Former Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie resigned abruptly June 30 after being confronted by the governor’s office over alleged inappropriate behavior with one of his subordinates, Gov. M. Jodi Rell admitted in a statement today.
Rell’s office initially gave completely different reasons for Marie’s resignation, and the governor only reversed herself after another news organization said it was ready to report the real reason behind the resignation.
“No formal complaint of any kind was ever filed and no formal investigation was ever conducted,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a statement. “However, at the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry, Commissioner Marie was offered an opportunity to resign and he did so. He also signed a stipulated agreement that required him to return all state equipment, including computers, cell phones and cars; restricted his access to all state facilities; and barred him from contacting or criticizing any state employees or administration officials.”
The Connecticut Mirror first reported the real reason for Marie’s abrupt resignation on its Web site today, saying that the governor’s office had misled the public by stating he was resigning for family reasons and to seek long-term employment opportunities, as can be the case in the waning months of a lame duck gubernatorial term.
“I moved expeditiously in seeking this resignation – first and foremost, to end any alleged inappropriate and unacceptable behavior, and also to resolve the situation in a way that was respectful to the employee involved and all of the people affected, including innocent family members,” Rell said in a statement.
In his stipulated resignation statement, Marie agreed to never criticize the governor, or his departure status as a resignation in good standing would be changed to a dismissal as the result of inappropriate behavior.
Deputy Conn DOT Commissioner Jeffrey Parker is Marie’s replacement as DOT commissioner.
