A CL&P lineman works on Route 35 in Ridgefield, Conn., where many of the residents were out of power due to Super Storm Sandy, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012.
The Connecticut GOP might want to invest in a generator.
State Republican Chairman Jerry Labriola Jr. is calling on rival Democrats to return $46,500 in recent donations the party received from executives of Northeast Utilities, the oft-criticized parent of Connecticut Light & Power.
The pattern of contributions came to light both from election filings by the Connecticut Democrats and an internal email, obtained by the Hartford Court, in which NU CEO Thomas May directed his subordinates to give to the party to help re-elect Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
“This cozy relationship between Dan Malloy and Connecticut’s largest regulated utility may benefit the managers in the Northeast Utilities executive suites, but it will surely harm Connecticut’s ratepayers,” Labriola said in a statement Thursday. “The Republican Party has made it clear that we will fight for Connecticut’s hardworking families against rate increases and week long power outages, and now it looks like Northeast Utilities is fighting back. With the governor bought and paid for, who’s left to stand in their way?”
Democrats, who had 10 times more cash on hand than the GOP at the end of October, dismissed Labriola’s claims of impropriety.
“Due to his own inept fundraising, Jerry’s Republican Party is now officially broke,” James Hallinan, a Democratic Party spokesman, told Hearst Connecticut Newspapers. “His response to that is to call on the Democratic Party to return money that was raised following all laws, rules, and regulations? What’s next? Will he call on Democrats not to nominate candidates in order to give the Republicans a better chance at winning?”