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Democrat Dannel Malloy Still Running Jobs Commercial - More Than A Week After Ned Lamont Called For Removal

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More than a week after Democratic front runner Ned Lamont called for its removal, gubernatorial contender Dannel Malloy was still running a television commercial Tuesday night that said he "helped create nearly 5,000 new jobs'' in Stamford.

Lamont made his demand on Monday, June 28 - saying that Malloy had misrepresented his jobs record as Stamford's mayor. Statistics from the state labor department show that jobs grew by thousands in the early years of Malloy's 14-year tenure, but Stamford has lost more than 13,000 jobs since the peak in 2000.

The charge by Lamont was the same as one made during the 2006 race when the campaign of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said that Malloy had misrepresented his jobs record by using the same 5,000 number. At the time, the jobs dispute was mentioned in some newspapers, but much of the political world was fixated on Lamont's battle with U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman during the hot days of August 2006.

Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's chief strategist, said the campaign's third commercial had been sent to television stations Wednesday, but he was unsure exactly when the jobs commercial would stop running.

"We didn't take it down because there was nothing wrong with it,'' Occhiogrosso told Capitol Watch. 

State Republican chairman Christopher Healy said he would not call for the immediate removal of Malloy's 30-second commercial - saying that could be done after Republican voters choose the party's nominee in the August 10 primary.

"I think the ad has been exposed for what it is, which is nothing but massaging numbers,'' Healy said. "No one can make him take it down. ... It's numbers mumbling. How do you come up with a number like that?''

Healy said the most important issue is the vision of the various candidates to cut the state's projected budget deficit of more than $3 billion for the 2012 fiscal year.

"It doesn't make any difference whether he created five jobs or one job because the only jobs the Democrats in the legislature care about are government jobs,'' Healy said of Malloy. "Government is too big. We can't keep carrying the weight of this government - not only the current employees, but the bloody retired employees.''

Occhiogrosso responded, "As for Chris Healy, my friend, I'd think he'd be a little more concerned about what's going on with Tom Foley.''


A tale of two would-be Blumenthal volunteers

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Two women, both Democrats, wanted to help out Dick Blumenthal's U.S. Senate campaign. One is semi-retired, the other is a local officeholder in Connecticut.

They contacted the campaign and waited for a response. And waited. And waited. But neither one received a call back.

That's puzzling. After all, you'd think a candidate locked in a high-stakes battle with a ultra-rich opponent would welcome a little free labor. Is it indicative of the tight circle that's closed in around Blumenthal, one that doesn't trust outsiders, even diehard Democrats?

"We're not turning anyone away," Blumenthal spokeswoman Maura Downes said.

Ed Munster: Support Simmons on Aug. 10

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Ed Munster, the former state Senator who came within a hair's breath of going to Congress in 1994, is backing Rob Simmons for U.S. Senate in the Aug. 10 GOP primary and is urging his fellow Republicans to do the same.

"I urge Republicans to come out in droves and vote Rob Simmons in that primary,'' Munster wrote in a letter to the Courant. "The chances of a victory with this kind of a low visibility grassroots effort are indeed slim but nevertheless it could happen.  If it were to happen it would propel Rob into position to beat Blumenthal. In any case it will send a message to state party operatives that Simmons has huge popularity and be a message to Simmons himself that many of us want him to stay active."

Simmons suspended his campaign after losing the endorsement at a party nominating convention in May to multi-millionaire Linda McMahon.

 

 

On the trail of the tracker

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Check out this extraordinary video of Paul Bass' exchange with Lamont tracker Steven Winter, taken after Winter crashed an interview with Lamont opponent Dan Malloy.

 

Marie Disputes Rell's Characterization Of His Resignation

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Outgoing state transportation commissioner Joseph F. Marie has hired a lawyer, who issued a statement Thursday which disagrees with the way in which the administration of Gov. M. Jodie Rell has characterized his resignation. The statement, signed by Hartford attorney Richard E. Hayber, follows:

 

Mr. Marie has asked me to make a statement to explain fully the facts and circumstances surrounding his resignation.

First, Mr. Marie denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing. He denies having behaved inappropriately towards any person. He has never been given any specifics or an opportunity to respond and defend himself. He was never told the name of the person who made the complaint or what the allegations are.

