Gov.-elect Dannel Malloy said he believes the state Department of Motor Vehicles ought to remain a stand-alone agency for now, but left the door open for possible consolidation in the future.

Malloy made his comments at a press conference this morning when he named East Hartford Mayor Melody Currey DMV commissioner.

"She is a great friend, a great servant of the people with a long and admired track record,'' Malloy said. DMV is "the face of state government to the public,'' he added. "I'm looking to Melody to do some of the things that need to be done to make this a more consumer-friendly department, to make it easier for people to transact more and more of their business in their own communities or in their own home.''

Currey, who, like many Malloy appointees, also served in the state legislature, said she will be looking for ways to make the department more efficient.

The Libertarian Party of Connecticut is seeking people to run for five legislative seats soon to be vacated by lawmakers tapped to serve in the Malloy administration.

"This is an excellent opportunity to put candidates in office who will go above and beyond, candidates who will be nominated under a party committed to liberty and true fiscal responsibility,'' Dan Reale, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Connecticut, said in an email. "Especially since the Republican Party has remained silent on these races and remains AWOL, it is a unique opportunity to set the tone and assume a leadership role - one that will be the principled conscience of our legislature."

 The open House seats include the 36th District (Essex, Chester, Deep River and Haddam), the 20th District (the Elmwood section of West Hartford), the 25th District (New Britain) and the 99th District (East Haven) and well as the 27th Senatorial District (Stamford) and the 6th Senatorial District (New Britain.)

"We can force a mandate for change by electing five Libertarians to the state legislature,'' Reale said. "As we all know, it would send a more powerful message than simply voting the incumbents out."
 

Former U.S. Rep. Bill Ratchford, who served in both Hartford and Washington, has died at 76.

Ratchford, a Democrat, lost to an up-and-coming Waterbury Republican, John G. Rowland, in the battle for the 5th Congressional District in 1984. Ratchford had also served as the state House Speaker in Hartford.

A graduate of Georgetown University's law school, Ratchford had a long political career. He served for 12 years in the state legislature, including four years in the powerful position as Speaker. He later became the state's commissioner of aging under Democrat Ella Grasso, and he then won the first of three terms in Congress from the 5th District. That district has since been redistricted as Connecticut lost a Congressional seat.

Players are upset that University of Connecticut football coach Randy Edsall has left the team - and never told the players face to face.

Edsall will be coaching at the University of Maryland, turning aside a UConn contract that paid him more than $1.5 million per year. He did not fly home with the team after their lost to Oklahoma on New Year's Day in the Fiesta Bowl. Oklahoma had been favored to win by 17 points, and they won by 28.

Edsall had become a familiar face at the state Capitol on the annual "Husky Day,'' which traditionally had been only for the men's and women's basketball teams before being extended to include the football team.

When the smoke cleared after 12 seasons, Edsall's final record at UConn was 74 wins and 70 losses.

Edsall's abrupt departure surprised many at the university in the same way that they were surprised by the resignation of Michael Hogan as university president after three years.

Sen. Thomas Gaffey, a well-known Democratic lawmaker, will resign from his state Senate seat after announcing that he will plead guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor criminal counts in connection with a double-billing scandal.

The double-billing issue arose three years ago regarding multiple trips that Gaffey had taken as a legislator in which his political action committee had apparently paid for the costs. In some cases, the state - through the Office of Legislative Management - also reimbursed Gaffey, according to the investigation.

"Under the terms of the plea agreement, there is nothing to prevent me from continuing as the state senator from the 13th district,'' Gaffey said Monday in a statement. "My family, friends and community have already endured a process which has spanned three years. If I were to remain in office, they would inevitably have to endure an ongoing political controversy for years to come. I will not ask them to do so.''

