THE FEDERATION OF CONNECTICUT  TAXPAYER ORGANIZATIONS

 

PROPOSES IMMEDIATE ADOPTION OF

 

ETHICS LAWS FOR CONNECTICUT

 

On June 23, 2004, the following letter was

 

directed to Lieutenant Governor Rell

 

 

 

 

From:
Susan Kniep,  President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Website:  ctact.org
Email:  fctopresident@ctact.org
860-841-8032
June 23, 2004

 

To:
M. Jodi Rell
Lieutenant Governor
State Capitol
Room 304
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-524-7384
Fax:860-524-7304
Email: jodi.rell@po.state.ct.us

 

Dear Lieutenant Governor Rell:

 

On behalf of The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc., I extend to you our best wishes for success as you assume the office of Governor.   This is a difficult time for Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you strive to bring honesty, decency and accountability to our fine State.  Yet, it is evident that you cannot accomplish your goals alone.  You need the support of a General Assembly dedicated to eliminating the culture of corruption which has permeated our State government.   Only through the passage of strong and effective Ethics Laws can Connecticut emerge victorious from a surreptitious system of quid-pro-quo politics and pay-to-play schemes where taxpayers have become the ultimate victims in a government void of ethics.

 

The covert deal between Enron and CRRA would probably not have become public knowledge if Enron did not collapse.  The revelation of embedded corruption in the highest level of our State government may never have been known had the Federal government not become involved.

 

Connecticut’s government is in need of immediate reform.    It is apparent that the fuel of Connecticut’s political engine has been and remains a combination of public tax dollars, lobbying fees, employee pension funds, and lucrative campaign contributions from special interests fused by conflicts of interest.

 

Corruption, infused with public money, has mired the political landscape in Connecticut for far too long.   We now have an opportunity to reverse this trend.

 

The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc. will work with you to promote the establishment of sound ethical standards through the enactment of effective Ethics legislation.   We, therefore, request that upon assuming the office of Governor you publicly solicit the bipartisan support of the General Assembly to go into special session to resurrect and approve the Ethics Laws which they had rejected.     Only by imposing strong ethics and conflict of interest laws can our State elected officials protect the interests of the taxpayers they represent.

 

Ethics Laws should include, but not be limited to, making intentional violations of the ethics code a felony, restriction of campaign contributions and gifts from contractors to state officials, and requiring those who bid on State contracts to publicly disclose if they had given any gifts to state employees which have authority over contracts during the previous five years.  Further, Bill 6594: Act Concerning Municipal Ethics, Municipal Whistleblower Protections, and the Investigation of Municipal Corruption, and Bill 6593: An Act Extending Provisions of the State Code of Ethics for Lobbyists to Municipal Lobbying  should be immediately enacted to keep citizens in the 169 municipalities throughout Connecticut safe from possible corrupt business practices on a local level.

 

Also, we must accept the fact that there will be some elected and appointed officials and government employees who are corrupt or can be corrupted regardless of the ethic laws imposed.  As such, a program of operational and procedural audits should be required on all levels of government, local and state, in addition to the financial audits.  Further, auditors hired by a municipality or the state should be limited to no more than a three year contract.  A subsequent five year period should lapse prior to the auditor being allowed to return.  This will help to sour the stew of any municipality or State office which attempts to cook its book.

 

The Federation further proposes:

 

1.  Corporations and Limited Liability Companies be required to open their financial records and to disclose all officers and principals when (1) contracting with the State or a municipality for any product or service or (2) receiving any form of financial support to include tax incentives and/or economic development funding.

 

2.    Ethic and conflict of interest restrictions be placed upon those "employed" by government under professional service contracts such as architects, engineers, attorneys, and others.

 

3.      Close the revolving door through which elected officials leave their municipal and/or state office and immediately return as a member of the private sector or quasi public agency either reaping financial gains through the sale of products or services or securing public funding.  In other words, restrain influence peddling or door opening.

 

4.      Restrict members of the State's Attorney General's office who concurrently serve in influential elected municipal positions from promoting, initiating, or becoming involved in lawsuits against the State by the municipality OR influencing their municipality to support positions taken by the Attorney General's office.  Review campaign finance and disclosure laws affecting those doing business with or receiving business from the Attorney General's office with the intent of holding the Attorney General to the same reporting standards as other elected officials.

 

5.     Prohibit Board of Education employees who concurrently sit on local legislative boards from promoting or voting on Board of Education budgets.

 

In summary, Governor Rowland may have been forced to pay the highest penalty for steering his ship of state off course, but much more needs to be done to protect the taxpayers’ money.   State lawmakers must safeguard our treasury by installing a sound system of checks and balances.  Systematic departmental financial, operational and procedural audits must be conducted to detect corruption.  Lobbyists who boast of connections must be immediately disconnected. The strong Ethic Laws which State Legislators recently rejected must be resurrected and passed.

 

The cleansing of our State from the disease of corruption must be the highest priority of any and all elected officials.   To assist you in accomplishing your goal of bringing the highest of ethical standards to State government, The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations will post on our website information crucial to your efforts.  We will include not only the development of each ethics bill until its adoption, but the names of those  elected officials within State and local governments who refuse to promote and support the adoption of these Ethics Laws.

 

Again, Lieutenant Governor Rell, we wish you the best and are ready to support you in your endeavor to replace corrupt business practices with sound business practices through the enactment of effective Ethics Laws which will impose the harshest penalties on those who fail to abide by them.

 

Sincerely,

 

Susan G. Kniep
President