He received a call on June 28, 2010 from Brenda Sisco of the OPM, indicating that he needed to be at her office for a meeting the next day at 3 p.m. Despite his requests, he was not told the nature of the meeting. When he asked if he should bring someone, he was told "no, you need to come alone." Accordingly, he did not bring an attorney.

When he arrived at 3 p.m. on June 29, 2010, he was met by Linda Yelmini and the Governor's attorney, Mary Anne O'Neill. They brought with them a prepared letter of resignation and the Stipulated Agreement that has now been released.

They informed him that there had been an allegation of misconduct. They refused to provide any details, including the name of the person, the dates of the conduct, the nature of the conduct.

Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele Qualifies For $2.1 Million In Public Funds; Facing Multi-Millionaire Tom Foley Of Greenwich

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In a key development in the governor's race, Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and his running mate qualified for more than $2 million Thursday in the battle for the Republican primary on August 10.

Fedele will now have financial firepower to compete against former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, a multi-millionaire from Greenwich who has poured more than $2 million into his campaign. The primary is less than five weeks ago, and Fedele has broadcast relatively few television commercials because he has had little funding until now.

Foley, by contrast, has run statewide ads both in his campaign for governor and in his previous race for the U.S. Senate. As such, Foley has the highest name recognition in the three-way Republican primary. He was leading Fedele by more than 25 points in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, and he has an even larger lead over longtime business executive Oz Griebel of Simsbury. Griebel is raising money privately and will not be accepting public funds under the state's Clean Elections Program.

Fedele took a jab at Foley's wealth and status as an ambassador who was appointed by then-President George W. Bush.

"The Clean Elections Program provides a level playing field and ensures that campaigns in Connecticut can be waged with grassroots support, not just with a personal checkbook or a few friends in high places,'' Fedele said in a statement.

Fedele joined forces with Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who is running for lieutenant governor, to become the first statewide Republican candidates to qualify for public financing. They described the qualification as a "historic landmark.'' Foley's campaign has harshly criticized Fedele for seeking public funding - and many Republicans believe it is wrong to spend public dollars on political campaigns.

"Philosophically, we're unequivocally opposed to the use of taxpayer money to fund political campaigns, particularly amid a $3.5 billion budget deficit," said Ashley Maagero, Griebel's campaign manager.  "Legally, we have significant concerns over the State Elections Enforcement Commission's interpretation of Statute 9-709 and corresponding advisory opinion.  We are seeking further counsel on the issue." 

Federal judge in Boston says the law defining marriage as between a man and a woman is unconstitutional

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In a ruling that could have broad implications for same-sex married couples in Connecticut, a federal judge in Massachusetts today ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

The 1996 law, signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, deprives same-sex married couples their Constitutional right to equal protection by denying them certain rights that are available to married heterosexual couples, Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled.

The Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts challenging the law in March, 2009. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley also fied a similar lawsuit. In that case, Judge Tauro ruled that the DOMA compels the state to discriminate against its own citizens, in order to qualify for certain federal funds.

"Today the Court simply affirmed that our country won't tolerate second-class marriages," said Mary Bonauto of GLAD said in a news release issued by the group. "I'm pleased that Judge Tauro recognized that married same-sex couples and surviving spouses have been seriously harmed by DOMA and that the plaintiffs deserve the same opportunities to care and provide for each other and for their children that other families enjoy. This ruling will make a real difference for countless families in Massachusetts."

And perhaps Connecticut, the second state in the nation to permit same-sex couples to marry, as well. "
This court has determined that it is clearly within the authority of the Commonwealth to recognize same-sex marriages among its residents, and to afford those individuals in same-sex marriages any benefits, rights, and privileges to which they are entitled by virtue of their marital status," Judge Tauro wrote. "The federal government, by enacting and enforcing DOMA, plainly encroaches upon the firmly entrenched province of the state."



Still No Debate In Lamont - Malloy Race; Glassman Says 4 - Way Debate Would Be "Ridiculous'' and "Hypocritical''

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The pitched battle between Democratic gubernatorial candidates took a bitter turn Thursday, with the Ned Lamont campaign calling Dannel Malloy's camp "ridiculous'' and "hypocritical'' in its latest proposal for a debate in the campaign's final five weeks.

