Former state Transportation Commissioner Joseph F. Marie and Gov. M. Jodi Rell continued to dodge key questions Thursday in separate interviews regarding Marie’s abrupt departure from his post. Marie said in a telephone interview that he wasn’t pressured to quit. Asked if there was any conflict at DOT headquarters that may have precipitated his departure, […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration remained largely quiet Wednesday over the abrupt departure of Transportation Commissioner Joseph F. Marie, who left the job Tuesday afternoon, but will continue to earn his nearly $170,000-per-year salary for four more weeks. Marie submitted a two-sentence letter of resignation following a meeting at the Office of Policy and Management […]

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman projected this afternoon that state government will have a $242.9 million surplus when it closes the books on the fiscal year that ended Wednesday. That’s $76 million higher than the surplus the comptroller reported in her monthly assessment on June 1, and $103.6 million above the $139.3 million mark Gov. M. […]

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph F. Marie resigned today, and will be replaced by Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Parker, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced this morning. In a written statement, the governor’s office indicated Marie resigned “to pursue long-term employment opportunities and spend more time with his family.” “I thank Joe Marie for his service […]

Connecticut is one of seven states that will run out of money to pay state employee pensions over the next decade, coming up short in 2019 due to poor savings habits and generous guaranteed benefit levels, according to a recent study by Northwestern University. And Connecticut’s pension fund could become insolvent sooner than that, according […]

Let it not be said that Connecticut Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on anything. It took about five minutes for the three Republicans and two Democrats running for governor to agree during Tuesday’s debate that Connecticut is a poor place in which to do business. And about the only thing harder than trying to grow […]

Despite being locked in a primary battle for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont has launched a new television ad billing himself as an “independent voice” and even stealing a favorite line from Connecticut’s last third-party governor, Lowell P. Weicker Jr. “What you want to do is go up to Hartford and be […]

As the 2010 gubernatorial candidates squared off in Connecticut’s wealthy southwestern corner this afternoon, the debate quickly focused on taxes, an oppressive business climate and a congested transportation network. “We’re doing business pretty much the same way now as we did” two decades ago, Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont said in the five-candidate debate sponsored by […]

Dan Malloy says it’s time for the gubernatorial candidates to have a grown-up conversation about the state’s budget crisis. “I’ll say what every other politician is saying, that taxes need to be a last resort,” Malloy said. “But I think somebody’s got to be the big guy in the room, the big boy in the […]

There’s more competition for state legislative seats than in any election year since 1998, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz announced today. Connecticut’s chief elections official reported that 54 of the 187 races for state House and Senate, or nearly 29 percent, lack a Democratic or a Republican candidate. That’s down from the 60 races […]

Despite being embroiled in a primary battle for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont has launched a new television ad billing himself as an “independent voice” and even stealing a favorite line from Connecticut’s last third-party governor, Lowell P. Weicker Jr. “What you want to do is go up to Hartford and be […]

Former Gov. John G. Rowland will return to the limelight later this week in a new capacity –  as a fill-in talk show host on WTIC 1080-AM radio in Farmington. Rowland, who resigned six years ago amid an impeachment inquiry and later served 10 months in federal prison on corruption charges, will serve as a […]

The first state budget that Connecticut’s next governor and legislature must craft has sprung another leak, according to a new consultant’s report analyzing the state’s pension fund. The analysis submitted to the Post Employment Benefits Commission says the state’s original budgeted contribution to the state employee pension savings fund was $86 million short for the […]

Quick state budget riddle: When is an extra $100 million in surplus dollars not necessarily good news? Answer: When the revenue trends behind it could require Connecticut to pay a matching amount into the employee pension fund. If that bit of fiscal logic seems hard to follow, it’s because it’s based on a new $19.01 […]

A lack of funding again is plaguing state government’s “Clean Contracting” system, this time hindering an oversight board’s ability to determine when state agencies can hire private-sector workers. Faced with an ongoing disagreement between the Department of Transportation and the union representing about 1,000 state engineers, planners and safety inspectors, the State Contracting Standards Board […]