A 17-page arrest warrant affidavit notes that much of the investigation was done by Charles Urso, a former veteran FBI agent who handled high-profile cases of public corruption before his retirement. He investigated Gaffey's case as the lead investigator for the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

The affidavit notes that Gaffey took multiple trips with his companion, Patty Murphy, who was a high-level figure in the Democratic town committee in Gaffey's hometown of Meriden. She was interviewed back in August 2008 by Urso and said that she had a relationship with Gaffey from late 2002 to September 2007.

Gaffey had initially asked her if she wanted to take a trip to San Francisco, which was the first trip in question.

"When Murphy told the senator that she could not afford the cost of the trip, he told her that the PAC would pay his share and that he would pay for her,'' the affidavit states. "That was the premise under which she operated and understood was taking place on their trips to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Nashville, Tampa and twice to Washington, D.C. Ms. Murphy said that she did not attend any of the conference proceedings except to see Gaffey speak. She told Urso that there was no political purpose to her accompanying the Senator on the trips. She went as Senator Gaffey's companion, and they often had opportunities to do personal side-excursions, including a whale watch in Victoria during the Seattle trip.''

Several of the trips took place during the summer when the legislature is out of session, including the Seattle trip in August 2005 and the Salt Lake City trip in July 2004.

University of Connecticut students pressing for reform of the state's marijuana laws aren't wasting any time: they are planning to hold a rally on Wednesday, the opening day of the legislative session and Dan Malloy's first day in the governor's office.

UConn's chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy will rally outside the Capitol from 9 to 10 a.m. Then they will take their cause inside, visiting individual lawmakers to make their case for legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana possession.

"We chose the first day of the session because we know it's going to be busy with a lot going on and we wanted to be a part of that,'' said Sam Tracy, a UConn student active in the group. "We thought it was incredibly important to be there on the first day of the session...to make sure this gets a high priority.''

Tracy and other activists are emboldened by the election of Malloy, who they viewed as the most open to reforming marijuana laws of all of the gubernatorial candidates. Efforts to legalized medical marijuana were stymied by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who vetoed such a measure in June, 2007. She also opposed attempts to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Another state legislator will be leaving to join the incoming Malloy administration.

State Rep. Deborah Heinrich, who defeated a Republican in an upset victory several terms ago in her hometown of Madison, will move into a newly created position to advocate for nonprofit agencies.

Despite tough fiscal times, incoming Gov. Dan Malloy has been talking about creating the new post as the leader of the Community Nonprofit Human Services Cabinet. The legislature debated a bill on the issue and passed it unanimously before Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed it.

"I have been clear that getting our fiscal house in order will require a shared sacrifice on all our parts, but I've been equally clear that I will not cut the safety net," Malloy said in a statement Tuesday. "Engaging the nonprofit community in a concerted, strategic way to maximize services and minimize cost will be a large part of the way in which we do this. Representative Heinrich has been an advocate for those who need our help the most, and I'll be looking to her to find ways in which the services people need can be provided at a lower cost to taxpayers."

Hartford Courant columnist Rick Green weighs in on the $2,500-per-person cocktail party on Inauguration Night in Hartford to benefit the Democratic State Central Committee.

http://blogs.courant.com/rick_green/2011/01/democrats-line-up-at-the-feedi.html

Connecticut isn't just getting a new governor tomorrow: In Washington, Senator-elect Richard Blumenthal will be sworn in during a noontime ceremony rich with tradition.

As precedent dictates, Blumenthal will walk down the aisle in the Senate chamber with a fellow Senator. Customarily, it is the other senator from the senator-elect's home state; in Blumenthal's case, he will be accompanied by the man he is replacing, retiring Sen. Christopher Dodd.

Vice President Joe Biden will administer the oath of office. Because photographs are not allowed in the chamber, the entire swearing-in ceremony will be reenacted in the Old Senate Chamber so photographers can capture the event.

Blumenthal, incidentally, will be the only Democrat to be sworn in tomorrow. Freshman Democrats Chris Coons of Delaware and Joe Manchin of West Virginia were both sworn in on Nov. 15 because they were elected to fill vacancies.
 

