Just like the old year.
Rowland Helped Children of a Partner Get State Jobs
HARTFORD, Dec. 31 -- Gov. John G. Rowland personally sponsored for state jobs two children of a partner in a private development project, according to a log of job-seekers that the governor's office kept in the months after his 1998 re-election. The daughter of another partner was also hired by the state.
A spokesman for the governor said the jobs, reported on Wednesday in The Hartford Courant, were awarded strictly on merit.
State officials also indicated Wednesday that federal investigators, who are looking into the circumstances of renovation work done at Mr. Rowland's vacation cottage in Litchfield, had widened their inquiry to include renovations at the governor's official residence in Hartford.
H. James Pickerstein, a Fairfield lawyer whose office was hired by the state to manage subpoenaed documents, confirmed that the state's Department of Public Works had been ordered by federal investigators to turn over documents regarding construction work and improvements done since 1997 at the residence.
Mr. Rowland has been under intense scrutiny since his admission Dec. 12 that he was not truthful when he first denied having accepted free work on his Litchfield cottage from contractors and state aides, some of whom are the subjects of a federal investigation into possible corruption in the awarding of state contracts. On Tuesday, legislators on both sides of the aisle said they were educating themselves on the process for impeaching a sitting governor.
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And what's doing about it?
Louis C. DeLuca, a Republican who is Senate minority leader, noted that the Cicchetti children campaigned for the governor. "Patronage positions go to people who work in the party," Mr. DeLuca said. "This is normal."
But James A. Amann, a Democrat who is House majority leader, said he it demonstrated "a pattern that fits with all the other lapses surrounding Mr. Rowland."
On Tuesday, legislative leaders are scheduled to meet with the governor to discuss the controversy surrounding the cottage.
Mr. Amann said he intended to focus the meeting on what he saw four avenues available to Mr. Rowland: "resignation, impeachment, indictment or an internal hearing."
"Either that or he'll have to convince me how he intends to stay on, and let me tell you, it will be a tough sell," Mr. Amann said.
Dems control both Houses in CT, and impeachment follows federal practices... House votes to impeach, Sen tries and convicts (or acquits... but not in this case!).