The two sides have been squabbling since Lamont declined to participate in a live, televised debate in New London on July 27. Lamont said he and Malloy have already participated in more than 25 joint appearances, including one televised on NBC 30 and another last week in Stamford.

The latest dust-up came Thursday when Malloy's campaign announced that it would accept a four-way debate involving Lamont and his running mate, Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman. They would square off against Malloy and his running mate, state Comptroller Nancy Wyman, in what they said was a response to a proposal offered by Glassman this week on a radio show.

"We accept!  We think it's a great idea,'' Malloy and Wyman said in a joint statement on Thursday afternoon. "In fact, how about July 27th in New London?  If that doesn't work, we'll let you pick the date and location."

But Glassman's campaign fired back that she had never sought a four-way debate.

"Dan and Nancy's statement isn't only ridiculous, it is hypocritical,'' Glassman's campaign manager, Chebon Marshall, said in a statement. "In a conversational exchange with ex-Governor Rowland, Mary talked about her repeated challenges to Nancy Wyman for a debate. After two months in the race, Nancy hasn't once debated Mary and even dodged a chance last night in Norwalk. It's a shame that Nancy isn't able to debate without her running mate at her side.''

Marshall added, "For the Malloy campaign to take the remarks out of context is another example of the desperate political tricks that are typical of his campaign this year and four years ago. The people of Connecticut can only hope that Dan and Nancy will someday get around to talking about the challenges the state faces."

Glassman ran as Malloy's running mate in 2006, but their campaigns split when Malloy lost his primary and Glassman won hers against West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka.

Despite Glassman's statements, Malloy campaign strategist Roy Occhiogrosso said that Wyman had already committed to two debates - one on WNPR radio on Monday, July 26 and another two days later in a three-person debate that includes Wyman, Glassman, and Lisa Wilson-Foley, who is running as a Republican for lieutenant governor.  

The clash came on a day when Lamont held a press conference outside a Hartford elementary school on his education plan, saying he would wipe out unqualified political appointees from the state board of education. When asked if that meant he would never have appointed wrestling entrepreneur Linda McMahon of Greenwich to the state school board, Lamont said "probably not.''

He added, "Not bad having somebody from the business community represented there, but I want people who are really committed to education and education reform. ... We're going to take a look at all those leaders on all the boards and commissions and see why they're there and make sure we have a group that's pro-active and ahead of the curve in making a difference.''


Rick Green On Job Growth In Connecticut; ESPN Moving Magazine Jobs Here From New York City

Debate Between Democrats Mary Glassman And Nancy Wyman For Lt. Governor Set For July 26 on WNPR

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Amid the back-and-forth over the lack of debates in the final five weeks of the Democratic campaign, WNPR host John Dankosky notes that a debate between lieutenant governor candidates Nancy Wyman and Mary Glassman is scheduled for July 26.

The Monday morning debate will run from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. and will feature two of the best-known Democratic candidates in the state. Wyman is serving in her 16th year as state comptroller - one of the longest in state history. Democrat J. Edward Caldwell of Bridgeport served for 16 years and one day before being succeeded by Bill Curry, who served for four years before Wyman took over in 1995.

Glassman is the former chief of staff to the lieutenant governor and is now serving in her second stint as Simsbury's first selectman.

http://whereweblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/where-we-live-enters-debategate/

The campaigns of Ned Lamont and Dannel Malloy have been clashing over the number of debates since Lamont declined to debate in a live, televised contest on Tuesday, July 27 at the Garde Arts Center in New London. Lamont says that they have already appeared in more than 25 joint appearances around the state, including a televised debate on NBC 30, a recent forum at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, and a forum last week in Stamford.

The campaigns are clearly heating up with less than five weeks to go before the August 10 primary. Malloy was out on the north side of the state Capitol on a hot day on Friday morning with a television production crew of about 10 people and their equipment. Malloy has broadcast three TV commercials so far.

Tom Foley Seeking Court Injunction To Block Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele From Receiving Over $2 Million In Public Money

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Tom Foley, the front runner in the Republican race for governor, filed court papers Friday to block the payment of more than $2 million in public money to the campaign of Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and his running mate, Mark Boughton.

A judge did not grant an injunction in the case, and a hearing has been set for Monday in civil court in Hartford, said Christopher Cooper, a spokesman for Fedele.

