State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal concluded today that Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz misused taxpayer-funded resources by maintaining a computer database of political supporters.

“While much of the information placed in the database was related to legitimate state purposes, some of the information maintained, particularly the ‘special notes,’ was inappropriate – even if not demonstrably a violation of law – for a database subject to public disclosure,” Blumenthal wrote in a report posted on his office’s Internet site. The attorney general was not immediately available for comment.

Those “special notes” included descriptions of various contacts’ medical issues and choices of clothing as well as their favorite political candidates.

Bysiewicz was not available for an interview but issued a written statement through a spokesman.

“We have reviewed the attorney general’s report and we are pleased with its two most fundamental findings: first, the database we use is a very valuable tool for state employees in providing constituent service and in managing the many Constitutional and statutory functions of this office; and second, no law was broken. We are implementing all of the recommendations contained in the report.”

Keith has spent most of his 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.

Leave a comment