Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has cooled toward Donald Vaccaro, the chief executive officer of TicketNetwork, a company the governor included in his “First Five” economic development program. But will it cost Vaccaro a deal with the state?
Reacting to Vaccaro’s arrest at a Academy Award party in Hartford, Malloy said he has ordered a review of the aid package offered to the company, pointedly noting that it has not been finalized.
He stopped short of saying he will seek to break the deal, saying he still wants to see the job creation that TicketNetwork is promising. But he was unusually blunt in describing Vaccaro’s behavior at the party.
“His behavior was boorish, and I will assume aspects of the behavior that’s been described makes him look like a jerk,” Malloy said.
Police say Vaccaro groped women at the charity party (whose attendees included Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and other political VIPs), then responded with a racial epithet when a black security guard intervened. (Wyman left the party before the incident.)
“I think we’ll have more to say about this in the not so distant future,” Malloy said. “Suffice it to say this may be an appropriate moment for Mr. Vaccaro to examine his own behaviors and the relationship he wants to have with the state of Connecticut.”
Vaccaro could not be immediately reached for comment. Calls were left with his public-releations representative and his attorney.