Republican State Party Chairman Chris Healy said Tuesday he will file a formal complaint with the state Judicial Branch's Statewide Grievance Committee against Democratic Secretary of the State candidate Denise Merrill, saying she has misepresented herself as an attorney.
Responding to a Sunday Courant column, which can be read by clicking here, Healy said that Merrill, a state representative from Mansfield who is the state House majority leader, "has claimed in her official biography on her official website, her campaign website and printed materials that she is an attorney even though her law license in California has been inactive for over 30 years."
"Merrill has tried to cover her tracks by placing an 'asterisk' to denote her law status in California," Healy said in a statement, but "placing a notation doesn't excuse breaking the rules. Denise Merrill is a high ranking lawmaker and she should know the law - you can't call yourself an attorney if you are not recognized by the state."
A Merrill spokesman, Patty McQueen, called Healy "a career political hack" and said his comments are "frivolous and misinformed."
A campaign brochure for Merrill this year said: "A mother, teacher, attorney and new grandmother, Denise brought her real-world experience to the Legislature, where she was eventually elected by her colleagues to serve as Majority Leader." Her majority leader's biography on the state House Democrats' Internet website said she is "an attorney and a former high school teacher."