Connecticut Local Politics

The highlights and lowlights of 2007, on parade, with links! This covers the entire legislative session, such as it was, the beginnings of the Dodd campaign for president, and the start of the DeLuca mess, among other events.

Tomorrow, I’ll have the second half of the year done and posted. Update: part two here.

January

1/3 – Governor Rell gets inaugurated for her first full term as governor. I realize that I’m a gullible sap when it comes to Rell, just like 77% of the rest of the state.

During the parade, someone steps out into the road to take a picture of Rell. Unfortunately, he’s Ken Krayeske, and the cops arrest him. The ensuing flap goes on for months before the charges are dropped. We learn that the state police have way too much time on their hands, and are a lot more paranoid than we suspected.

1/11 – Sen. Chris Dodd announces his run for president. His announcement takes place on the Imus in the Morning show, which gives him much-needed credibility with idiots who don’t vote.

1/17 – We have our second anniversary of being online. No one comments in the celebratory post, which isn’t a good sign. We also move from Blogger to WordPress, and get our own URL! Whee!

1/19 – A minor flurry ensues when Chris Dodd suggests he won’t run for the Senate in 2010. It turns out to be a campaign financing trick, but apparently Richard Blumenthal needed a change of pants.

1/20 – The New Haven Coliseum gets imploded, in what has to have been the most exciting thing to happen on that spot since the Beast of New Haven left.

1/23 – Dems set aside money for health care, in the forlorn hope that it’ll push them to actually come up with a health care plan.

1/28 – Joe Lieberman flirts with voting GOP in the 2008 presidential election. When he endorses John McCain a year later, everyone is shocked. Shocked!

1/31 – Chris Healy is selected to chair the state Repiblican Party, replacing George Gallo. It’s arguably the best thing to happen to the Republicans all year. Well, that and Jim Amann’s announcement that he might run for governor.

February

2/1 – Dodd says he has money enough for a presidential run. Those were the days. Now his campaign staff eats nothing but ramen noodles and huddles around the TV for warmth.

2/7 – Gov. Rell delivers her budget speech, and proposes a huge increase in education spending. Republicans are outraged. Democrats are perplexed.

2/20 – Rell nominates Judge Chase Rogers for the position of Chief Justice.

2/26 – Rob Simmons, who lost his congressional seat to Joe Courtney in November 2006, becomes the state’s new business advocate. He later rules out a run against Courtney in 2008.

2/27 – Rangers goaltending great Mike Richter is rumored to be interested in challenging Chris Shays. This later comes to nothing, but produces a lot of hockey-themed jokes while it lasts.

March

3/5 – Dodd trumpets his win of a straw poll in South Carolina. Everyone clings to the fiction that the Dodd campaign might very well possibly maybe be destined for great things.

3/8 – Democrats reject Gov. Rell’s overtures to them and bash her budget proposals. Rell begins moving inexorably away from Democrats and back towards her own party.

3/9 – Richard Blumenthal proposes insanely strict restrictions on MySpace and other social networking sites. The definition of “social networking site” is so wide that it includes blogs, wikis and others. The proposal is eventually crafted into something more reasonable.

3/9 – Jim Himes makes his appearance in the 4th district rumor mill. Himes will go on to show a remarkable fundraising acumen.

3/12 – Dodd goes on the Daily Show, where Jon Stewart makes fun of him A LOT.

3/13 – Charter reform in New London fails because not enough voters turned out.

3/16 – Tase me, bro: Mike Lawlor volunteers to get shocked. Fortunately, there’s video.

3/18 – Rumors of a Blumenthal run for governor start swirling again. This time, he’s serious. No, really. This time he totally means it. …Right.

3/25 – Bloggers head to the Capitol. It’s a dream come true for us political geeks.

3/27 – Connecticut moves its presidential primary to February 5th, along with a host of other states.

April

4/10 – Bridgeport Mayor Fabrizi finds himself in trouble following his public support of a sex offender. Bridgeport Democrats start talking about who will replace him.

4/10 – Sean Sullivan, former commander of the Groton Sub Base, announces his run against Joe Courtney. Sullivan has great credentials, but turns into a fundraising bust during the following quarter.

4/21 – Nancy Pelosi comes to Connecticut for the Democrats’ annual JJB dinner. Everyone wears their obligatory Dodd sticker.

4/25 – State Sen. David Cappiello announces a run against Rep. Chris Murphy.

4/25 – Chase Rogers confirmed as new chief justice.

4/25 – Compromise Plan B legislation passes the Senate, then later the House. The bill is eventually signed by the governor. The FIC fusses and spews for a while, which is good fun to watch.

May

5/3 – Yet another Lisa Moody scandal that goes nowhere emerges: this time, she passed along a list of arts and tourism commission leaders’ names to the Rell campaign in 2006. Everyone shrugs.

5/3 – A constitutional amendment allowing certain 17-year-olds the right to vote in primaries passes, but doesn’t get the 3/4 majority required to make it on to the 2008 ballot. Maybe 2010?

5/7 – May municipal elections.

5/8 – Fabrizi bows out, leading Rep. Caruso to enter the mayoral race in Bridgeport. As of now, he is still running.

5/11 – No vote on gay marriage in 2007, despite encouraging signs for the bill. The Supreme Court decides a few days later to hear arguments on gay marriage. …We’re still waiting for their decision.

5/12 – Eddie Perez gets defensive about parking lots and developers.

5/14 – Bill Finch enters the Bridgeport mayoral race.

5/14 – Republicans propose eliminating the gas tax for the summer driving season. Democrats don’t bite.

5/22 – Democrats override a Rell veto of a bill on Medicare waivers. It’s a startling moment of unity which lasts all of a second.

5/24 – Fred Thompson is the guest at the Republicans’ annual Prescott Bush dinner.

5/31 – Democrats pass a progressive income tax bill, but Rell vetoes it. No override is attempted–the bill didn’t have enough support.

June

6/1 – Lou DeLuca is arrested on charges of conspiring to threaten his grandson-in-law. The charges come in conjunction with an FBI investigation of organized crime revolving around the garbage industry in western Connecticut.

6/3 – A compromise energy bill is passed. It sucks.

6/4 – Speaker Amann promises a special session to finish the work left undone. The rest of us wonder just what they’ve been doing for six months.

6/4 – New Haven approves a Municipal ID card plan which would allow illegal immigrants to use city services. New Haven makes the Lou Dobbs Xenophobia and Paranoia Hour on CNN.

6/5 – Tallarita out in Enfield.

6/6 – The General Assembly passes a weak health care bill. Gov Rell promptly vetoes it.

6/6 – The legislative session wraps up at midnight. Everyone agrees: it’s been a bust.

6/12 – Oh! Chris Dodd is still running for president. I forgot.

6/12 – Chris Healy, state GOP chair, is arrested for DUI. He refuses to step down, however, and is overwhelmingly re-confirmed in his post by Republicans a few weeks later.

6/13 – Lou DeLuca resigns as Minority Leader. John McKinney replaces him.

6/23 – The budget finally passes. In the dead of night. Spooky.

6/27 – Gov. Rell vetoes a bill that would have provided in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants. We once again make the Lou Dobbs Xenophobia and Paranoia Hour.

The rest of the year is on tap for tomorrow! I promise, it’ll be just as exciting as the first half.