If you have ever thought about running for elected office, serving on a local board or town council, in the Legislature or Congress, or becoming governor — now is the time to seriously consider putting action behind those thoughts. 2010 is ripe as a year of change in Connecticut politics.
Don’t be hindered by convention. There may be candidates better known than you. They might better understand public policy from an insider’s perspective, but your sense that you can do the job at least as well can make a winning difference. Next year is your year.
Let me cite two reasons. To begin with, the state of Connecticut, along with the rest of the country, is facing a very difficult period. That’s not enough by itself, but recent poll numbers show the voters understand this and have little faith that the current system (including those who populate the system) is set up to get things back on track. On top of it all, particularly at the state level, but all over really, incumbents are showing they are almost completely out of touch with the average voter and seem to be digging their own political graves. Tone deafness is pandemic.
Take the first two months of the year, for example. During one 60-day period the Speaker of the House hired the previous Speaker for a questionable job with a six-figure salary. Although the job offer was pulled, the new Speaker went on to hire a new press secretary at a salary higher than what the governor is paid. In the state Senate, a member was accused of billing the state of Connecticut and his political action committee for the same expenses. When it was discovered, he promptly reimbursed the political action committee instead of the taxpayers. He was entitled.
The governor and the legislature worked as one, later in the month, to name an executive from the world of “professional wrestling” to the state Board of Education. It hardly raised a stir. Taking it a step further, a thirty-nine year old lawyer, was confirmed as a superior court judge, even though the evidence clearly shows she had broken the state’s revolving door law. Again, those in power had made a deal and “not withstanding” the law, her rise to the bench was unimpeded.
State government is currently in the middle of the worst financial crisis in Connecticut history, but this should be a surprise to no one in office today, because the troubles have been ignored and in some case exacerbated over the last two years. It began in 2007 when the legislature and governor agreed together to try to spend their way to popularity, helping to build a structural deficit that was bound to reveal itself sooner or later. In 2008, the fiscal hole began to widen, so the governor and majority Democrats agreed to finish the legislative session by ignoring the problem until after the election. It worked for them, but as we face tax increases this year of as much as $2 billion, the same can’t be said for the rest of us.
All this is material you should feel free to use to support your campaign as a challenger to any incumbent that happens to be in your way. The public is on your side. A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows over 60% of those surveyed think Connecticut is on the wrong track. Despite the personal popularity of any single politician, these numbers represent fertile ground for anyone willing to make the public argument that it is time for a change. Go for it. The mood and the odds are on your side.
Dean Pagani is a former gubernatorial advisor. He is V.P. of Public Affairs for Cashman and Katz Integrated Communications in Glastonbury.
