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| Connecticut corruption draws on deep roots |
| By nytimes.com |
| Published: 09/28/2009 |
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HARTFORD - They used to call Connecticut “The Land of Steady Habits,’’ but lately it has been more like the land of steady handouts. One mayor received expensive wines and Oriental rugs. A governor scored a free hot tub and cathedral ceilings; his aide landed a stack of gold coins. And a state treasurer finagled . . . well, money. They are just a few of the prominent city and state officials collared in corruption probes in recent years. But their downfalls, and resulting efforts to reform ethics rules, apparently have not stemmed the tide of charges against public servants. The latest to be arrested - for the second time - is Mayor Eddie A.Perez, for alleged extortion. The spate of scandals is a source of chagrin for the state, and the sting of each new nickname - “Corrupticut,’’ “Louisiana with foliage’’ - worsens with each new corruption arrest and indictment. “You got these guys doing unbelievably crazy stuff. One would think the politicians would realize that they’re going to get caught,’’ said state Representative Michael P. Lawlor, a former prosecutor who heads the Judiciary Committee. “At the end of the day it’s embarrassing.’’ This month, Perez, a Democrat who was first elected in 2001 and is serving his third term, surrendered to State Police on charges that he and a former state lawmaker tried to extort $100,000 from a developer. Perez had been arrested in January on bribery charges related to a home renovation by a city contractor that included a bathroom with a whirlpool tub. Perez has vowed to remain in office and has denied any wrongdoing. His is not the first tub to figure in a corruption probe here. Former governor John G. Rowland served 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2005 to accepting free renovations (including a whirlpool bath) for his cottage in Litchfield - as well as free trips to Las Vegas and Vermont. In a related act of plunder, Rowland’s former deputy chief of staff buried 40 illicitly obtained gold coins in his back yard (and earned five years on probation.) Read More. |
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