The court filing prompted an angry response from the Fedele campaign, saying that Foley was trying to change the subject because he has been in the news lately for two arrests years ago.

"I think Mr. Foley's action today is baseless. It's a political ploy,'' Cooper told Capitol Watch. "He's looking to change the subject. If he can't win by campaigning, he'll try to win by suing. ... It's an instance in which Tom Foley shows he thinks he's above the law. It's nothing more than a delay tactic and a political tactic.''

Foley had opposed the disbursement of the money to Fedele, which was approved unanimously Thursday by the State Elections Enforcement Commission. The commission has the power to award grants of public money under the state's landmark law on campaign finance reform.

The Fedele campaign was scheduled to receive more than $2 million on Monday, and that schedule remains, Cooper said.

"He's been in the news a lot recently,'' Cooper said. "It seems like a desperate move. He put the largest textile mill in the country out of business. He has a lot of motive to divert attention from his record. ... The last time I was involved in a routine fender bender, I did not have to spend a night in jail and have the court records sealed.''

One day earlier, Fedele and Boughton hailed the commission's unanimous decision Thursday, saying it was a landmark because they were the first statewide Republican candidates to be granted approval for the money.

In the same way as Foley, longtime business executive Oz Griebel of Simsbury has questioned the awarding of the money - based on his interpretation of the law.

What the DOMA ruling means for Connecticut

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A U.S. District Court judge in Boston's ruling declaring the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional could have significant implications for same-sex couples in Connecticut. 

Eventually.

But right now, Judge Joseph L. Tauro's decision applies only to Massachusetts. "This is a ruling from a district court judge in Massachusetts and right now this ruling is confined to Massachusetts,'' attorney Mary Bonauto, director of the Civil Rights Project for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a Boston-based legal advocacy group that brought one of the two lawsuits in Massachusetts seeking to overturn the DOMA. 

If the Justice Department appeals the case to the First Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Tauro's decision is upheld, then the ruling would apply only to jurisdictions within the First Circuit: Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Puerto Rico.

If that decision is then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and once again upheld, then Connecticut would be impacted. 

That could take years. However some gay rights advocates believe Judge Tauro's ruling could have a more immediate impact in hastening the DOMA's demise.

Even though legally the decision has no bearing on the thousands of same-sex couples who have married in Connecticut since gay marriage became legal in 2008, it could prompt Congress to act to repeal the DOMA.

. upon appeal to th first circuit, if judge tupora;s ruling were upheld, it would apply to the frist circuit

Will GOP Candidates Debate For 1st District Congress Nod? The E-Mails Give The Story, Exhaustively, In All Its Nuances

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The two Republican candidates in the Aug. 10 primary for the 1st Congressional District nomination -- who are fighting for the right to face veteran incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson in the Nov. 2 election -- have been communicating back and forth about whether they will meet in a debate. But so far they have not been able to agree on a venue or date.

The Republican convention-endorsed candidate, Ann Brickley, has been prodding her primary challenger, Mark Zydanowicz, on the subject. He told the Courant this week that he's willing to debate, but doesn't want it to be before a small audience such as a local town committee and instead would prefer getting a TV or radio station to broadcast it. So far, nothing has materialized.

Meanwhile, the Brickley campaign keeps pressing the issue and has persistently expressed interest in a blog item being published in Capitol Watch about it so that voters can be informed.

So here are complete e-mails that the candidates have exchanged, as supplied by the Brickley camp, starting with a message from Brickley to Zydanowicz:

From: Ann Brickley
To: mark@zforcongress.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 5:28 PM
Subject: Debate

Mark,
Nice talking with you this morning.  Here are some of my thought's regarding a debate, I agree it should be a much larger forum and much broader audience than an RTC meeting, and we need to have media coverage.  CT-N is very interested in covering it, we have not approached other media at this point. 
 
Will keep you posted when we receive additional information from the League of Women Voters.
Thanks,
Ann

Tom Foley Says Opponents Are "Desperate'' Because They Trail By More than 25 Points With One Month To Primary

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Republican front runner Tom Foley said Sunday that his two opponents in the race for governor are "desperate'' by sharply attacking his record with only one month left to the August 10 primary.

