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."