The Rell administration was surprised when two Democratic state legislators – Sen. Paul R. Doyle of Wethersfield and state Rep. Tony Guerrera of Rocky Hill – showed up with a union representative, former state labor commissioner Shaun Cashman, at a one-hour meeting Monday to talk about the laboratory with the state public health commissioner, Dr. J. Robert Galvin.

After the vote, Rell told reporters that she was angry and frustrated by the process – saying the plans had been in the works for the past five years and were well known in Rocky Hill.

A group known as “Construction Workers For A Safe Environment” has been distributing a flier to residents in the area with the statement that the new lab “may cause serious or potential lethal diseases as a result of exposure by inhalation,” said Stan Einhorn, a Rocky Hill resident who found a flier that was left on his doorstep last week.

Einhorn, who moved to Rocky Hill about one year ago from Wethersfield, said everyone on his street received the flier.

“It’s not as bad as Plum Island, but there are contagious things there,” Einhorn said. “I definitely think it’s a bad idea. You wouldn’t want your backyard in a place like that. There’s a lot of potential problems.” 

The vote Tuesday came in two portions, which is common at the bond commission.

Rell called for a roll call vote on the second portion, and each member gave an oral “yes” or “no.”

“On a tie vote, the motion fails,” Rell announced to the crowd in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

The new laboratory, which had been scheduled to be built near the state veterans home and across the street from Dinosaur State Park, would have replaced the current one at 10 Clinton Street in a congested area of downtown Hartford – within walking distance of the state Capitol, Bushnell Park and The Bushnell theatre.

With the controversy swirling in the air, the governor’s office sent out 24 pages of background to the bond commission members on the project on Monday.

With the weak economy, state officials expected that the laboratory could be built for $12 million less than expected. The lab would be built on 22 acres of state-owned land and have parking for 200 cars.

A letter, dated July 19, 2007, shows that Rocky Hill Town Manager Barbara Gilbert was informed more than two years ago about the details of the state’s plans.

“We are looking forward to our move to Rocky Hill, and we sincerely hope to be good neighbors and welcome members of your community,” state public health administrator Elise Kremer wrote to Gilbert in a one-page letter.

Rell publicly announced 12 days ago that the Bond Commission was expected to approve the lab that will test for viral, fungal, biological, and parasitic diseases, as well as checking for drinking water quality.

The Courant’s Don Stacom reports: 

Public Health Commissioner Robert Galvin described the current lab on Clinton Street in Hartford as “antiquated,” and said its plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems are deficient. On hot days in the summer, staff members must put containers of ice on top of specimen coolers to ensure the samples are kept cold enough, he said.

“My big fear is that we’d have to shut the lab,” he said, which would mean sending most employees home and subcontracting lab operations to Yale University and private companies. “We’d be looking at something which verges on financial disaster.”

Galvin emphasized the lab has no experimental animals, and that it’s never had trouble containing organisms that it’s testing.

A construction contractor has offered a price that would cut $12 million off the overall cost, but the offer expires on April 15, Galvin said.

The plan hit trouble just a few minutes into Tuesday’s meeting of the Bond Commission. State Rep. Cameron Staples, D-New Haven, said Democratic lawmakers and Rocky Hill citizens didn’t get time to learn details about the project. He blamed Rell’s administration, which carefully controls the Bond Commission agendas and usually releases information only days before scheduled votes.

“Connecticut has a very extensive, transparent process that state agencies are required to go through to  proceed with a development such as this one,” countered Robert Genuario, Rell’s budget director.

Genuario said a new lab is important to public safety, and that the Rocky Hill plan has been public for five years. It makes no sense to argue the location is too close to residents, he said, since the current lab is in the center of downtown Hartford.

Democratic Sen. Eileen Daily argued that if residents and legislators don’t understand the details, the bond commission should let the community “get up to speed” before voting.

“This was not done in secret,” Genuario responded. “The appropriate authorities in the town were made aware. To say ‘we found out last month’ rings a little false.’ “

Rell cautioned against delaying the decision because that would risk the $12 million in savings. A motion to table the matter failed on a 5-5 tie. Bonding for the project was divided into two votes, one for about $38.8 million and one for $30.6 million  (another $6 million has already been spent). Both failed on identical 5-5 votes, with Rell grimacing noticeably after the first loss.

After the meeting, Rell acknowledged to reporters that she was “disappointed,” and said the vote jeopardizes “a $12 million savings for the taxpayers.” She said the administration has worked on the project for five years, and that “the first we heard of any problem was Friday when two Democratic legislators brought two town officials and a union representative” to a meeting with her staff. She said she didn’t know if the underlying concern was a dispute about whether the contractor hires union or non-union workers, saying “I’m not sure if this is a union-driven thing. The public needs to ask that question.”

At one point, she appeared to concede the lab project if Democrats won’t change their position.

“I’ve been looking to control bonding. If you want to cut $70 million in bonding today, so be it,” she said.

When a reporter asked if she was being petulant, Rell replied “Petulant? I’m angry. Nothing seems to get done. This is typical ‘not in my backyard.’

“This is not leadership on the part of the General Assembly. This is like the juvenile detention center – and ‘not in my backyard’ doesn’t cut it.”

“To use as an excuse that they don’t know (about the lab plan) is unfair.”

“If this is about union issues, then bring that up. Don’t sneak around (saying) ‘I’ll get all the ‘no’ votes lined up in advance.’ “

Staples insisted that the Rell administration typically holds back the agenda for the Bond Commission until just a few days before a vote, and then demands a decision on hundreds of millions of dollars of borrowing on short notice.

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson of East Hartford predicted on MSNBC on Monday night that the  House of Representatives will be passing the controversial health care bill later this week.

“This is a great moment to be in Congress,” Larson told Chris Matthews on “Hardball.”

When asked by Matthews if the House will vote on the Senate bill or a rule that would avoid a direct vote on the Senate measure, Larson said, “Self-enacting rules have been used since 1948. I don’t think the public cares much about the options we take. They want to see us act.”

Larson said the Democrats will make necessary improvements in health care, saying he will be enacting policies that he hears about when he eats at Augie and Ray’s in his hometown of East Hartford.

One of the biggest problems facing the country, he said, is that Americans lost $17 trillion in wealth from 2007 through 2009.

“The kind of revolt the American people are looking forward to is when they can throw off the yoke of insurance companies,” Larson said.

Prompted by Matthews, Larson said he preferred the days of the moderate New England Republicans – who disappeared from the U.S. House with the 2008 loss of Rep. Christopher Shays of Bridgeport.

“I think it’s sad for the country,” Larson said of the GOP. “The Grand Old Party has become the party of ‘no’ and obstructionism.”