Foley was responding to particularly harsh criticisms by Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele and longtime business executive Oz Griebel over Foley's tenure as a civilian administrator in Iraq and his two arrests in incidents in 1989 and 1993 in which criminal charges were eventually dropped.

The clash came one day before Foley will go to Hartford Superior Court in his attempt to block Fedele from receiving more than $2.1 million in public financing for his campaign. Foley charges that Fedele and the State Elections Enforcement Commission have both misinterpreted the state's campaign finance law, saying that Fedele does not qualify for any money under the law. The lawsuit has prompted a bitter clash as Fedele needs the money in order to compete with the millions of dollars that Foley has poured into his own campaign. Fedele needs to begin television advertising soon in order to close the gap of more than 25 percentage points in the polls behind Foley before the August 10 primary.

The latest dust-up on Sunday was prompted by an article in the Connecticut Post newspaper about Foley's seven-month tenure in Iraq during the Bush administration and whether he was in physical danger there. Foley, a business executive with an M.B.A. from Harvard who was hired for the job by the Pentagon, was involved in privatizing businesses that had been taken over by the Iraqi government under the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Foley said in an interview Sunday that the article itself was accurate, but a 2006 book that was mentioned in the article was "fiction'' and "highly inaccurate'' because Foley was quoted in the book without ever having spoken to the author. As such, Foley says the quotes are "hearsay'' and came from an unknown third party because the author never heard them from Foley.

One of the disputes is over whether Foley was "dodging rockets and mortars'' as mentioned in his campaign web site. He later was quoted in a speech after his tenure as saying that he was able to walk "up and down the streets'' in Baghdad.

"Like Richard Blumenthal's war record exaggerations, Tom Foley's false claims about his time as a civilian administrator in Iraq are an insult to the troops and those civilians who really did incur daily life-threatening risks," said Fedele's spokesman, Christopher Cooper. "Whether its exaggerating the facts about his time in Iraq, or grossly distorting his business record, Foley has shown a deeply troubling pattern of misrepresenting the facts about his life and career. That is why it is so important that he cooperate with the full release of all records related to his two arrests and imprisonment, and allegations that he evaded taxes. Given his pattern of serial distortion, short of full disclosure, voters and the media should regard his claims in these matters with a high degree of skepticism."

In a similar statement on Sunday, Griebel said, "The significant discrepancies between Tom's characterizations of his arrests, leveraged buyout business deals, and, now, his time in Iraq, reveals a troubling pattern of misrepresenting facts for political gain. The continual evolution and exaggeration of Tom's ambitions and resume raise serious questions about his judgment, temperament and ability to win.''

Foley, though, dismissed the views of both opponents.

"This is what happens when people are 27 points behind in a campaign with four weeks to go,'' Foley said.

Dan Malloy Calls On Ned Lamont To Debate In New London; Agrees With Ex-Gov. Lowell Weicker, A Lamont Supporter

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Former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy is on the same page with former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.

They both agree that Democratic gubernatorial front runner Ned Lamont should debate Malloy on live television in New London on July 27.

Weicker made his comments on Colin McEnroe's radio show on WNPR.

"I think Ned should have taken on Dan Malloy, but I don't run the campaign, and I don't run the issues,'' Weicker said on the program. "He's quite capable of doing that.''

Despite the disagreement on the debate, Weicker predicted that Lamont will become "our next governor'' in Connecticut.

"Ned and I are good friends,'' said Weicker, who was living in Greenwich in 1990 when he was running for governor and Lamont was running for the state Senate. After Weicker became governor and Lamont lost the Senate race, Weicker appointed him as chairman of the board that oversees state investments.

Malloy noted that Weicker said on the radio "that the skills he brought to bear in debates served him well in doing the job of governor because 'there's no ducking that kind of confrontation.' ''


Joe McGee: Mayor Dan Malloy Worked Well With UBS In Stamford; Deal Struck By State Under GOP Mayor Esposito

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Joe McGee was there at the start.

In the early 1990s, Swiss Bank - which later became known as UBS - was negotiating to build a gigantic office building that eventually brought thousands of jobs to downtown Stamford in an area within walking distance of the Metro North train station.

"It started when Esposito was mayor,'' McGee said, referring to Stamford's Republican Mayor Stanley Esposito. "Weicker was governor. I was commissioner.''

