Political Capitol

The state’s centralized voter database, intended to help local registrars detect voter fraud, suffered a set back earlier this year during February’s presidential primary.

“The system crashed several times on the day before the primary and has not yet been completely restored,” Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz complained soon afterward in a letter to the state Department of Information Technology.

In an interview this week Bysiewicz said the kinks have all been addressed and she is satisfied the database will be easily accessible to all registrars on Tuesday, Election Day.

Looking for a more objective opinion – Bysiewicz has long been a booster of the database – I called Karen Doyle Lyons, Norwalk’s Republican registrar and a vocal critic of the centralized system.

Lyons agreed with Bysiewicz that the database is working well since the state upgraded the technology.

“They’re smokin’ now,” she said.

I can’t think of a better endorsement.

Republican Steve Papadakos, who is challenging incumbent Democratic state Sen. Bob Duff to represent Norwalk and Darien, today rebuffed his opponant’s invitation to reschedule a candidate forum in the latter town.

Papadakos last week missed a League of Women Voters forum because of what he said was a severe stomach illness.

Clearly reacting to speculation Papadakos ditched the event following a poor debate performance a few days earlier in Norwalk, Duff has e-mailed his opponant – and the press – requests to reschedule.

In today’s e-mail Duff wrote Papadakos that he has seen him at four different events recently and does not understand why they cannot get together in Darien.

“I think it is important for residents to personally hear both of us so that they can make an informed choice on Tuesday,” Duff wrote. “They deserve nothing less.”

In his own e-mailed response to Duff and reporters, Papadakos wrote he has spoken to Darien voters and they are “well informed about our political differences.”

“It … surprises me that you think a debate at this late date is necessary or that it would be helpful,” Papadakos wrote. “I believe that our time is better spent talking with area voters and on my part it will be to remind them of the pressing need to get more of our tax dollars returned from Hartford to Norwalk and Darien.”

Duff in his response promised the debate would last an hour and he would “execute the details.”

“I disagree with you and believe the voters would be well served by hearing both of us get together and discuss the issues,” Duff wrote.

In an interview with the Yale Daily News published over the weekend, U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays, a Republican representing Fairfield County, levels a major criticism against his friend U.S. Sen. John McCain’s bid for president.

“He has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign,” Shays said of the Arizona Republican.

In a telephone conference last Friday with Lieberman, myself and Mark Pazniokas, a reporter for the Hartford Courant, raised the subject of mounting, bipartisan criticism about the “tone” of McCain’s campaign.

Lieberman, who remains a registered Democrat in his hometown of Stamford, has been campaigning hard for McCain and would not bite. He said both the Republicans and Democrats in the presidential and vice presidential race have committed “all sorts of excesses.”

“I’m prepared to be held accountable for my own comments on the campaign trail,” Lieberman said.

The Connecticut Catholic Conference has begun airing a new television spot urging residents to vote next Tuesday in favor of holding a constitutional convention.

The ad is pretty innocuous. An unidentified woman stands in front of the capitol in Hartford, telling viewers a constitutional convention will “pave the way” for residents to have a more direct say in their government. She does not identify herself with any particular group or cause.

Supporters of the convention hope it will result in allowing residents to force statewide referendums on controversial topics.

What struck me as odd about the ad is that it avoids mentioning what the Connecticut Catholic Conference hopes to accomplish through referendum – overturning the state Supreme Court’s recent ruling legalizing same sex marriage.

I asked Michael Culhane, the CCC’s legislative liason, why same sex marriage was not mentioned and whether the group has other issues it wants addressed through referendum.

He said: “The main thrust of the ads are to bring government closer to the people. To have government more responsive to the people … Any other issue is not on our radar screen at this time.”

I can’t help but wonder if the ad avoids the topic of banning same sex marriage because that could actually convince voters NOT to support a constitutional convention. A recent University of Connecticut poll found residents back the court’s decision, 53 percent to 42 percent.

… and start stressing out about the state’s.

Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s office is encouraging taxpayers take advantage of a new budget forum on her website. The Governor said the forum will allow the public to follow work on the new, two-year state fiscal plan she and the legislature need to craft and approve in early 2009.

Taxpayers can also weigh-in on how to make state government, which is facing $1 billion deficits in the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years, more efficient.

“We welcome scrutiny. We welcome ideas,” Rell said. “This is not my budget, not the legislature’s. It belongs to the taxpayers of Connecticut who have a right to be part of the process and, most importantly, the solution.”

Suggestions are limited to 500 words or less, allowing for detailed suggestions or the phrase “do not raise my taxes” to be typed 100 times.

Retiring House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, the only Democrat so far campaigning for governor, announced a pretty significant endorsement yesterday.

The Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association of Connecticut held an event backing Amann in his hometown.

“It was awesome. They had 30 guys there from all over the state,” said Amann, who wanted to make sure The Advocate was aware of the association’s decision so Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy would read about it.

You see, Malloy has said he too is interested in running for governor in 2010 after losing the 2006 primary to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano.

But Malloy like most state Democrats is waiting for Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Greenwich to decide his own political future and whether he might run.

Amann said the firefighters’ backing MUST have Malloy considering dropping out before he’s officially entered the race.

“It just brings my campaign to another level,” he said. “These guys work. They’ll be out there, making calls.”

Malloy’s response?

“Firefighters are great. Love ‘em. If I run for Governor I expect I’ll have a large percentage of votes of fire fighters from across the state,” Malloy said. “That being said, congratulations to Jim.”

UPFA President Pete Carozza said Amann approached the group.

“Jim called us and asked us for support,” Carozza said. “We brought it before out political action committee and to our executive board. He did appear and personally asked for our endorsement. We brought it to our delegates – our 60 affiliated locals throughout the state last month. And they voted unanimously to endorse him.”

The Advocate ran an Associated Press story today about the scandal involving state Rep. George Wilber, D-Colebrook, who announced Tuesday he was resigning after it came to light he paid $100,000 to settle a claim of sexual abuse in 2005.

But the Hartford Courant has an interesting piece co-written by Christopher Keating, who worked for us several years ago. The story raises questions about whether various officials at the time, including House Speaker and Stamford resident Moira Lyons and Stamford native U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, acted to address complaints about Wilbur.  Check it out.

Steve Papadakos, the Republican challenging Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said a violent stomach illness kept him from appearing at a Tuesday night candidates’ forum in Darien.

Duff’s district – the 25th Senate District – includes Norwalk and parts of Darien. For years it was held by Republican Robert Genuario, now the state’s budget director.

Some observers are wondering whether Papadakos decided not to attend after what can objectively be called a poor performance last week in Norwalk.

I covered the event and reported how Papadakos was nervous and ill-prepared, mostly reiterating Republican talking points and, in one case, passing on a question about addressing the state’s energy needs.

Duff did not have all the answers, and voters might not agree with those he provided. But he was able to fall back on his experience in Hartford and had things to talk about.

Papadakos today said he really was seriously ill.

“On Monday night after our Republican Town Committee I came home, had dinner and got sick,” he said. “I went to the emergency room after 9 p.m. … My stomach was a mess. There’s no way I could make it. I ate something maybe I shouldn’t have.”

Duff said that was the story he heard Tuesday night and he is willing to schedule another forum in Darien between the two candidates.