Ken Dixon's Blog-O-Rama

994 for Malloy, 790 for Lamont in Milford

Rep. Steve Dargan, D-West Haven, is on the phone with Democratic intell here at the Malloy party in Hartford and announced that with one precinct left, Dan Malloy is up 818-612 in Milford.

This is just in from the Fedele camp, to people who may have been on Venus all day:

 Alas, Gov. M. Jodi Rell is not postponing tomorrow’s State Bond Commission meeting because of perceived reporter disinterest the day after the primary. She’s rescheduling it for Tuesday August 17 after Rep. Vincent J. Candelora was unable to get answers from the state treasurer about the status of Bond Anticipation Notes (BANs) issued last year by the state for cash-flow reasons. Rell said his concerned are echoed by others.

           “All of us – including Representative Candelora, the other lawmakers and my Administration – deserve to have this information before we move ahead with the Bond Commission agenda,” Rell said in a release. “I trust this extra time will give the Treasurer’s office time to answer any and all questions from Bond Commission members.”

Chester First Selectman Tom Marsh, who believes he has way more than enough signatures to petition his way onto the November gubernatorial ballot as an Independent , said last night that he will fulfill his campaign promise of last week, when he told children after a mock gubernatorial debate in the Yerwood Center in Stamford that he would give them ice cream on Primary Day because he’s not on the ballot.

This from Marsh, referring to his running mate, Cicero Booker of Waterburyi:

“Hello Ken: I wanted to give you an update on my campaign promise of ice cream for the Yerwood debaters. The children are on a field trip tomorrow so were not available for the ice cream offer. However, Cicero Booker and I will be handing out ice cream this Thursday around noon to fulfill my promise. I figure you deserve the “scoop” on this major breaking story.

 Tom

Governor M. Jodi Rell has ordered the state Department of Public Works (DPW) to draft a new set of procedures for stopping avoiding workplace violence. In a news release today she said the revisions will be released in September and were uner review prior to last week’s workplace shootings in Manchester, where nine died. The latest version of the 50-page Violence in the Workplace Policy and Procedures manual was last rewritten in 2007. The updated version will include information on how agencies can revise plans for addressing threats  “The heartbreaking and startling tragedy in Manchester is a stark reminder that we must do everything we can to forestall these kinds of violent outbursts,” Rell said in a news release. “Employers and co-workers alike must be aware of the warning signs when someone is reaching a breaking point. And all must be prepared to react – calmly but swiftly – in the event that an attack actually takes place.In the years since the 1998 shootings at the state Lottery headquarters and the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, Connecticut state government has made a concerted effort to improve security at all of its buildings. Yet – like all public institutions – we must balance those security interests with our responsibility to be open and accessible to the people we serve. The policies and procedures outlined in the DPW manual are essential to meeting those two goals.”

This from the Quinnipiac University Poll on Monday Morning:

“The Democratic primary for governor in Connecticut is going down to the wire with businessman Ned Lamont at 45 percent and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy at 42 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of Democratic likely primary voters released today.  This compares to a 45 – 40 percent Lamont lead August 5.  Today, 12 percent remain undecided and 30 percent of those who choose a candidate say they might change their mind.

Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon is pulling away from Rob Simmons and now leads 50 – 28 percent, with 15 percent for Peter Schiff, compared to 47 – 30 percent in an August 4 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.  Today, 7 percent are undecided and 30 percent of those who choose a candidate say they might change their mind.

Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele continues his surge among Republican likely primary voters and now trails former ambassador Tom Foley 38 – 30 percent, compared to 41 – 26 percent August 5.

Today, Oz Griebel has 17 percent, as 14 percent remain undecided and 47 percent of those who choose a candidate say they might change their mind.

“The Democratic governor’s race between Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy is too close to call and the Republican governor’s race between Tom Foley and Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele could produce a surprise,” said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD.  “In the Republican Senate contest, it looks like Rob Simmons would need more than a surprise; he would need a miracle to catch Linda McMahon.  But in politics, miracles do happen.”

            From August 3 – 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 664 Connecticut Republican likely primary voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points and 464 Democratic likely primary voters with a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points.  These likely voters were selected from lists of people who have voted in past elections.

The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.

For more data or RSS feed– http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 

 The Connecticut Department of Agriculture announced today it has banned two draft horses and their owners owners from pulling contests at state fairs, following random tests for anabolic steroids. Last month the DOA found positive samples in the two horses at the North Stonington Agricultural Fair.

One was entered and owned by the Perkins Family and the other was entered and owned by Eric French and Son, both of North Stonington. State law requires that both the horses and the owners be banned from any state contests for a year.

 ”The purpose of the program is to assure that animals entered into the contests are not mistreated with the use of performance-enhancing and other types of drugs; that participants in the event do not have an advantage due to the effects of an administered drug; and that spectators can be assured that they are watching an honest contest,” according to the DOA.

 “These draft pulling events, a long-standing tradition at our Connecticut Fairs, are enjoyed by many of the fairgoers – and, by working with the Connecticut Fair Association, these random tests not only preserve the fairness of the events but more importantly help ensure the well being of the animals,” Agriculture Commissioner F. Philip Prelli said in a Friday news release.