McGee was overseeing the state Department of Economic Development, as it was known at the time. Weicker had been working hard for more than two years to lure a major employer to Stamford with state tax credits - a process that stretched out after the financial giant Morgan Stanley turned down a Stamford deal and decided to remain in New York City.

Weicker, McGee, and Swiss Bank eventually cut the deal, and the state legislature met in special session on October 12, 1994 to approve the 15-year, $165 million package of tax credits that guaranteed that the company would move to lower Fairfield County.

More than a year after Weicker completed the deal and the legislature approved the funding, Democrat Dannel Malloy was elected mayor of Stamford. McGee, a former Republican candidate for governor who now serves as vice president of The Business Council of Fairfield County, said Malloy worked well with the officials from UBS, which changed its name at various times through the years.

"The building had to be built,'' McGee recalled. "He clearly worked very well with UBS. The building was built on time. ... He had to make it happen. While he was mayor, they expanded their employment.''

Tom Foley: Fedele Is Now "Trying To Cheat'' The System In Public Financing; Crucial Court Hearing At 2 p.m. Today

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Republican gubernatorial front runner Tom Foley is ripping Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele for his views on public financing in advance of a crucial court hearing at 2 p.m. today.

Foley is trying to block Fedele from receiving more than $2.1 million in public funds for his struggling race for governor - in which Foley is leading by more than 25 percentage points in the latest Quinnipiac University poll.

Foley and his campaign say that Fedele, running mate Mark Boughton, and the State Elections Enforcement Commission have misinterpreted the state's landmark campaign finance law in a way that differs sharply from the statute itself. But Beth Rotman, the director of the state's Citizen's Election Program, has rejected Foley's arguments and says that the Fedele and Boughton campaign have "absolutely'' followed the law.

"The Fedele and Boughton campaigns are trying to sneak one past the people,'' Foley said in an interview with Capitol Watch. "It's really pretty amazing what's going on.''

Foley asked why Fedele, who founded his own computer company and lives in a large home in North Stamford, is not pouring some of his own substantial money into his campaign.

"He's a man of means,'' Foley said. "Why is he using the taxpayers' money? I would think he would use his own money. He doesn't need the Citizen's Election Program.''

Foley says that Fedele gambled wrong in this case - betting his campaign on a primary funding source with only one month left before the August 10 primary.

"He took a bet on the Citizen's Election Program, and he wasn't able to raise the money, and now he's trying to cheat,'' Foley said. "He bet everything on the Citizen's Election Program. He ought to be out of business.''

If Fedele loses in court, he would then be severely cash-strapped in the crucial final weeks of the campaign. Foley said that's the way the game is played.

"It's too bad, man,'' Foley said. "He made a bet, and he lost. This is so clear, and cut and dry in my mind. If he doesn't qualify, it isn't fair for them to give him the money.''

The Fedele and Boughton campaigns have been strongly defended by Rotman, who oversees the program. She said that their campaigns followed the law "to the letter'' in making their filings.

"The commission considered the Foley arguments and rejected them squarely,'' Rotman said. "The Boughton campaign gave up their ability to apply for their grant of $375,000 because he decided to form a joint gubernatorial committee.''

Foley, though, responded that Rotman is flat-out wrong in her interpretation of the law.

"She may not like what's in the statute, but that is what is in the statute,'' Foley said.

Christopher Cooper, a spokesman for Fedele, responded sharply.

"I would call it cheating the system when you lay off 700 workers and profit from it,'' Cooper said of Foley. "I would call it cheating the system when you bankrupt the largest textile mill in America and pull $20 million out of it. Mike Fedele has never cheated at anything. He's never been arrested. He's never had his records sealed. He's always played by the rules, and he played by the rules in the Clean Elections Program. ... Tom Foley can't win by campaigning, so he's trying to win in court.''

The court hearing today will be a display of some of the top legal firepower in the Hartford region. The Fedele campaign has hired Bart Halloran, one of the best-known attorneys in Hartford. The Foley campaign has hired the firm of Wesley Horton, one of the top appellate attorneys in the state.

State Moves To Revoke Bike Competitor's Disability Benefits

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State officials have decided to cut off a $28,692-a-year disability retirement benefit originally granted in 2000 to a 39-year-old former correction officer -- who, in recent years, has participated in bicycle racing and martial arts competitions, and has served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.

