‘Laissez-faire governor.’ Fazio accuses Lamont of ignoring corruption scandals
The Republican gubernatorial candidate accused Gov. Ned Lamont of blowing off serious corruption scandals. But Lamont's campaign insisted he acted swiftly “to prevent it from happening again.”
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As the race for governor enters its final stretch, Republican Ryan Fazio accused Gov. Ned Lamont of awarding “sweetheart” deals to political allies while ignoring a series of corruption scandals.
But Lamont’s campaign insisted that acted swiftly “to prevent it from happening again.”
“LAISSEZ-FAIRE GOVERNOR”
Fazio called Lamont a “laissez-faire governor” who has ignored corruption scandals like the Bridgeport ballot fraud case and Kosta Diamantis, his former budget deputy convicted of demanding bribes for multimillion-dollar school construction contracts.
Diamantis faces up to 12.5 years in prison when he is sentenced next Thursday. He also faces a second bribery trial in December, which could implicate former Department of Social Services commissioner Deidre Gifford, who retired last May – just after CT Mirror published emails detailing her possible involvement in canceling a Medicaid fraud investigation.
“Under the Lamont administration, corruption has become so commonplace that none of us can even remember the spate of scandals that have emerged,” the GOP gubernatorial candidate told reporters on Thursday. “We need a leader with a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption.”
Lamont has repeatedly said he had no knowledge of Diamantis’ activities and removed him when the FBI began investigating.
“I didn’t hire him,” the governor told News 12 last October. “I fired him as soon as I found out there was someone toward going on.”
Diamantis’ next trial was supposed to happen in April, but a judge delayed it to December – a month after the election – after Diamantis rejected an apparent plea bargain at the last minute.
“NO BID” CONTRACTS
Fazio also criticized a $250,000 consulting contract awarded to former U.S Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s company just after Lamont appointed him to head a new workforce development commission. The deal was not made public until the Mirror reported on it .
Lamont told News 12 that the Office of State Ethics approved the contract.
“I certainly was aware of those discussions going on,” he said. “I thought it was appropriate. I knew there’s a lot of paperwork, legwork, research necessary to complement what this commission’s going to be doing. And they seem to have the experience to get it right.”
Fazio called for new limits on “no bid” contracts, including public disclosure and notifying state lawmakers 10 days in advance. He also called for deeper disclosure for budget “earmarks” – where lawmakers request money for pet projects – amid a federal investigation into state Sen. Doug McCrory (D-Hartford).
“The buck has to stop somewhere,” Fazio said. “When you're in office, you should take responsibility. For what occurs on your watch.”
LAMONT CAMPAIGN: “HE ACTED IMMEDIATELY”
Lamont’s campaign said he acted quickly after the Diamantis and McCrory cases.
“The Governor has prioritized integrity and protecting taxpayer dollars by tightening controls, demanding audits and leading the effort to reform Connecticut’s earmark system, bringing greater transparency and accountability to taxpayer-funded projects – reforms Republicans supported,” campaign spokesperson Lauren Gray said.
Following the FBI investigation into Diamantis, Lamont created a separate audit division to oversee school construction grants. Staffers now undergo stricter ethics training too.
“When issues came to light, he acted immediately, held those responsible accountable and changed the rules to prevent it from happening again,” Gray said.
