WASHINGTON – Days after she won re-election, in a move that was as symbolic as it was practical, U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty and her Capitol Hill staff moved into a new office, an indication she had moved up in seniority and solidified her place in Congress. (This is the fifth in a series of stories about the roles each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)
December 2014
Posted inEducation
Legislators concerned by UConn president’s raise
Leaders of the legislature’s Higher Education Committee have concerns with the sizable pay boost the president of the state’s flagship public university will receive over the next four years.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy names Jonathan Harris for consumer protection
Jonathan Harris, a lawyer and former state senator who recently stepped down as executive director of the Connecticut Democratic Party, was named commissioner of consumer protection Tuesday by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Posted inPolitics
In first year, Harp reverts to ‘we’
Reflecting on her first year in office, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp says she has been pleased with the city’s progress, especially with the drop in violent crime and new efforts to keep endangered teens safe and in school.
Posted inPolitics
Chris Healy to be state Senate GOP strategist
Chris Healy, the former Republican state chairman who was a senior adviser to a 2012 congressional campaign that was derailed by scandal, will be a communication and policy analyst for the state Senate Republican minority.
Posted inPolitics
Congressman Himes rode political roller-coaster in 113th Congress
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Himes faced some big challenges during the two years of the outgoing Congress and will find himself in a shrinking pool of centrists in the new session that is gaveled in after the New Year. (This is the fourth in a series of stories about the roles each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy keeps options open on tolls for Connecticut highways
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tried to give himself more flexibility Monday to re-establish tolls, warning he would force a Capitol debate in 2015 on the costs necessary to upgrade the state’s long-neglected transportation network. And while the governor insisted on the campaign trail last fall that two conditions must be met for tolls to be considered, he abandoned one – a precipitous drop in federal transportation funding – on Monday.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy names Karen Buffkin as counsel for second term
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy filled a key vacancy Monday, naming Karen Buffkin as his general counsel, an appointment that could help give women about half the top jobs in Malloy’s second-term administration.
Posted inEducation
Herbst gets a big raise and three added years as UConn president
The governing board of the University of Connecticut voted to extend the contract of Susan Herbst as president Monday and give her a raise that would bring her annual compensation to $831,070 by 2019.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Eliminate the Connecticut primary for lieutenant governor
Connecticut’s program of publicly financed elections is broken and needs to be fixed. Instead of having separate primaries for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, candidates should be nominated and voted on as teams.
Posted inNews
Op-Ed: Eliminate the Connecticut primary for lieutenant governor
Connecticut’s program of publicly financed elections is broken and needs to be fixed. Instead of having separate primaries for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, candidates should be nominated and voted on as teams.
Posted inPolitics
In outgoing Congress, DeLauro burnished liberal credentials
WASHINGTON – Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s liberal activism may not have helped her win GOP support of her legislative effort in the outgoing Congress, but it helped galvanize the left wing of her party. (This is the third in a series of stories about the roles each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT creeps toward electric grid 2.0
Connecticut is starting a process to modernize the state’s electric grid to make it cleaner, leaner and more adaptable to new methods of power generation and distribution. Exploring how to do that will be a major focus for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, beginning early next year.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Expert has idea that could lessen federal taxes for CT taxpayers
Connecticut’s low- and middle-income households could pay tens of millions of dollars less in federal taxes each year while state officials simultaneously gain access to a wealth of new economic data. But for that to happen, according to one of the state’s leading economists, Connecticut officials first take a fiscal leap of faith – and repeal arguably the state’s most popular tax break.
Posted inPolitics
Courtney took a moderate path in 113th Congress
WASHINGTON – When Congress considered legislation that would give President Obama authority to train and arm Syrian rebels last summer, Rep. Joe Courtney was the only member of the Connecticut delegation to support it. The vote was one of several instances in which the lawmaker split with his colleagues in the 113th Congress. (This is the second in a series of stories on the role each member of the Connecticut congressional delegation played in the 113th Congress.)