It’s interesting to note the two new leaders of the state House of Representatives share musical hobbies.
Current House Majority Leader/Incoming Speaker Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, plays guitar while incoming House Majority Leader Denise Merrill, D-Storrs, is a classical pianist.
I asked Donovan during a recent interview what their different choice of instruments says about the two new leaders.
“It’s a good question,” Donovan said. “I had to learn to read notes later. I played by ear and my fingers for many years before I could read notes. She learned to read notes.”
The statement makes a lot of sense if you know a little about the two personalities.
Merrill is the detail-oriented chairman of the legislature’s Appropriations Committee.
From what I’ve witnessed of Donovan, he is a passionate guy who, at least when it came to the healthcare pooling bill he pursued last year, puts bold – some critics might say risky – proposals on the table and refines them as he goes forward.
Donovan added: “There’s a joke – ‘How do you make a guitar player quieter? Put some sheet music in front of him.”
