Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

 The Blogster attended Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele’s gubernatorial announcement in Cromwell this morning. It was in the same room where in mid-December, 2003, Patty Rowland, wife of John “Why Should I Resign If I’ve Done Nothing Wrong?” Rowland read a poem to the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce essentially challenging reporters on her hubbie’s ethical problems. By the end of June, 2004, Rowland had resigned as governor under the weight of an impreachment inquiry and a federal corruption investigation that sent him to prison for 10 months. The quote that day from Rowland to his wife as she started to read her poem: “Go ahead honey, what more can they do to us?”

Anyway, Fedele recalled the function room in a different way to about 100 statewide manufacturers at a CBIA forum.

“This was the first ballroom that I gave a major speech in 2007 when I became lieutentant governort and it was such an incredible hot speech that the fire alarm went off,” Fedele said. “I remember being dragged off by the State Police and I’m saying ‘wait a minute I have to finish my speech’ and they said ‘no, the fire arlarm is going off.’ So I promise you…well maybe the fire alarm should go off today. That would be very appropriate.”

 Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele, who grew up on the West Side of Stamford and now lives in North Stamford, will be back back to the old neighborhood this afternoon during a 4 p.m. rally for  the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010.

 Fedele, the 54-year-old son of Italian immigrants, will be in the Yerwood Center on Stamford’s Fairfield Avenue, where he received his elementary education when it was called Stevens School. “That’s my neighborhood, the neighborhood I grew up in and actually my headquarters for my business is located in that neighborhood,” Fedele told reporters in the Cromwell Crowne Plaza hotel announcing his gubernatorial candidacy to about 100 business executives.

            Gov. Jodi Rell just announced that the Department of Correction wants to close the minimum-security Webster Correctional Institution in Cheshire that has 575 inmates. She claims it could save $3.4 million a year “while maintaining the safety and security of the public, the staff and inmates.”

 She said the state can afford to do it because the inmate population has decreased over the last two years, as the budget problems have increased.       “We face an extraordinarily difficult budget situation – a challenge unlike any we have known in modern memory,” Rell said in a statement. “While other states – including states facing even more severe budget problems than our own – are being forced to build new prisons, we can make the most of our successes by building on these achievements.”

It’s semi-official. Lt.  Gov. Mike Fedele tomorrow “will formally announce his plans for the 2010 gubernatorial election,” which the Blogster and everyone else in the Capitol believes will be the move to replace his boss, Jodi Rell, who’s not running for re-election. The first event will be at 11 a.m. in the Cromwell Crowne Plaza, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell, followed by a 4:00 pm ”kick-off rally” and announcement reprise back home in Stamford at the Yerwood Center Gymnasium, 90 Fairfield Avenue.

   If there’s a more-secure Congressional member than US Rep. John Larson, D-1, it has to be US Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3. But that isn’t stopping Jerry Labriola, Jr., a Naugatuck attorney, who has announced intentions to look for the GOP nomination to campaign against DeLauro, who’s held the seat for 20 years.“We must end the government takeover of America and give the people of Connecticut a new voice,” Labriola said in a release.  “Our nation is heading in the wrong direction and we must restore the private sector of our economy to create jobs and opportunity for all.”

Labriola – the son of failed 1994 Republican Senate candidate Dr. Jerry Labriola, the physician/mystery writer - is a 1979 graduate of Gettysburg College and earned his law degree from the Catholic University of America.  He has served as town attorney for Naugatuck and coaches soccer for the Ansonia High School girls soccer team. Since the Blogster likes soccer coaches in general, it’s interesting to note that Labriola took over the AHS team in 2007 after an 0-16 season, built a new program and this year the squad made the state tournament for the first time with a 6-8-2 record  

The Release from Gov. Rell says enough about Bill O’Neill, the last Democratic governor, who once managed his family tavern in East Hampton.

ROUTE 66 TO BE RENAMED AFTER GOV. O’NEILL

Tuesday, 12/1st at 4:00 PM

State Representatives Gail K. Hamm (D-East Hampton), State Senator Eileen Daily (D-Westbrook), Nikki O’Neill, Governor Bill O’Neill’s widow, and local elected officials will hold a ceremony officially renaming Route 66 in East Hampton the Governor William A. O’Neill Memorial Highway. 

During this year’s legislative session, the Connecticut General Assembly voted in favor of Rep. Hamm’s proposal to rename Route 66 after O’Neill who served as Governor of Connecticut from 1980 to 1991.  Gov. O’Neill lived in East Hampton where he owned a popular pub.  He went on to represent East Hampton in the Connecticut House of Representatives and served as Lieutenant Governor from 1978 to 1980.

WHO: Rep. Hamm, Sen. Daily, Nikki O’Neill & local elected officials

WHAT: Ceremony official renaming of Route 66 in East Hampton

WHERE:  Governor’s Tavern, 26 East High Street, East Hampton

WHEN: Tuesday, December 1st, 4:00 p.m.

Capitol denizens are expecting Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele to launch his bid for governor this week, possibly as soon as Wednesday.

When it comes to elections, the Blogster believes that the more candidates, the merrier. What could be more fun that four or five Democrats (Susan Bysiewicz, Dan Malloy of Stamford, Jim Amann of Milford, Rudy “Who?” Marconi of Ridgefield, Sen. Gary Lebeau) and a couple or more Republicans (House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, of Norwalk, Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele of Syamford and hey, why not Senate Minority Leader John McKinney of Fairfield?) cruising around the state next year and bruising each other in the publicly funded runup to the August primaries.

 Cafero recently called the Blogster to discuss the terminology of describing Fedele as “arguably” the front runner in the 2010 race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Fedele, Cafero pointed out, doesn’t even have an exploratory committee organized. Cafero organized around the time the legislative session should have ended in early June, although it stretched into October because of the budget battle.

“I totally understand Mike’s desire to run for governor from his perch as lieutenant governor,” Cafero said. I think he’d make good governor. But I think I could bring something to the mix and that’s why I’m exploring. Over the last several years, from the minority we were able to change the debate. We changed the debate in 2007 on (the governor’s proposed education-centric) tax increase.  We’ve changed the debate statewide on many things from our caucus room. From the gross-receipts (petroleum products) tax to the ’three strikes’ debate in 2008 (on repeat offenders). The governor and Democrats decided to do nothing to the mid-term of 2008 and we did do something, putting forth an early retirement incentive that was scoffed at, then a year later adopted. When Democrats proposed a corporate surcharge, we did our real-world tour and dramatized the plight of the businessperson. Gov. Rell acknowledged this and changed position to save businesses $190 million.”

He pointed out the 37-114 House minority caucus routinely gets overwhelmed in floor votes. “From a very small minority, we’ve been able to convey a message of common-sense ideas and change the debate,” Cafero said. “I’ve been able to get people from all over the state to call to say ‘thank you for driving the debate, for keeping the drumbeat going’ and it has certainly encouraged me to go forward with my political career and shoot for governor,” he said.