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Showing posts with label Connecticut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connecticut. Show all posts

Sunday, August 1, 2010

08/01/10 2010 ELECTIONS - CT CANDIDATE ROUNDUPS: Secretary of the State (Jerry Farrell Jr, Gerry Garcia, Denise Merrill

Photo: Connecticut Republican Candidate Secretary Of State
Jerry Farrell Jr

Even the politically astute of Connecticut have got to be preparing scratch sheets to keep track of who is running for what this political season.

It is a tough job to try and keep track, but it is a job that needs to be done.

People shouldn't complain about their elected representatives if they don't at least cast an educated ballot first.

Do a little homework first. Visit the candidates' websites and study their positions on issues that you care about.

Not sure who is running? Then go to the secretary of the state's website (ctgov.org will get you started) and find out the candidate's names, political parties and offices that they are seeking.

Speaking of the secretary of state, did you know that Gerry Garcia (yes, that's really his name) could get bumped in next week's primaries in his bid to be Connecticut's new secretary of the state?

The Democrat is vying for the seat against party endorsed candidate Denise Merrill in what will be a three-way race Nov. 2 pitting either Garcia or Merrill against Republican Jerry Farrell Jr. and Green Party contender S. Michael DeRosa.

It's an important job, overseeing the state's elections, so we'd all do ourselves a favor by brushing up on the candidates' qualifications and platforms so we can make informed decisions come November.

Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr, nominated at convention for Secretary of State, reiterated the calls for fiscal conservatism, even through the Secretary of State's office.

Farrell just qualified for public campaign financing.and submitted his paperwork to the State Elections Enforcement Commission in preparation of the November general election.

Farrell’s campaign raised over $75,000 from over 900 contributors who were limited to a maximum of $100 per person.

Once approved, Farrell will receive a grant of $750,000 to compete with a Democratic opponent who will receive the same grant.

Farrell and Democratic attorney general candidate George Jepsen are the only statewide candidates without a primary election to receive public funding.

08/01/10 Census workers losing jobs as count nears completion

This Just In To The Bridgeport Roundup Newsroom ....
Bridgeport News - August 1, 2010
The U.S. economy is still prone on a proverbial gurney and in great need of resuscitation.
It's party time again this weekend at Seaside Park in Bridgeport . Tens of thousands of fans will be groovin' to the music at the 15th Annual Gathering of the Vibes .
Kids from around Fairfield County had a special treat before viewing the sci-fi classic, "Planet 51" Friday night at Jennings Beach - a rock climbing wall sponsored by Sportsplex@Fairfield . Friday's fun at the beach before the movie also included the Parks and Recreation Department's Sand Jam Family Fun Dance.
Sam Ackerman, of Queens, NY and Juliet Ariosa, of Baltimore, MD groove to the vibes of Jackie Greene at the Vibes Main Stage during the 15th annual Gathering of the Vibes at Seaside Park in Bridgeport on Friday, July 30, 2010.
Two family pets were killed in a fire on Friday morning in Fairfield . The fire started just before 9 a.m. at 46 Senior Place, and thick brown smoke and flames were coming from the first floor windows of the single-family house, according to the Fairfield Fire Department .
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to BridgeportRoundup@gmail.com

Friday, July 30, 2010

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,

Sunday, July 25, 2010

07/25/10 BRIDGEPORT BRIEFING: 2 Conn. Firefighters Killed At Scene Of House Fire

This Just Into The Bridgeport Newsroom .....

Required fields are marked with an asterisk The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications.
Bridgeport firefighters battle a fire at 41 Elmwood Ave. Saturday afternoon left two firefighters dead.. Photo: Steve Krauchick DoingItLocal.com Firefighters stand outside the house at 41 Elmwood Ave.
Two Bridgeport firefighters have died in the line of duty. City officials tell NBC Connecticut the firefighters were killed while fighting a fire on Elmwood Avenue.
Two firefighters died Saturday afternoon while battling a structure fire on Elmwood Avenue.
Two firefighters died Saturday afternoon while battling a structure fire on Elmwood Avenue.
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to BridgeportRoundup@gmail.com
Dannel P. Malloy, the Democrat running for the party's gubernatorial nomination, says he probably lost the endorsement of Bridgeport's Democratic Town Committee because of lingering resentment over the city's failed bid for a casino back in 1995.
Peter Finch poses with an unknown woman as he holds a sign for Broad St., following a severe storm in Bridgeport, Conn.
When Greg Cerminara returned in 1972 from his military service in Vietnam, he faced the chilly reception in Bridgeport that many Vietnam War veterans experienced nationwide.
Pamela Huntington, Canton
Pamela Huntington, Canton (Hartford Courant)
Pamela Huntington of Canton moved from New York City and said she landed in a sort of strange wonderland deep in the woods of Connecticut.

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