Incoming Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman announced her staff this afternoon.

Bettye Jo Pakulis, a veteran of state government, will serve as chief of staff. Pakulis served as assistant to Treasurer Denise Nappier and capitol office director for former secretary of the state Miles Rapoport.She was also deputy director for Democracy Works.

Senior advisor Martin Heft and communications director Steve Jensen both served in the comptroller's office. Special Assistant Theresa Becchi worked on Dan Malloy's campaign and is a 2010 graduate of College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Malloy has repeatedly said Wyman will be an active deputy and a key player in his new administration, which may support the need for a four-person office. That's how many current Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele had, though a cursory search of the Courant archives did not turn up any references to his spokesperson or chief of staff.

When the General Assembly is sworn in today amid the pomp and ceremony at the state Capitol, nine Democratic lawmakers who won election in November will not be present.

The large exodus of veteran legislators represents a major draining of talent and experience from the legislature at a time when the state is facing a projected deficit of $3.5 billion in the next fiscal year. Six of the legislators will be taking jobs in the new administration of Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy, while others will take high-paid, fulltime jobs that provide far more money and potential pensions than the $28,000 base salary for legislators.

At least nine special elections will be held for the departing lawmakers, and they could take place on Tuesday, March 1. Those who are leaving include Sen. Andrew McDonald of Stamford and Sen. Donald DeFronzo of New Britain, who will both be working for Malloy. A third Democratic senator, Thomas Gaffey of Meriden, is expected to plead guilty today to multiple larceny charges in connection with double-billing the state and his own political action committee for trips that he took around the country.

In the House, state Rep. Deborah Heinrich was named Tuesday by Malloy to a newly created position to oversee the vast nonprofit industry that provides services to the state through everything from nursing homes to group homes for the mentally ill. In a surprise, state Rep. Christopher Caruso was named in the late afternoon to a post as an urban policy advisor in the Department of Economic and Community Development. One of the most outspoken members of the legislature, Caruso was a strong ally of former House Speaker James Amann and served as the co-chairman of the legislative committee that oversees ethics and elections. 

Heinrich and Caruso will join state legislators Michael P. Lawlor and David McCluskey in key positions in the new administration. Many of the appointees were strong supporters of Malloy in the general election and during the primary against Greenwich cable TV executive Ned Lamont.

Malloy acknowledged the departure of substantial institutional memory from the General Assembly, where Democrats currently hold advantages of 100 to 51 in the House and 23 to 13 in the Senate.

"I am losing some veteran talent in the legislature, and it's my hope that others will step up,'' Malloy said Tuesday.

It's official.

State Sen. Thomas Gaffey, a longtime Meriden Democrat, has submitted his letter of resignation from the Senate. Gaffey will not be sworn in today on the Senate floor because he is pleading guilty to misdemeanors in a double-billing scandal.

According to the charges by the chief state's attorney's office, Gaffey double-billed for six trips around the country, including the swearing-in of U.S. Rep. Christopher Murphy in Washington, D.C. Murphy was a freshman lawmaker in 2007 from the 5th Congressional District, which includes Gaffey's hometown of Meriden.

The new governor, Democrat Dan Malloy, will set the date for a special election to fill Gaffey's seat.

"I have received Senator Gaffey's letter of resignation as a member-elect of the General Assembly, and this creates a vacancy effective today," Bysiewicz said.  "Senator Gaffey will not be sworn in to serve another two-year term today, and therefore this office has notified Governor Rell and Governor-elect Malloy of Senator Gaffey's resignation and the vacancy it has created.  As soon as the governor issues the Writ of Special Election, we will notify election officials in the towns comprising the 13th Senate district of when the special election will take place to choose the new Senator."

Nancy Wyman was sworn in as the state's lieutenant governor during a brief ceremony in the Senate chamber this morning.

