The Rasmussen poll has the main two Democratic gubernatorial contenders, Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy, leading in matchups with Republicans Tom Foley and Michael C. Fedele. Lamont is ahead of Foley, 42 percent to 35 percent, and Fedele, 48 percent to 28 percent. Malloy is ahead of Foley, 38 percent to 35 percent, and Fedele, […]

After declining to address the closing session of the General Assembly the previous night, Gov. M. Jodi Rell put a positive spin Thursday on what she and the Democratic legislature accomplished in 2010. Rell praised the passage of a $19.01 billion budget unanimously opposed by fellow Republicans and described a bipartisan, $362 million plan to remake […]

The top Democrats in the General Assembly are the-glass-is-half-full kind of guys, at least when it comes to fiscal matters. Sure there’s a deficit looming 14 months down the road, they said, but by working in harmony with Gov. M. Jodi Rell, they closed budget deficits for this fiscal year and next. What’s one more? […]

Connecticut competes on the productivity of its people. In today’s global economy, productivity is innovation-driven.  Innovation, of course, rests on creativity, versatility, imagination, restlessness, energy, ambition and problem-solving prowess. That is the hypothesis of Chester Finn and Diane Ravitch, who say emphatically that technical skills alone will not provide the edge Americans need to stay […]

When it comes to how money influences elections, state lawmakers were quick to deal with a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing organizations to spend unlimited dollars on political speech. But they decided to put off addressing another federal court ruling that threatens their own system of publicly financing campaigns. “I would have preferred to take […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed into law today a bill that increases the fine for employers who illegally lower their costs by misclassifying employees as independent contractors. The bill was sought by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office to go after employers who misclassify employees to avoid paying contributions for unemployment compensation […]

Democrat Richard Blumenthal has a double-digit lead in head-to-head matchups with any of his Republican opponents in a Rasmussen poll released today. It’s Blumenthal over Rob Simmons, 55 percent to 32 percent; over Linda McMahon, 52 percent to 39 percent; over Peter Schiff, 54 percent to 29 percent. Blumenthal, the long-time attorney general, has no […]

State senators spent hours during the last day of the session Wednesday saying their goodbyes to retiring members, while frustrated town officials watched time run out on their number one priority bill, extension of a tax on real estate sales worth $25 million a year. “We’re shocked they failed to act after assuring us over […]

The countdown to state government’s real fiscal storm began late Wednesday, just 10 minutes before the gavel closed the 2010 legislative session. That’s when lawmakers wrapped up a revised $19.01 billion budget that avoids official tax hikes but places a new surcharge on consumer electric bills, borrows nearly $1 billion, raids an already weakened workers’ pension […]

To a politician’s eye, the choreography on display Wednesday at the State Capitol was as intricate as a dance. To the public, it was a series of disconnected moves, if visible at all. It is how nine white lawyers, their judicial nominations blocked by concerns over diversity and state finances, became confirmed as Superior Court […]

State legislators gave final approval Wednesday to a landmark education bill designed to raise graduation standards, turn around failing schools and hold teachers more accountable for student progress. The bill grew out of the state’s effort to win millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds under the Obama administration’s $4.3 billion Race to the Top […]

Major state tax increases may be in the cards next year given the massive deficit projections, but that doesn’t mean the General Assembly is ready to think about it now. A controversial bill to order a sweeping study of Connecticut’s state and municipal tax network died on the Senate calendar Wednesday as the 2010 session’s […]

I’ve been fortunate to have an involvement in various elements of government since 1957. My lifetime has included tenures as a newspaper reporter, radio newsman, state employee (health, judicial and legislative departments) and a ten-year tenure on a congressional staff. My early working days as a reporter (Norwich Bulletin, Hartford Times, New London Day) developed […]

A bill forbidding texting while driving is headed for Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s signature. The measure also would crack down on talking on a cell phone while driving without using a hand-free device. It would end the policy of giving first-time violators a waiver if they buy a hands-free device, and instead imposes a $100 fine. […]