Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

The Blogster notes that Ernest E. Newton, the former state senator sent to prison on corruption charges, called himself “The Moses of My People,” when he resigned from the General Assembly back in 2005 amid an investigation that sent him to federal prison. It’s good to hear he’s now out, in a halfway house in Waterbury, preparing for life on the outside. But it’s time to remember that he extorted social service agencies in exchange for his perceived legislative clout and that’s why Senior US District Judge Alan H. Nevas, a former member of the state House, threw the book at him. Among other things, Newton used the payoffs to pay for repairs on his rattletrap Jaguar.

About 300 people made it to the State Library and Museum yesterday to kick off the state’s 375th anniversary celebration.

State Troubador Lara Herscovitch sang this tune, but the Blogster was unable to catch all the words. So she was nice enough to pass along a copy of her song “Connecticut Skies.”

Here it is:

Don¹t need the Midnight Train to Georgia
Not going to Carolina in My Mind
We¹ve got 250 miles of salt air, sand and shoreline
And 700 more of mountains
Or we¹ll meet on an Elm City street
With as many different people as October leaves

            (chorus)
            We are the neighbor right next door
            And a wonderful world away
            We stay by the long tidal riverside*
            Under Connecticut skies

It¹s not Sweet Home Alabama
Not another yellow Texas rose
It¹s 250,000 mile fences of stone
The Northeast wind carries woodsmoke
As we watch the snow fall to the ground
Somehow just like magic everything slows down

            (chorus)

No matter how far I fly I¹ll still return to your eyes
By the spider web of winding river roads
Cause my home is by your side

            (chorus)

            (reprise)
            We are the neighbor to Boston and New York
            And a wonderful world away
            We stay by the long tidal riverside
            Under Connecticut skies

*Quinnitukqut = Mohegan word for ³by the long tidal river²

©Lara Herscovitch 2009. All Rights Reserved.

It seems the secretary of the state calculated that a) she might not be able win the governor’s office (with this economy, who’d want to be governor anyway? It’s a no-win job.) against a Republican moneybags like Greenwich zillionaire/corporate takeover artist/GOP rainmaker Tom Foley and b) Dick Blumenthal’s finally leaving the AG’s office after nearly 20 years to wrestle Linda McMahon for the US Senate nomination (yeah, the Blogster likes McMahon over Simmons in the primary: she’s the self-funding candidate conservatives want) leaves the high-profile do-gooder platform open for, dare-she-dream, her own US Senate run in 2012 when Joe Lieberman either campaigns for Stamford animal control officer or retires to K Street, finally joining his corporate keepers. 

But there’s that lingering issue of whether Bysiewicz “practiced” as a lawyer the requisite 10 years, to give her the minimum CV requirements to be Connecticut’s top civil attorney. The Blogster believes there’s some kind of bad lawyer joke in here, but this morning will leave it up to gentle, cynical readers to create their own. Bysiewicz, who seemed so happy recently when Blumenthal made an oblique ruling on requirements for attorney general, now seems endlessly calculating today. Beating Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo to the punch, Bysiewicz will announce that she’ll use her own money to bring the issue of her experience before a state Superior Court judge. This is all part of the run up to the weekend of May 21, when Democrats (and Republicans, for that matter) will meet in Hartford for their statewide nominating conventions. Bysiewicz has hundreds of thousands of dollars in her exploratory committee, but any lingering questions about her experience would create the kind of questions in the minds of delegates that two other AG hopefuls, George Jepsen of Ridgefield and Rep. Cam Staples, D-New Haven, co-chairman of the tax-writing legislative Finance Committee, would love to answer.

 On Friday, the New York Yankees World Series trophy symbolic of their 27th North American championship, will be displayed at the State Capitol.

“For baseball fans of all stripes, counting down the days to spring training has always helped us get through the long, cold days of winter. Spring training is now right around the corner and having the World Series trophy in Connecticut this week will remind us all of warmer days and months ahead,” said Rell in a statement. “It also will make for a great free family outing for those who have children out on school vacation this week.”

Here’s the rest of her news release: 

The trophy will be on display in the State Capitol building from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited to take photographs with the trophy and visit with members of the Yankees’ front office. The trophy will arrive at the Governor’s office at 11 a.m. where the Governor will meet briefly with team representatives. The trophy then will be displayed to the public beginning at 11:30 a.m. in State Capitol Rotunda on the first floor of the building. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and lines will begin forming for access to the trophy at 10:15 a.m. The trophy will depart sharply at 2 p.m. and Capitol Police are recommending that all visitors be in line by 1:30 p.m.

Gov. Rell will join Boy and Girl Scouts, her foot guard and legislative leaders in a ceremonial procession from theCapitol, across Capitol Avenue to the State Library, where there will be an event commemorating the state’s 375th Anniversary. They’ll be met at the library by Chief Justice Chase Rogers, who’ll invite them inside for a speaking program.

Information:

http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?A=3872&Q=455686

From the tape at the Old State House:

“I’ve been a CEO all my life. I’ve been an executive. I have run something. I want to be governor of the state of Connecticut.”

Former Greenwich selectman/telecommunications millionaire Ned Lamont had better increase his production values. The microphone in the Old State House phased into distortion several times, spoiling some part of audio feeds for radio and TV. The Democratic gubernatorial hopeful did have one smart media tactic, though. Rather than take questions at the podium like a real news conference, Lamont finished his 17-minute overview (takeaway: “courage”) and then sauntered over to a scrum of a dozen reporters gathered around, straining to hear more generaltiies about “jobs” and a strong statement on the likelihood of his not participating in the state’s public financing system. It was the first question out of the scrum, via Channel 8′s Mark Davis. “I’m not taking any special intererst money. A big believer in clean campaigns, but I’m not going into this battle with one arm tied behind my back. We have raised tens of thousands of dollars in small-money donations, but right now it’s not a level playing field. I’ll be opting out of the public financing. The stakes are just too high, Mark. It’s all about changing the way we do business in Connecticut, and start creating some jobs again.”

In 2006, the Greenwich millionaire had an issue that  energized the Democratic base against US Sen. Joe Lieberman. Lamont won the primary, disappeared on a vacation to Vermont when he was hot, then was defeated by Lieberman running as an independent. Lieberman’s appearances in the state have been few and far between since then, which some would say is a good thing. But what’s Lamont have to offer this time, besides  threatening to ignore the state’s campaign-finance program because it might not give him enough cash to campaign against GOP rainmaker/corporate takeover king Tom Foley, another Greenwich millionaire? It’s up to him to offer something solid besides a willingness to shower money on Connecticut TV stations. We’ll see what it looks like at 11 this morning in the scenic Old State House.