I’ve never heard anyone complain that the biggest problems with our democracy is that elected official don’t spend enough time raising money and that there aren’t enough special interests influencing what gets done in Washington. The public has seen firsthand the impact corporate money has on important issues and knows better. Just look at the […]

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, intends to endorse Dan Malloy for governor Friday, citing Malloy’s support of campaign finance reform and his partnership with Comptroller Nancy S. Wyman. The endorsement by Larson, who has represented Greater Hartford in Congress for a dozen years, comes as the Democratic race for governor has narrowed to […]

Rudy Marconi ended his campaign for governor today by endorsing one of the two remaining contenders for the Democratic nomination, Ned Lamont. With a week before the Democratic nomination convention, Marconi’s withdrawal completes the rapid transformation of a five-candidate field into a two-man race between Lamont and Dan Malloy. Juan Figueroa dropped out for money […]

The state auditors recently suggested reconvening the Connecticut Progress Council, a “permanent” fiscal accountability agency that stopped functioning after issuing one report 14 years ago. A second panel charged in the early 1990s with finding $10 million in annual state budget savings through efficiencies “never met or filed annual reports,” according to another report from […]

An intense lobbying effort over a major energy bill passed last week on the final day of the regular legislative session has shifted from the General Assembly to an uncommitted Gov. M. Jodi Rell. An email blast to AARP members, who number nearly 600,000 in Connecticut, has generated scores of phone calls urging Rell to […]

During his brief tenure as president of the University of Connecticut, Michael Hogan battled a souring economy and won some crucial victories but also made some controversial moves that caused observers to scratch their heads. “It’s been sort of a rocky ride here for him,” said UConn Board of Trustees member Thomas Ritter. “He did […]

The legislative session that just ended will not go down in history as anyone’s favorite. But Connecticut’s children won some important victories, or I should say: won some important victories, again. The legislature stood by Raise the Age, a reform that moved 16-year-olds to the juvenile justice system on Jan. 1, 2010. Before that, we’d […]

Five days before the Democratic state convention is to endorse a candidate for attorney general, the Connecticut Supreme Court will hear arguments over Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz’s qualifications for the office. Oral arguments will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the state’s Supreme Court in Hartford. The Democratic convention begins Friday and will endorse candidates […]

Kevin Lembo, the state health care advocate, today entered the race to succeed his former boss, Comptroller Nancy S. Wyman. As expected, Lembo immediately ceased his campaign for lieutenant governor once Wyman agreed to become Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy’s running mate. Kevin Lembo talks to press today. (Pazniokas) He brings an immediate advantage to […]

University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan’s announcement that he will resign to become president of the University of Illinois caught university and state officials by surprise Tuesday. University trustees reportedly learned of the resignation only hours before it was publicly announced. Hogan is leaving after just three years in office, the shortest tenure for a […]

Rep. Cameron C. Staples exited the stage Tuesday in the Democratic race for attorney general, but the storyline picked up a new complication: A call for an appellate court review of Susan Bysiewicz’s qualifications. The Connecticut Republican Party filed an appeal of Superior Court Judge Michael R. Sheldon’s ruling that Bysiewicz practiced law as secretary […]

Connecticut’s retired teachers are worried that if trends in the latest state budget are any indication, they might be the next group called upon to balance government finances in the near future. A subpanel of the state Association of Retired Teachers’ met with key legislators in Farmington this week, warning that it believes the state […]

Rep. Cameron C. Staples, D-New Haven, withdrew today from the race for attorney general, leaving a two-way fight between Susan Bysiewicz and George Jepsen for the Democratic nomination. Staples, the co-chair of the legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, said he will not be seeking re-election to the General Assembly, ending an 18-year legislative career. […]

The Connecticut Republican Party intends to appeal a Superior Court judge’s ruling that Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has 10 years experience in the “active practice” of law, the statutory minimum to serve as attorney general, her lawyer said today. “The Republican Party is trying to cast doubt over my candidacy as we prepare […]

Instead of reporting the news, former TV news anchor Janet Peckinpaugh said today she hopes to make news this November by challenging U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District. Peckinpaugh said after spending 30 years as a TV journalist for local news stations she decided to enter the fray on the other side of the cameras […]