Posted on 12/13/2003 5:23:06 AM PST by flim-flam
HARTFORD — Gov. John G. Rowland, 10 days after saying he paid for improvements at his Bantam Lake cottage, admitted Friday to accepting thousands of dollars in free work from a state contractor under federal investigation. He also received freebies from employees and friends.
The work ranged from free gutter and drainage repair, a new ceiling, a free water heater and hot tub. Altogether, the work came from a company owned by the Tomasso family, whose firms have caught the eye of federal prosecutors, as well as from PJ Delahunty, a then-deputy commissioner of the state Department of Public Works.
Rowland's former co-chief of staff, Peter Ellef, and former deputy chief of staff Lawrence Alibozek also contributed to the work, paying $5,680 in 1999 to install the water heater and other improvements at the cottage.
Two years later, Rowland got a hot tub — a birthday gift from his scheduler, Christine Corey, and her husband, Paul. Rowland had said publicly he had bought the tub in Torrington seven to eight years ago.
Rowland, a three-term Republican, divulged the details Friday afternoon in a 428-word statement that was by turns called "amazing" or "shocking," and which like a bomb sent shockwaves through the Capitol.
"We are stunned seeing the extent of what was released today," said Patrick Scully, spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Kevin Sullivan, D-West Hartford. The legislature can impeach a sitting governor, according to the state constitution, but Scully and others declined to speculate whether lawmakers would take some sort of disciplinary action against Rowland.
Added Speaker of the House Moira Lyons, D-Stamford: "I have serious concerns about the governor's ability to fully focus on important matters of state until these issues are resolved."
The governor, sounding penitent in his statement, apologized both to the media and "more importantly, I apologize to the citizens of Connecticut, whose trust and respect I prize above all else. I intend to keep that trust through my continued hard work over the next three years."
While some called for Rowland's resignation Friday and others handicapped his political chances, one former U.S. attorney said nothing that the governor admitted to in his statement appeared to violate federal criminal statutes.
"There are ethical, perhaps moral issues," said Stan Twardy, a former U.S. attorney from 1985-1991 whose office prosecuted former Waterbury mayor Joseph Santopietro on corruption charges. "For there to be a federal violation, they would have to show the governor benefited from a state contract given. There may be (other) things, there may not be, but based on this there's nothing criminal."
Rowland said none of the people received any benefit from the state in exchange for the work. "Nor did they ask for any such benefit," Rowland said. "I am sure they were trying to help my family and did not expect that their assistance might someday embarrass them or me. I am grateful for their kindness, but am sorry for any appearance of impropriety that was created."
The U.S. Attorney's office had no comment Friday. Neither did the state Ethics Commission, which twice has fined Rowland for violations of the state's ethics code. Those infractions each brought $2,000 fines for Rowland's taking of vastly reduced vacations at homes owned by Tomasso family members and accepting upgraded concert tickets at the Meadows Music Centre without paying full value.
Under state ethics laws, which have a three-year statute of limitations, it is illegal for the governor to take any gifts of more than $10 in value from people doing or seeking to do business with the governor's office. One of the contractors, the Tomasso Group, has contracts with the state, but not the governor's office.
Doug Schwartz, a pollster at Quinnipiac University, said Friday that Rowland may have to intensify his labors to win back people's trust, especially after this latest revelation.
"All year he has very low scores on honesty — only 37 percent," the Quinnipiac University professor said. "And the latest news is only likely to drive those numbers down further. This stuff will affect his overall job approval, which is at 37 percent. He's lost the Teflon coating. All year he hasn't had it. Things are sticking to him."
Friday's news comes after Rowland's toughest stretch yet.
The juggernaut of bad news started to roll in March, when Alibozek of New Hartford, who helped pay for the water heater at Rowland's cottage, pleaded guilty to accepting gold and cash in exchange for steering state business to certain contractors. The news came swiftly and consistently after that.
Rowland paid his second $2,000 state ethics fine. He refunded $6,015 in questionable expenses he charged to a state GOP credit card. He was caught up in a drawn-out, mean-spirited state budget battle.
Then in September, Rowland's longtime state public works commissioner, Theodore Anson, resigned after he admitted using free architectural designs worth thousands of dollars for a $190,000 addition to his house from a firm vying for state contracts.
And in November, former state Treasurer Paul Silvester, whom Rowland appointed in 1997, was sentenced to more than four years in prison for taking kickbacks and bribes.
Both Silvester and Ben Andrews — found guilty in September on bribery and fraud charges partially on Silvester's testimony — both ran on the GOP's 1998 statewide campaign ticket, which Rowland headlined.
The free work that Rowland admitted to Friday included contractors and employees but he also had help from close friends, like Maurice Fabiani and Vincent DeRosa. Fabiani, whom Rowland named in his statement, could not be reached for comment.
DeRosa, once chief of Rowland's security detail in 1997 and the state's current homeland security director, said Friday that when the governor first bought the cottage, "we cleaned up the yard; it was a mess."
