State Rep. Zeke Zalaski, D-Southington, offered an idea Wednesday for how to deal with any state judges who refuse to take unpaid furlough days: If they don't take furlough days like nearly all other state employees have been required to do, then the legislature should not approve their reappointment when their current terms expire.
Last week, The Courant disclosed that 26 jurists at the Superior, Appellate and Supreme Court levels did not take even one furlough day during the past fiscal year, when nearly all of the 55,000 other state employees had to take three. Gov. M. Jodi Rell read the Courant article and then wrote the judges a letter, asking that they either take the furlough days retroactively or repay the state.
On Wednesday, Zalaski jumped into the controversy by issuing this statement: "I agree with the Governor's call for Connecticut judges who have not taken unpaid furlough days to take those days as soon as possible. However, I may have a solution to their display of arrogance. How about, no furloughs, no reappointment. I understand we have a separation of powers in our state Constitution, but the legislature does have the power of reappointment. Let's tie their reappointment to whether or not they take furlough days or take unpaid time off."