In a decision released Monday, the state Medical Examining Board for Disability Retirement decided "to deny the continuation of service-connected disability benefits" for Gina Layman of Middlefield.

The case was the subject of a Sunday Government Watch column in The Courant, which can be read by clicking here. If Layman wants to appeal the decision, she needs to submit "medical documentation to support your appeal," according to a letter mailed to her Friday by the disability retirement unit of state Comptroller Nancy Wyman's office.

Reached for comment Monday, Layman said that she does plan to appeal. She also said she does not receive as much as the state said in writing that it pays her -- $2,391 per month, or $28,692 a year. "The decision is wrong," she said . "I'm appealing it. I have the union involved.  I have attorneys involved. Other than that, leave me alone."

The comptroller's office will seek to recover all or part of the benefits Layman has received since April 2004, the time at which the medical examining board has now determined that she was "no longer permanently disabled," said Steve Jensen, a spokesman for Wyman.

Judge Expected To Rule Tuesday On Foley-Fedele Clash; Fedele Cannot Spend Any Public Money Until Court Ruling

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A Superior Court judge will decide Tuesday whether Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele will receive more than $2.1 million in public funding in an increasingly bitter battle against Greenwich multi-millionaire Tom Foley, the Republican front runner in the governor's race.

The two sides argued Monday in state Superior Court in Hartford, but the judge did not issue any rulings. Fedele agreed not to spend any of the public money until the judge rules.

Judge Julia Aurigemma this afternoon granted legal standing to longtime business executive Oz Griebel of Simsbury, who is battling with Foley and Fedele in the increasingly nasty gubernatorial primary. Voters will go to the polls on August 10.

Griebel and Foley argue strongly that Fedele and his running mate, Mark Boughton, are not entitled to $2.1 million in public financing through the state's Citizen's Election Program. The money was approved Thursday by a state commission, and then Foley immediately filed a court challenge Friday morning.

The first two witnesses Monday, called by Foley's attorney, were Foley campaign manager Justin Clark, and Beth Rotman, director of the state Citizen's Election Program.

Foley is leading the three-way race by more than 25 percentage points in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. If Fedele loses in court, he would be severely cash-strapped in the crucial final weeks of the campaign.

The courtroom was filled with some of the top legal firepower in the state. The Fedele campaign has hired Bart Halloran, one of the best-known attorneys in Hartford. The Foley campaign has hired the firm of Wesley Horton, one of the top appellate attorneys in the state.

Foley and his campaign say the Fedele-Boughton team and the State Elections Enforcement Commission have misinterpreted the state's landmark campaign finance law in a way that differs sharply from the statute itself. But Rotman has rejected Foley's arguments and says that the Fedele and Boughton campaign have "absolutely'' followed the law.

The Fedele and Boughton campaigns have been strongly defended by Rotman, who oversees the program. She said that their campaigns followed the law "to the letter'' in making their filings.

U.S. Appeals Court Rules on Landmark Campaign Finance Law

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In a decision that will have immediate implications for one of the most competitive state political campaign cycles in years, a federal appeals court overruled a lower court's conclusion that the state's landmark campaign finance reform law unconstitutionally discriminates against minor party candidates.

However, in a densely worded, 56- page decision, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's invalidation of two of the finance reform law's "trigger provisions"  that govern excess and independent campaign expenditures. The decision, written by appeals court Judge Jose Cabranes of New Haven, said the trigger provisions violate the first amendment rights of candidates and other individuals and organizations to "spend their own funds on campaign speech."

The decision on public financing of campaigns was one of two released in New York Tuesday on the state's campaign finance reform law.

A second 38-page decision upheld some and rejected other parts of the state law restricting campaign contributions and political activity by lobbyists and state contractors.

The appeals court upheld U.S. Districut Judge Stefan R. Underhill's conclusion that the law's ban on contributions by state contractors, prospective state contractors, the principals of contractors and prospective state contractors is valid under first amendment free speech protections.

 

But the appeals court reversed Underhill and struck down the provisions of the law that bans contributions by lobbyists and their families and that prohibits contractors, lobbyists, and their families from soliciting contributions on behalf of candidates. Such prohibitions violate the first amendment, the decision said.

 

The appeals court ordered ordered Underhill to revisit some issues connected with the law's trigger provisions. 

 

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