DeRosa helped out on his own time, not while on duty, he added, confirming that at the time Rowland and his wife bought the cottage in 1997 for $110,000 he was chief of Rowland's security detail. "It's just something friends do for each other."
Why did Rowland name him in his statement, DeRosa was asked.
"I just think it was full disclosure of everything that went on up there," the state's homeland security director responded.
The free work on the cottage involved so many people and different companies that it resulted in momentary confusion for first lady Patricia Rowland earlier this year.
On Sept. 25, she sent Link Mechanical Services of New Britain a check for $5,680. The company had installed a water heater and other heating improvements in 1999, but that was paid for by Ellef and Alibozek, confirmed Reese Norris, a former assistant U.S. Attorney who represents the New Britain firm. The company promptly returned the $5,680 check.
Hugh Keefe, an attorney for Ellef, who is subject of the federal corruption probe, wouldn't say why his client had paid for Rowland's water heater but suggested the scrutiny was unwarranted.
"With this whole cottage mess, this just proves one thing: there are too many federal agents, and too many prosecutors with nothing to do in this state," Keefe said.
Besides receiving the free work, documents show the governor and his wife waited four to six years to pay several thousand dollars in bills for work completed on the cottage in 1997, including $2,000 to Cocchiola Paving Inc. of Oakville. That company furnished topsoil, a backhoe and loader to work on the cottage grounds.
The governor and his wife also paid Astro Electric Inc. $5,184.55 this September for electrical wiring at the cottage done in 1997. Rowland has estimated that improvements at the cottage totaled between $30,000 to $40,000.
The news Friday prompted different reactions from the two political parties.
Sen. Louis DeLuca of Woodbury, the Senate minority leader, had sparse reaction to Rowland's statement. "I have no idea what it means, except these are the facts in the investigation and hopefully we can put this behind us. I don't want to speculate on anything. There's rumors going on. Everyone's making up their own conclusions. I would rather wait."
George Jepsen, the Connecticut Democratic Party chairman, said, "This is a sad day for the sate of Connecticut. The governor's admission that he lied about matters concerning a pending federal investigation reveals a pattern of deceit."
Retorted state Republican Chairman Herb Shepardson: "The governor did the appropriate thing by putting everything out on the table so everyone would be able to evaluate what happened. It's embarrassing. But he corrected them and now he wants to go on and ... we hope the Democrats will focus on governing."
WORK: Governor issues statement listing free cottage work
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Gov. John G. Rowland's statement Friday:
In 1997, my wife and I purchased a small cottage on Bantam Lake in Litchfield. We began repairs and renovations. This work was done by me and my family, by professional contractors and subcontractors, and by friends.
In the limited, spontaneous remarks I made about the cottage and repairs, I provided information that was incorrect and incomplete. I regret doing this and I am sorry I did it. I apologize to the Capitol press corps, which deserves forthright information. But more importantly, I apologize to the citizens of Connecticut, whose trust and respect I prize above all else. I intend to keep that trust through my continued hard work over the next three years.
By releasing this statement and the attached documents, it is my intention to set the record straight. The information I am providing is based on my knowledge and information gathered by my attorneys at my direction.
Attached are documents that reflect improvements made to the cottage, our payments for that work, and bank loans we obtained to help make those payments.
As reflected in these documents, we paid over $30,000 for improvements to the cottage. On my initiative, I have voluntarily provided all of these documents to the U.S. attorney's office.
In addition to the payments identified in the documents, I did not pay for certain work and services. Specifically:
In 1997 workers affiliated with a company owned by the Delahunty family of Southington helped to install a new ceiling in the cottage. P.J. Delahunty paid these workers.
In 1999 employees of a company owned by members of the Tomasso family performed exterior work at the cottage, including work on the gutters and drainage.
In 1999 Mr. and Mrs. Larry Alibozek and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ellef paid for the installation of heating improvements and a water heater.
Peter Ellef provided a stepping stone for the front stoop of the cottage.
Other personal friends helped perform and/or coordinate work on the cottage. They are: Jo McKenzie, Vinny DeRosa, Ed Mikenas, and Maurice Fabiani.
In 2001, Christine and Paul Corey gave me a hot tub to use at the cottage as a birthday gift.
None of the people mentioned above received any benefit from my office or the state in exchange for their assistance. Nor did they ask for any such benefit. I am sure they were trying to help my family and did not expect that their assistance might someday embarrass them or me. I am grateful for their kindness, but am sorry for any appearance of impropriety that was created.
I am continuing to cooperate with a review of the matter by the U.S. attorney's office. Therefore, I will have no further public comment on these issues.
Source: Governor's office
I'll call for it....
Although he was forthright enough to issue his own statement on the matter, it still is hypocritical, especially after suggesting mayors Giordano (R) and Ganin (D) to step down from their posts after their own corruption scandals broke. Additionally, I believe he will get little sympathy from the CT public. Guess that governor's salary isn't enough to pay for that second home on the lake.
Take Berkeley with 'em.
I'm sick of word games...Hang the bastard!
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