Wyman, a veteran politician who has served four terms as state comptroller and before that was a state representative, nevertheless appeared excited and a bit nervous as Governor-elect Dannel Malloy administered the oath of office.

"Let me get my breath first,'' she said. "I didn't think I'd ever be standing up here."

Wyman responded with a laugh when Malloy punctuated the swearing-in process with the comment "may God help you.''

The chamber erupted in applause several times during Wyman's short speech, a measure of how well-liked she is among lawmakers.

"We need to be leaders that will listen to the people and respond to the people,'' she said. "We have to be committed to getting our fiscal house in order, we have to be committed to reforming our health care system, to putting people to work, to helping small businesses, to lowering energy costs and upgrading our infrastructure."

"From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe if we all work together, Democrat and Republican, House, Senate, executive branch and legislative branch, we can make this state a better place to live for us, our children and our grandchildren." 

Wyman said she is honored to be standing with Malloy as his partner.

"To the people of Connecticut...I thank you,'' Wyman said. "I promise you that I will spend every day for the next four years working to make life better for all of you.''

On a historic day of pomp and pageantry at the state Capitol, lawmakers and their families gave multiple standing ovations to both Republicans and Democrats as they celebrated their election victories.

It was a day of high enthusiasm and optimism, but the legislators know that they will likely be raising taxes and cutting programs as they tackle a projected budget deficit of $3.5 billion in the next fiscal year that starts in July.

"Today is going to be beautiful,'' said Sen. Edith Prague, the senior Democrat in the legislature who recently turned 85. "I'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.''

Downstairs in the Hall of the House, six former Speakers returned to the chamber in an opening-day tradition that brings the top leaders back to Hartford. The crowd included Speakers James Amann, Moira Lyons, Thomas Ritter, Richard Balducci, and Ernie Abate. The dean of the speakers - Nellie Brown - returned in a wheelchair after facing health problems in recent years. He said it was great to be back as he watched the proceedings on the House floor.

In a day of ceremonial pageantry, state Rep. Chris Donovan was officially elected as the Speaker by both the Democrats and Republicans in a bipartisan move. The new Democratic majority leader, J. Brendan Sharkey, nominated Donovan and said that he has "that Irish twinkle in the eye that he sees something that you don't quite see yet.''

It was also a day for the freshmen and the new faces who have come to Hartford for the first time. The 51-member House Republican caucus has 17 new members, including 14 who captured seats from Democrats and three who won open seats that had been previously held by other Republicans.

"It's the most new faces since 1984,'' said Patrick O'Neil, a spokesman for the House Republicans. "It's the largest single pick-up for any caucus since we got rid of the party lever in 1986.''

Moments after he was sworn in as the state's 88th governor, Dannel Patrick Malloy issued a call for sacrifice and optimism.
 
"I believe that Connecticut's best days are ahead - if we join together in what must be a shared, emerging movement for rational, honest, achievable change,'' Malloy told the crowd at the state armory this afternoon. "A movement that restores economic vitality, creates jobs and returns Connecticut to fiscal solvency by establishing our means and living within them."
 
Malloy, the 55-year-old former mayor of Stamford, is the state's first Democratic governor in two decades. He begins his term facing an immense crisis: a projected budget deficit of $3.5 billion in the next fiscal year. The state has completely drained its "rainy day'' fund and spent all of its federal stimulus money.
 
"Today I see an economic crisis and an employment crisis, both fueled by an unfriendly employer environment, a lack of educational resources, a deteriorating transportation system, and an enormous budget crisis of historic proportions,'' he said. "All coddled by a habit of political sugarcoating that has passed our problems onto the next generation.
 
"Well, ladies and gentlemen,'' Malloy said, "the next generation is here.'' The crowd applauded.

Malloy's inaugural address did not delve into the nitty-gritty of how he intends to recover the state's financial footing; that likely won't come until his budget address to the legislature on Feb. 16.
 
