Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

Monday May 5, 2008

It’s noonish and the state Senate is bidding adieu to Sen. David Cappiello, who’s gambling that he can unseat U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5 after one term.
What the Senate does best is eat (actually it’s what majority Democratic senators do best) and congratulate each other.
But it’s a smaller group, 36, than the House, 151 and personal bonds may be a little closer there than in the rough-and-tumble lower chamber.
Be that as it may, “the circle” has just concluded a send-off of good wishes for Cappiello, R-Danbury, who had two terms in the House followed by five terms in the Senate.
Sen. Judi Freedman, R-Westport, who’s leaving the Senate herself after 11 terms, was one of the last senators to offer praise a few minutes ago.
And unlike the mere words that filled the Senate chamber, Freedman also presented Cappiello with a coloring book called “A Visit to the White House.” Murphy, anticipating another big Democratic wind in Washington this November, probably hopes that’s as close as Cappiello ever gets.

Friday May 2, 2008

It’s late, hours after majority Democrats agreed to blow Dodge without messing around with the $18.4 billion budget crafted (THERE’S a verb) last year.
Before we get too far away from Thursday night, however, Blog-o-rama wants to go back to a wild debate that had lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lined up against Rep. Chris Caruso, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the Government Administration & Elections Committee.
The result was a 90-minute debate on a bill that was supposed to be quick, unanimous a technical fix to the elections-reform jive that editorial writers call taxpayer-financed elections.
Fill in your own reasons to loathe Caruso. Blog-o-rama has known him for a quarter century and likes him. There’s a place for him in the Legislature, although apparently NOT as GAE co-chairman in the anticipated, imminent reign of Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, as speaker of the House.
Be that as it may, Caruso was put in the unenviable position of trying to fix a stupid section of the new election law that BANS incumbents from using their old lawn signs in the upcoming election.
The issue is a level playing field with the public financing. Lawn signs in the hand are an advantage.
Caruso tried to explain an amendment – the bill was ultimately suspended in time, “passed temporarily” for possible consideration later – that would have required incumbents to charge 30 percent of their sign stockpile off their 2008 cash from the Citizens Election Fund.
“It doesn’t make sense not to reuse something you paid for,” Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said. “It’s only common sense. There was a large consensus in both chambers as to the use of lawn signs,” she said. “At some point it’s up to the chairman to take that into account. We think we should be able to use our signs.”
“We’re trying to make it as fair as we can,” Caruso said Friday morning, when folks had cooled off a little.
“They love to beat up on him,” said Caruso’s deskmate in the House, Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, smiling.
“If we don’t work out a compromise,” Caruso said. “The lawmakers can’t use their signs.”
It’s another cliffhanger for the waning few days of the 2008 General Assembly.
Here’s an assessment of the scene by Rep. Jim O’Rourke, D-Cromwell, a former GAE chairman: “Leave it to Chris Caruso to turn a consent calendar into a filibuster,” O’Rourke said in an interview.

Thursday May Day, 2008

Wet-behind-the-ears Sen. Rob Russo, R-Bridgeport, the newest member of The Circle, over-reached last night as he sat next to Sen. Ed Gomes, D-Bridgeport. Russo learned the hard way that even when you’re right, you can be wrong.
Russo, elected a couple minutes back in that special election to fill the vacancy left when Bill Finch decided to focus on being mayor of Bridgeport (how’s THAT workin’ out?), offered an amendment that would ban members of the City Council from having city jobs.
It seems like a good idea, although if it went through, there would probably be sharply reduced interest in serving on the council. Anyway, there’s a Bridgeport ordinance banning city employees from the Council, but that’s superceded by state law that allows it.
“No matter how you see it, it’s a conflict of interest,” Russo said, standing next to the seated Gomes. It would have amended state law to allow towns and cities to decide for themselves.
“This is the same body that receives hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding,” Russo argued in that (Rep.) Chris Caruso kind of self-righteous way that provokes instant opposition in a certain wide strata of Capitol lawmaker.
“I believe it should be handled locally by the municipalities,” Gomes responded, begging the question.
Sen. Dan Debicella, R-Shelton, probably didn’t help Russo by standing up and weighing in.
Gomes got grumpy and Rule 2313 was invoked. The roll call vote, crushing Russo’s amendment, was 23-13, with all Democrats voting against all the Republicans.
It was at this moment that Blog-o-rama realized why the Senate is less interesting than the House. Since they’re in that circle, they can only see each other. They should think outside their circumference more often.