07/30/10 BAN PAY TO PLAY CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Just as corporate lobbying corrupts the legislative process, the scramble for government contracts corrupts the executive branch and its agencies.

Connecticut has seen multiple pay-to-play scandals in recent years where campaign contributors illicitly received jobs and no-bid contracts.

Similar scandals have enveloped public officials in New York, California, South Carolina, Illinois and other states across the country.

A number of states have taken action to assure greater accountability in the public contracting system through common-sense solutions:

Campaign Contributions by Contractors:

Seven states currently have some form of pay-to-play contracting law to bar companies bidding on contracts from making campaign contributions to government officials.

Tightening Contracting Standards:

The tighter the standards for the bidding processes and the work done, the less likely incompetent or corrupt companies can buy contracts with campaign contributions.

Campaign Contributions By

Contractors Corrupt Elections

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy is the King Of Pay To Play contributions that prevent "clean elections."

Dan Malloy has for years fueled his political ambitions with donations from people doing business with the city of Stamford.

State elected officials cannot take contributions from state contractors, but it is legal and common at the municipal level politicians to swap contracts for campgain donations..

Over the last six years Dan Malloy's bids for re-election and for governor has brought in huge political contributions from over 25 contracting entities doing business with the City of Stamford.

Dan Malloy should know better, because he was the subject of a contract-steering probe prior to his 2006 bid for governor.

Rather than correct his ways Malloy continues the same reckless behavior,

Connecticut Needs A Governor

With No Strings Attached

In 2003, the Chief State's Attorney's Office opened an investigation into allegations that Malloy, who was first elected in 1995 and left office last year, helped award city jobs to contractors who worked on his home in the late 1990s.

Former Stamfor Mayor Dan Malloy was previously the Democratic party's nomination for governor in 2006. But he lost the primary mainly because of all of the pay to play stories coming out of the Stamford Advocate.

Malloy's 2010 gubernatorial bid last year while he was still mayor, the law firm of Robinson and Cole and AFB Construction Management which manages school and city facilities received no bid contract extensions.

Robinson and Cole and AFB Construction Management have donated to Malloy's Gubernatorial bid.

Waste hauler City Carting landed a contract after key employees bundled donations to the Malloy campaign early last year.

Malloy has repeately refused to

change or alter city ethics laws to avoid

accusations of conflicts of interest.

During Dan Malloy's 2005 mayoral bid, Malloy collected at least $23,750 from major development players, including land use attorneys and project consultants.

Republican opponent Chris Munger at the time accused Malloy of creating a "pay to play" atmosphere.

Dan Malloy's 2006 gubernatorial campaign received sizable donations from the developers of Trump Parc, employees of RBS and executives with Pareto Energy, an energy consultant the city hired in 2007.

Stamford needs ban on contractor donations to municipal elections

There's always the potential of conflict whenever you accept funding from anyone who does business with the government or who is lobbying,

Related articles that may be of interest:

• Lamont Leads Malloy in Connecticut (politicalwire.com)
• Polling and political wrap-up, 6/10/10 (dailykos.com)
• Hartford mayor convicted of corruption (msnbc.msn.com)
• Gov. Christie appeared at events with N.J. group that skirts campaign finance rules, records show (nj.com)
• Gov. Christie distances himself from Reform Jersey Now group that skirts pay-to-play rules (nj.com)
• Advocacy groups sidestep N.J. disclosure rules as non-profits (nj.com)
• N.J. watchdog group recommends stricter pay-to-play laws, disclosure of public contracts (nj.com)

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