Former state Senator William Aniskovich has withdrawn his bid to be the next chairman of the state Republican party following questions about his business dealings and his disclosure that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship while serving in the General Assembly.
Aniskovich wrote to members of the state Central Committee today informing him that he intends to pull out of the race.
"I am withdrawing because I believe that my professional and personal experiences will continue to be distorted by others to promote a political agenda that is contrary to what we believe as Republicans,'' he wrote.
"It was my intention to help our Party build a more effective political operation. It is my belief that I cannot do that if my personal and professional experiences become a distraction to the Party."
The disclosure about Aniskovich's inmappropriate relationship was first disclosed by Courant columnist Kevin Rennie in a column posted last night.
Rennie reported that Aniskovich, 48, confirmed his transgressions in response to a question about a "possible inappropriate relationship" Aniskovich might have had. Rennie said Aniskovich replied that he had told his wife and family "about the inappropriate things I did and I regret the pain I caused everyone involved. My wife has forgiven me for failing her and I am today blessed with a strong marriage and a loving family."
Even before Rennie's column was published online, Aniskovich was under heavy criticsm from state Democrats from a series of what they branded as ethical transgressions, involving campaign finance matters as well as Aniskovich's dealings with the state connected to his business, Stonington Institute, a drug and mental health treatment facility.
In his letter to state central members, Aniskovich provided a detailed rebuttal to those charges. His letter did not delve into the sexual improprieties.
"My campaign finance issues involved the forfeit of funds contributed to a PAC by individuals who had already made maximum contributions to my candidate committee. Up until that time, this process fully comported with campaign finance rules and it was a change in interpretation that led to the forfeiture. There was never a finding that I or my Treasurer knowingly violated a campaign finance law.
"Stonington Institute submitted a bid to DCF with LEARN, a nonprofit education service center, for its RTC contracts. Those contracts were awarded in compliance with all applicable regulations, including those requiring Attorney General review. In fact, we were the second bidder and awarded the contract after the first bidder declined to perform.
"At every significant step in my professional career I received---in advance---an Ethics Advisory Letter that confirmed the appropriateness of my business activities. Those opinions are a matter of public record."