TO: Jeff Kurz, Editorial Page Editor
FROM: Lou Arata
DATE: May 14, 2020
RE: Three Strikes, You’re Out!
In the Friday RJ May 1, 2020 editorial, Gov. Ned Lamont was chastised for failing to abide by the 1975 enacted Connecticut Freedom of Information Act and for an obvious lack of transparency.
I wanted to believe that our new Governor was an honest man and would be a good communicator to help heal the deep distrust of government created by his predecessor, Gov. Dan Malloy. I was proven wrong.
Gov. Lamont is at it again, now appointing a Boston consulting firm to orchestrate opening business back up in Connecticut, with a price tag of $2 MILLION dollars.
Last summer Gov. Lamont, with billionaire Ray Dalio and his Dalio Philanthropies, created the Partnership for Connecticut to benefit education in the state. Only the problem was that the cooperative would be exempt from our freedom-of-information laws even though tax-payer money would be included in its expenditures.
Then our Governor appointed 47 individuals to advise him on opening up business, called the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group. They too, according to Gov. Lamont, are exempt from FOIA laws. To make matters even worse, Lamont’s Reopen Connecticut Advisory Committee Chair, Indra Nooyi, used to work for the same Boston consulting firm.
So, just to recap, now we learn Gov. Lamont has hired a Boston consulting company without any input from the Legislature, spent $2M at the most inappropriate time and couldn’t find enough common wisdom within his own handpicked advisory group of 47 people to tackle the job?!
Something smells rather fishy.
How about Gov. Lamont appoints local leaders to lead the re-opening effort, as they actually know what is going on within our communities since they serve their communities every day. They know what decisions will work to keep us safe and get us back open.
Hey Ned, three strikes and you’re out!