The state Democratic Party chairwoman asked Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday to explain the role she played years ago, as lieutenant governor, when she met with transportation officials on the routing of a Route 7 bypass through a quarry in her hometown of Brookfield.
"Perhaps there was a perfectly legitimate reason why you felt the need to involve yourself, as Lieutenant Governor, in this issue. But certainly you can agree that your involvement does, at the very least, seem odd and even self-serving, given your residency in Brookfield and potential personal interest in the outcome," Democratic Party chief Nancy DiNardo wrote to Rell.
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The decade-old routing decision led to a judge's July 29 order that the state pay the quarry owners $28 million extra for land the Department of Transportation took in 2004 by eminent domain.
The state paid $4.1 million then, but the owners sued for more, and Superior Court Judge Barbara J. Sheedy issued a decision blasting state officials for "unprofessional behavior" as they minimized the property's appraisal.
Sheedy's decision mentioned that Rell met with state transportation personnel and federal officials about the stalled project in July 2000 while she was lieutenant governor. Before assuming that office in 1995, Rell was a state legislator for a decade.
In her letter, DiNardo cited a Courant editorial urging more investigation and called it "unconscionable" that taxpayers may pay $28 million "for the state's malpractice."
DiNardo told Rell that "surely you would agree that your constituents in Connecticut deserve to know the answers to several $28 million dollar questions," including:
-"Why were you, as Lieutenant Governor, involved in these Department of Transportation meetings?"
-"What was your role?"
-"Did the proximity of the quarry to your home in Brookfield play any part in your involvement in the issue?"
-"How many meetings did you have with DOT officials about this issue?
-"Who did you meet with?"
-"What, specifically, was said?"
-"As part of these meetings, did you have any knowledge of the two internal DOT memos by senior officials admitting the quarry was actually worth between $25-30 million?"
DiNardo concluded by saying that "at a time of great economic distress in many Connecticut households, and certainly in our state's fiscal outlook, as well, it's unconscionable that taxpayers will be asked to cough up an additional $28 million to pay for the state's malpractice, and perhaps, even blatant disregard for the truth. Connecticut residents deserve their Governor practicing the transparency and accountability she so often preaches. I look forward to hearing back from you promptly regarding these questions."
While a spokeperson for the governor's office called the comments from Connecticut Democratic chairwoman DiNardo ""pathetically, blatantly political and unworthy of those she purports to represent," specific questions by the Hartford Courant went unanswered.
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8/12 Hartford Courant Editorial: Taking Of Quarry For Highway Bypass Was A Costly DOT Fiasco
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