People in towns across Connecticut had their fingers crossed and their checkbooks open on September 20 when the House and Senate passed a $3.2 billion bond package. Just a few days later, they were forced to take a few steps back when Governor Rell announced that she would veto the bonding bill.

The Governor has tried to work with legislative leadership by inviting key stakeholders to a meeting at the Governor's residence. Nonetheless, getting both sides to mutually agree on a bonding package has proven to be an impossible feat. So why is there a battle over bonding when every town has a need and every legislator has a stake in the outcome?

The Republicans faced an uphill battle this year after being roundly defeated during the last election cycle. They have been able to stay in the game with Governor Rell's pursuit of being fiscally responsible and bringing accountability to state government. Republican leadership and the rank and file have similar objectives for state spending to Governor Rell. They are contending that the proposed spending in the bonding bill was so high that it could jeopardize the state's bond rating. The $1 billion allocation to the Connecticut State University System, with absolutely no accountability attached, has begun to divide the respective parties even farther.

The Democrats, on the other hand, claim that Connecticut's State Treasurer Denise Nappier believes the $3.2 billion dollar package would still be $2.7 billion below the bonding cap set by state law, which is sound fiscal policy. Democratic leadership has also been touting the Governor's power to decide what proposals to fund through the state's monthly Bond Commission meetings. They say that even if proposals are earmarked in the bond bill, the Governor has the power not to fund them.

The Democrats insist that projects be approved for state funding, continually pointing out that the Governor doesn't ever have to place them on a bond agenda. This message seems to be persuasive in Connecticut's municipalities. However, this assertion doesn't match up with the Democratic initiative to dilute the Governor's power in being the sole decider over what gets on the bonding agenda. That initiative could potentially lead to Democrats having the power to fund every line item. The battle continues as the majority party reaches out to all corners of the state to try to garner support for those "earmarks."

It looks like the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities is going to jump into the ring and sue the state for the costs involved in up-fronting the bond allocations to which municipalities feel they are entitled. Speaker Amann has been outspoken in his attempt to override a Gubernatorial veto and was quoted as saying there is enough support in the House to do so. Senator Williams has merely stated that an override is an option, but has been reserved about his caucus's support of this idea. Rumors in the halls of the Capitol say the Senate might not have the 2/3 required to override the veto. Because the bill started in the Senate, the Senate must first secure an override before the House can vote.

With all eyes on this most recent meltdown in state governance, let's just hope a compromise can be made soon. A lot of towns in CT are in need of a new pair of shoes!

Generally, news on municipal campaigns has quieted down a bit since the primary, except for in Bridgeport. But not to worry, candidates are using every minute to their advantage. As we've seen already, even with just over a month left before the big election, even one day can change the whole race! Below is an update on some of the mayoral races around the state that are still very up-in-the-air...

Bridgeport
Following the Democratic mayoral primary, State Senator Bill Finch defeated State Rep. Chris Caruso by 270 votes. Since then, Caruso has brought a lawsuit to challenge the elections results. "I've been in politics for 30 years and I've lost elections," Caruso said, "What I mind is the election being stolen from me. I'm doing this for each and every citizen of Bridgeport who expects or desires a fair and orderly and honest election."

Members of Finch's camp point out that this is not the first time Caruso has gone this route. After Caruso's primary loss four years ago to then interim Mayor John M. Fabrizi, Caruso filed complaints with state elections officials, but did not seek to overturn the race in court. Finch's spokesperson, Tyrone McClain, said, "Filing complaint after complaint, loss after loss, is not productive and is an insult to Bridgeport voters." However, Finch himself stated, "I respect Chris Caruso's right to bring any substantive elections violations to the appropriate authorities."

The judge in this case overruled a motion from the city to dismiss the lawsuit for procedural reasons. Caruso is expected to provide up to 30 witnesses to lay out allegations of fraud or abuse by city officials on primary day. If Caruso is successful, the election could be overturned or the judge could force a recount. We'll keep you posted!

East Hartford
Back in September, Susan Pagano-Skowronek lost the Republican mayoral primary to Susan Kniep. As we've said in the past, the primary is not the only way for a candidate to get his or her name on the ballot. It appears that Pagano-Skowronek has found another way!

In an interesting twist, Pagano-Skowronek will run as a write-in candidate with the blessing of many Republican leaders. The Republican town committee is going so far as to call a meeting to decide whether or not to support Kneip, the primary winner!

The split in support stems from Kneip's long career in politics. She was the Mayor of East Hartford from 1989 to 1993. During that time, Kneip had a falling out with many members of the party. In July, the town committee had already chosen Pagano-Skowronek to challenge the Democratic incumbent, Mayor Melody Curry. Kneip's last minute primary challenge reportedly angered many Republicans.

With so much internal conflict in the party and potentially 2 Republicans on the ballot to split the vote, our crystal ball puts current Mayor Melody Curry back in the mayor's seat.

North Haven
A prior split in the Democratic party in North Haven has allowed Republican Mayor Joseph Maturo to win five consecutive terms in a town where Republicans are outnumbered 2 to 1. This fall, Maturo's winning track record may be in jeopardy.

April Capone Almon, a Democrat, has decided to run against Maturo this November. She became the only Democrat on the 15-member town council and decided that she needed to take more action to help the town. Almon recently quit her job at Verizon Wireless to campaign full-time.

Almon may have been presented a window of opportunity when Democrats got a hold of Maturo's daily calendar this past spring. Maturo apparently took a 5-week vacation to Florida at the beginning of the year and was gone for over 6 weeks last year. Numerous appointments were also blacked out, raising the question of how the mayor is spending his time. Some constituents are also turning to Capone Almon to address rising taxes, disorganized development, and stalled police contract negotiations.

Despite the allegations made by the Democrats, Maturo, a former firefighter and member of the town council, is still confident that he will win in November. "We've become the town of choice rather than the one to avoid," he said. "Do I think I'm gonna lose? Naaah!"