But the new governor laid out the broad themes he has been sounding throughout a long and often bitter campaign season. He made a pitch for "shared sacrifice" and called for a rebirth of the state's proud industrial spirit.
 
"In our innovative heyday we had more patents issued per capita than any other state in the union,'' Malloy said. "We defined the American industrial revolution on a global basis and consequently enjoyed the highest per capita income of anywhere in the nation.  We will forever be home to the world-class legacies of Harriett Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Eli Whitney, Prudence Crandall, and so many others."
 

Governor Dannel P. Malloy sent his first e-mail to state employees shortly before 2:42 p.m. today - less than two minutes after he was sworn in at the state armory in Hartford.

The e-mail, obtained by Capitol Watch, is as follows: 

Dear State Employee:

Thank you for your interest in and commitment to public service on behalf of the people of the State of Connecticut.

It is not a stretch to say that our state simply could not function without the knowledge and insight you bring to your specific position, and the relationships you've built within your respective communities and agencies.  This is the first of many communications I look forward to having with you as Governor, and I truly hope that it is a two-way street.
These are tough times; there's no doubt about it.  But they will get better, if we make strategic, smart decisions and commit to a shared sacrifice to get our state back on track again.

I believe state employees must play a pivotal role in that process.  I need you to partner with me, giving you a seat at the table, so to speak, to hear your ideas about cost-effective and cost-saving solutions and ways to lower the cost of government.  All ideas are welcome; in fact, they are encouraged.  We need - and I'll require - out-of-the-box thinking from you throughout this process.

And while I'm optimistic, I'm not naive.  I know that we won't always agree on everything - few people ever do.  But I'm looking forward to a productive, honest and respectful partnership and dialogue in the months and years ahead.

Thank you for all that you do, and I sincerely look forward to working with you.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy

Cap Watch commenter Brian Carroll raises a good point: How could Nancy Wyman be the state's 108th lieutenant governor and Dan Malloy only the 88th governor?

The discrepancy can be partly explained by the fact that many lieutenant governors served brief terms (from William S. Holabird in 1842 to Benjamin Douglas in 1861, one- and two-year terms were the norm, as they were 1893 to 1913.)

As pointed out by Carroll, Connecticut had a Deputy Governor before 1818. 

And it's also important to note that the lists of Connecticut's governors and lieutenant governors include colonial governors.

History buffs can find more information on the Secretary of the State's website.

In his first speech before the General Assembly, Malloy expanded on the themes he sounded in his brief inaugural address.
 
He once again called for sacrifice -- "sacrifice with a purpose...the kind of sacrifice I think my mother was talking about that will leave the world a better place for us having been here."
 
One of Malloy's first acts, completed just minutes after he was sworn in as governor, was to sign an executive order stipulating that the state adhere to Generally Accepted Accounting Practices, or GAAP, which would provide a more accurate picture of the state's financial condition.
 
Malloy called for an end to "gimmicks and one-time solutions'' to the state's budget crisis. "We must instead adopt a responsible tell-it-like-it-is approach to balancing and managing our budget, and treat it just like any company treats a budget, with generally accepted accounting principles,'' he said.
 
In his speech, delivered in the Hall of the House, Malloy invoked Connecticut's great heritage. He invoked the names of Prudence Crandall, Harriett Beecher Stowe and PT Barnum. He noted that Connecticut gave the world the the cotton gin, the Frisbee, the first nuclear submarine and the nation's first female governor elected on her own.
 
"As I have traveled around the state for many years, meeting amazing people in churches and diners and town picnics - one of their consistent messages was this feeling that maybe our best days are behind us.  That economic security - let alone prosperity - is a thing of the past,'' Malloy said.
 
"And even while they were sending me that message, there was a context to it,'' Malloy said. "They were asking me to help them do something about it.  And that tells me the true grit that is Connecticut, the can-do spirit of innovation, is still alive and ready - to engage in the fight for a better future for everyone."