Frank Smith Says NB: Enough of the Blame Game Number Two

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Enough of the Blame Game Number Two

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: Speakergate comments/ by Who, What, When. Where and Why?

Who Chris Donovan ?
What did he know ?
When did he know it ?
Why the FBI investigation ?

That’s been the number one of many questions in American politics on local, state and national level for as long as any of us can remember, whenever a scandal touches one of our candidates running for public office.

And that’s what Connecticut voters need to know about House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D) Meriden - now candidate Donovan in the fiercely contested 5th District race for the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Wednesday 05/30/12, Donovan’s finance director, Robert Braddock, Jr. was arrested by the FBI and charged with concealing the source of $20,000 in campaign contributions. It later turned out that the FBI action was the result of a sting investigation - and kudos to House GOP members for refusing five $1,000 suspect checks.

The accusations, according to The New York Times, involve so-called conduit campaign contributions, which are donations made by one person in the name of another person.

The FBI suggested that those behind the contributions had an interest in stopping legislation that would have raised taxes and fees on “roll-your-own” smoke shop owners. Donovan denied any role or knowledge in the illegal actions.

As for the bill, it didn’t make it to votes in either the House or the Senate and died when the legislative session ended May 9, 2012.

Whatever the guilt or innocence of individual players in this mess, we’d like to focus yet again on campaign finance reform and, in particular, donors who hide their identities. We believe the public has a right to know who is attempting to influence legislative decisions; if their actions are honest, as, for example, the package store owners’ attempt during the same session to influence legislation surrounding their industry, they have a right to openly lobby.

But, if the attempt at influence is done in secret, such as through conduit campaign contributions, we have reason to ask why? It brings us back to a simple truth: honest men and women operate in the light; corruption hides behind secrecy.

And no one still knows the full extent of what the FBI discovered in its investigation ?; June 5, 2012 at 9:11 PM
Anonymous said...: What happened? O'Brien spoke without his handler Sherwood speaking for him? I wonder if the real mayor (Sherwood) agrees with what his little serf had to say on his behalf? I hope O'Brien isn't in serious trouble with his master for speaking out of school!; June 5, 2012 at 9:40 PM
Anonymous said...: NEW BRITAIN - The $232 million dollar O'Brien 2012-13 budget was approved by NB Common Council by 11-2 vote Tuesday 06/05/12. The mayor, whose budget was tweaked by the Council, is balanced on the assumption of millions of dollars in savings from a large-scale reorganization of city government and an early retirement package for city workers.

O'Brien's main goal is to shed staff through attrition and cross-train those who stay to cover multiple city jobs, but the O'Brien's administration so far has released only the thinnest of details about attrition.

O'Brien has said that if the city can reach sufficient agreements with its unions over the summer, it can avert the layoff of more than 100 workers that was threatened earlier this year.; June 6, 2012 at 1:21 PM
Anonymous said...: It is to the great credit of United States Attorney Kevin O’Connor’s office that so many government officials have been indicted in the state over the last several years. Yet the federal government cannot keep galloping in like the cavalry to save the day. Connecticut has to change its culture of corruption

And the proposed solution: Strengthen the CT chief state’s attorney’s office by giving the state’s top prosecutor the power to issue subpoenas during investigations. The CT Legislature stripped away that power several decades ago when the chief state’s attorney was deemed too aggressive in fighting in-state corruption.; June 6, 2012 at 2:24 PM
Lou Salvio said...: Lou Salvio wrote on Jun 5, 2012 7:33 AM:
" A couple of comments. Let's say that you don't pay your creditors, whoever they are, mortgage holder, medical insurance premiums, rent, car payment, etc. And, let's say you need gasoline for your vehicles, is there a station that gives out free gas?

If you don't pay, you lose your house, car, are evicted from your rent, your insurances are terminated, etc.

When will the O'Brien/Sherwood administration stop with this do-nothing approach to the City's financial responsibilities. It's about time to stop the blame game. The 2011-2012 budget will not be reconciled until September of 2012 ! O'Brien, you know this, why don't you and your shadow get to work and do something about it?

As for pension funds for police and fire employees. The police and fire pension funds
(one item, not two) were funded to over 100% when Stewart left office. This is not MERF!

All O'Brien did in today's (6/5/12) Herald story is what he usually does, to wit, say a lot of words that have no coherence and blame , blame, blame!!!

Knock it off! Get to work."; June 6, 2012 at 2:37 PM

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