Gov.-elect Ned Lamont opened his campaign for governor in January without a deep appreciation of the criminal-justice reforms undertaken by the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. On Tuesday, he promised to take office next month with the ambition of improving on Malloy’s substantial record.
Transition
Posted inPolitics
Lamont gets policy recommendations — and challenges
Gov.-elect Ned Lamont began accepting policy recommendations Monday from broad swaths of Connecticut voters and interest groups, an exercise that could shape and produce allies for his still-developing agenda, while also raising expectations for what Lamont’s is willing to tackle in his first 100 days as governor.
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Lamont makes his first organizational change to government
Gov-elect Ned Lamont shared his first plans for restructuring state government Friday, announcing a new post of chief operating officer — a position recommended and never implemented decades ago in Connecticut, while becoming increasingly common in governors’ offices across the U.S.
Posted inPolitics
Lamont names legal counsel and senior adviser
Gov.-elect Ned Lamont, who went outside the State Capitol for a chief of staff and budget director, rounded out the top echelon of his staff Monday with two experienced insiders: Superior Court Judge Robert W. Clark as general counsel and Colleen Flanagan Johnson as senior adviser overseeing strategy and communications.
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By design, this transition is a little messy
WILLIMANTIC — The transition team of Gov.-elect Ned Lamont opened a free-wheeling, if slightly chaotic, series of policy discussions Tuesday that drew more than 450 people to a day of brainstorming and networking at Eastern Connecticut State University. “This is a fresh start that none of us are going to squander,” Lamont said.
Posted inHealth
As DCF’s Katz bows out, the risky world of child protection awaits new administration
Joette Katz, who served under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for eight years, is resigning next month after what is believed to be one of the longest tenures leading a state child-protection agency in the nation. But it wasn’t always easy. Despite Malloy’s loyalty to her, Katz’s abrasive personality, refusal to back down from controversial decisions, and her decision to march the child protection agency in a new and sometimes perilous direction, resulted in a rocky eight years.
Posted inPolitics
Better organized Latinos try to shape Lamont administration
One measure of the larger role Latinos are trying to play in Connecticut politics is the creation of a group announced Tuesday that will work with Gov.-elect Ned Lamont to ensure the representation of Latinos in the incoming administration. Eight years ago, Latinos made no similar effort to shape the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
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Lamont promises national executive search for administration
Back from an orientation seminar for new governors, Gov.-elect Ned Lamont outlined an approach Monday to finding “the best and brightest” for his new administration, hinting that some top appointees would be executives from outside politics who are willing to accept a pay cut to work for Connecticut.
Posted inMoney
Lamont’s initial approach to budget is conservative
Gov.-elect Ned Lamont reacted cautiously Thursday to several days of good economic news, saying improving tax revenues, economic activity and job creation are coming at what is likely closer to the end than the beginning of an economic expansion in Connecticut and the rest of the U.S.
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Lamont intends to tap network of business, non-profit contacts
Connecticut’s governor-elect, Ned Lamont, is a Democrat who became a liberal anti-war icon during a U.S. Senate campaign a dozen years ago, but he made clear Thursday he also is a well-connected Greenwich businessman intent on using a network of high-level business contacts to help populate his administration.
Posted inPolitics
West Hartford’s McGurk to help Trump in transition
WASHINGTON — Former West Hartford resident Brett McGurk, who under the Obama administration helped coordinate the war against the Islamic State, has been asked to stay in his position after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, one of about 50 Obama appointees who will remain in their posts to maintain “continuity” until Trump’s picks are confirmed.