It comes as no surprise that House Speaker Christopher Donovan and his predecessor, James Amann, backed away from their outrageous plan to get the state to pay Amann $120,000 a year for a make-work job while he gears up for his campaign for governor.
Once the public learned about it, there was universal outrage, and the two were forced into an embarrassing retreat four days later.
What is surprising — very surprising — is that neither of the two prominent Democrats had the political judgment to recognize that such a blatant give-away would hit a raw nerve with frustrated, tapped-out taxpayers.
What were they thinking?
The state is caught in a once-a-generation fiscal crisis and the nation is grappling with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, has imposed a hiring freeze and encouraged the Legislature to do the same. The state is hemorrhaging jobs, and the state’s budget won’t be balanced without painful cuts, including many involving social safety net programs.
In this harsh and unforgiving political climate when many will be called to sacrifice, Donovan and Amann chose to put their interests ahead of the rest.
Ironically, they announced their change of heart on the day Barack Obama, in his presidential inaugural speech, called on citizens and their leaders to embrace sacrifice.
Four days earlier, Donovan, the brand new House Speaker, announced that he had hired Amann as a senior advisor at a six-figure salary — more than three times what Amann earned as House speaker, a role he’d relinquished only a few days before.
In his new role, Amann, who has said he plans to run for governor, was to meet with lobbyists and analyze legislation for Donovan. Apparently, neither man saw a problem with asking the state to underwrite a gubernatorial candidate’s potential love-fest with lobbyists he’d want to back his campaign.
Furthermore, Donovan had to know that the state he serves is counting on him to reach a fair compromise with Rell on key budget issues. Even so, he was willing to overlook the fact that Amann would have a political incentive to work against any compromise that Rell, his likely opponent in the race for governor, could claim as a success.
Apparently, the opportunity to play kingmaker was so tempting to Donovan that he was willing to overlook those concerns.
While it’s encouraging that Donovan and Amann backed off their plan, their decision to try it raises questions about their suitability to lead in a time of crisis. They have shown a willingness to pursue political “business as usual” when we as taxpaying citizens urgently need more from our leaders.
Amann should end his run for governor. He’s not the man for these times. We’d recommend that he return to his day job as a fundraiser for the state chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society — a truly useful endeavor.
Donovan needs to have a long talk with himself. Is he going to be an old-school special interest politician or is he going to rise above that to be a really effective House speaker who takes seriously his rare opportunity to help save and shape the Connecticut economy?
Obama has defined the choice well. The new president has set a high standard for crisis leaders and laid out the stark challenges they face.
Will Donovan step up? Or will he be satisfied to pursue political business as usual?
