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House Leader Larry Cafero Fatally Tainted By Bribery Trial

Kevin Rennie — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:58:00 GMT

The just completed federal criminal trial of Robert Braddock, a fundraiser for former Speaker of the House Christopher Donovan's unsuccessful 2012 congressional campaign, revealed corruption at the highest levels of the General Assembly. Law enforcement officials did their job, now politicians must act.

Cafero Fatally Tainted By Bribery Trial

Kevin Rennie — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:15:29 GMT

The just-completed federal criminal trial of Robert Braddock, a fundraiser for former Speaker of the House Christopher Donovan's unsuccessful 2012 congressional campaign, revealed corruption at the highest levels of the General Assembly. Law enforcement officials did their job. Now, politicians must act.

House Leader Larry Cafero Fatally Tainted By Bribery Trial

Kevin Rennie — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:31:34 GMT

Obama's Really Bad Week Likely To Last Much Longer

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:04:00 GMT

A president, any president, is entering a trough when friends or detractors drag out creepy John Dean to offer an opinion on the scale of a scandal. The obstructor of justice from the Watergate scandal has been on display lately as a trifecta of controversies diminish the Obama administration.

No Wrongdoing Here, Just Some Distractions

Kevin Rennie — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:47:00 GMT

You pay attention to the wrong things. That's what three politicians claimed when caught in betrayals of the public interest in the past two weeks. With no credible explanation for their bad acts, each branded their controversy a "distraction" as they wrote checks to try to make their foolish avarice fade from public view.

Privilege Penchant Still Dogging Katz

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:26:00 GMT

Please allow me to take a moment to begin this column with a few words of appreciation for sharp-eyed readers who add to my knowledge of a subject after I've written a column about it. Thank you also for helping to shine a light on some of the murkier corners of the people's business. Lately, I've seen an uptick in public-spirited readers who share a common dismay and nose for detecting the haughty sense of entitlement that infects some public officials. You are doing important work in your own way.

Health Center Bonus Veiled In Secrecy

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:55:00 GMT

"We collected the document at the end of our discussion so there were no copies floating around," reads a May 26, 2010, email from Mark Bonney, head of the board of directors of Community Health Center, to executive director Mark Masselli.

Consumer Advocate Took Handicapped Space

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:11:00 GMT

If you believe some dings and scratches on your car are indignities to avoid by flouting the law, you have something in common with the state's public utility consumer advocate, Elin Katz. If, however, you join the rest of us in honoring the reservation of certain parking spaces for people with disabilities, you will want to read this story that tells a tale of callous, grasping entitlement.

Mrs. Thatcher A Forceful Agent For Change

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:14:00 GMT

Margaret Thatcher's remarkable career teaches essential enduring lessons in freedom and the ordeal of change. They did not end with her death Monday at London's Ritz Hotel, a luxury departure lounge where since late last year she awaited for her trip to glory at age 87.

Katz Stored Sports Car In State Parking Spot

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:56:00 GMT

Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families Joette Katz's sense of entitlement reminds us that the taste for privilege appears in unexpected places.

Foley's Talk Of Ethics Unsettles Legislators

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:06:47 GMT

Republican Tom Foley, the 2010 Republican nominee for governor who hopes to reprise that role next year, ventured into a legislative public hearing last week. What a lesson the former ambassador to Ireland learned. You mention ethics at your peril in the presence of Connecticut's insular governing class.

Helping Poor Brings Health CEO Big Payday

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:53:00 GMT

There's money in poverty. Learning to work the system of government payments can mean lavish salaries under the guise of helping the poorest among us. Just ask Middletown-based Community Health Center Inc. CEO Mark Masselli, though he probably won't speak to you.

Paid, Volunteer Blurred In Ritter's CRRA Deal

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:29:01 GMT

Reviewing a couple thousand pages of documents exchanged among the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, Democratic former Speaker of the House Thomas D. Ritter and House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, provides a look at the lucrative and complicated relationship that they would rather the public and ethics regulators not see.

Short-Term Judges Win Pension Lottery

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 01:52:00 GMT

You are right to wonder why a hefty tax increase and claims to have gotten spending under control have not brought stable finances to state government. Sometimes a jarring example will help explain something as complex as Connecticut's troubled, growing budget.

Cafero, Ritter Dealings Benefit CRRA Officials

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 01:15:00 GMT

House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero and Democratic former Speaker of the House Thomas Ritter have blurred the lines between Cafero's public office and the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, a client of the law firm where they are partners.

State's Leaders Talk Cuts, Enact Spending

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 01:31:58 GMT

The state's political leaders may not set out to confuse the public, but they don't mind if that's one result of their conflicting declarations and policies. It may be easier to win the hefty new Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences that were handed out last week — and you need to be very smart indeed to snag that $3 million prize — than it is to reconcile the claims and proposals concocted in state government this year.

GOP Hopefuls Circling For Gubernatorial Bid

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:27:01 GMT

Abraham Lincoln's birthday last Tuesday marked the start of months of local Republican organization dinners and fundraising events. The annual ritual of honoring Lincoln provides an informal start to the party's 2014 race for governor.

Malloy Spends On As State Budget Burns

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:12:00 GMT

In the end, he decided to pretend. Politicians will do that, trumpet that something is different than we know it to be. It's not what we expect in so many large doses from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who revels in his reputation for rude candor. The state's finances continue to challenge and defeat his hopes.

Legislature Resisting Federal Investigators

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 00:52:59 GMT

Clues to how serious the federal investigation of corruption at the General Assembly is come from the reaction of state officials to routine requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act. Facts surrounding a list — that an official's office declined to acknowledge existed in December — were recognized last week with multiple caveats. A request for documents late last year was missing from a recent disclosure of documents but turned up on Wednesday when specifically requested.

State Spending Habit Still Out Of Control

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 00:47:12 GMT

Prepare for weeks of talk about the state's deteriorating finances as Gov. Dannel begins another unhappy chapter of the tale of declining fortunes. The problem is that state government spends more than is produced by the array of taxes it imposes. The bigger challenge is that spending continues to grow faster than economic activity.

McDonald In Line For Democrats' Easy Pass

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:48:48 GMT

Academy Award voters will probably have more time this year to consider the nominees for best costume design than the General Assembly will spend reviewing Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's nomination of Andrew McDonald to the state's highest court. This is one more sign of life in a one-party state.

Malloy Misses Chance To Lead, Set Tone

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 00:59:05 GMT

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's state of the state address Wednesday began with notes of promise. It started with a meditation on the slaughter of innocents in Newtown last month. It would have been appropriate for the governor to devote his speech only to the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Insider Dealing Serves Special Interests

Kevin Rennie — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 00:23:14 GMT

Tim O'Brien, a Democrat serving his first term as mayor of New Britain, makes the case that state assistance to municipalities may be more generous than it needs to be as an age of austerity dawns. O'Brien did not intend to become a leading urban voice for cutting aid but he's provided a vivid example of why the public often believes more can be chopped from government spending.

Guns, Budget To Take Center Stage

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:33:47 GMT

The New Year marks the start of the 2013 regular session of the General Assembly on Jan. 9 as well as the beginning of the second half of Gov. Dannel Malloy's term. Events have imposed an urgent expectation of serious action on the lawmakers.

Shooting Raises Vexing Mental Health Issues

Kevin Rennie — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:53:14 GMT

Despair at the massacre of innocents at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown will spur action from political leaders. It will also remind us of our limitations.