Stefanowski kicks off RV tour in hopes of jump-starting campaign

One of his first stops was West Haven City Hall. Stefanowski said it's symbolic of "rampant corruption" in Connecticut.

John Craven

Oct 6, 2022, 9:36 PM

Updated 730 days ago

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The race for governor is going on the road – in a motor home. Republican Bob Stefanowski is hitting 30 communities over the next three days in an effort to jump-start his struggling campaign.
One of his first stops was West Haven City Hall. Stefanowski said it's symbolic of "rampant corruption" in Connecticut.
"You saw here, the COVID money diverted,” he said. “That's money that was supposed to go to help people."
After an outside audit found West Haven misspent 80% of its federal COVID relief funds, Gov. Ned Lamont ordered a state takeover.
In May, Lamont said he was acting swiftly.
"I have real questions about the controls and documentation there, not to mention the corruption issue,” he said. “And I'm not going to tolerate it."
Lamont also promised to audit every other city and town in the state – but that was five months ago.
"Where is the audit?", Stefanowski asked on Thursday. "One of the biggest reasons it's so expensive to live here is rampant -- and I use the word 'rampant' -- corruption in government in Connecticut."
The state budget office tells News 12 Connecticut that audit results were due last Friday, but the outside auditor asked for more time.
“CohnReznick recently informed the Office of Policy and Management that they would need some additional time to complete their work,” said OPM spokesman Chris Collibee. “OPM is working with CohnReznick on an extension to provide for this audit to be completed in the coming weeks.”
It’s unclear if the audit will be released before the election, now less than five weeks away.
Meantime, the Lamont campaign says Stefanowski needs to answer his own transparency questions.
“Bob Stefanowski is keeping his clients – who paid him millions of dollars – hidden from the people of Connecticut,” said campaign spokesperson Onotse Omoyeni. “He will continue to hurl negative attacks that have no basis in reality, but the truth is that Gov. Lamont has delivered meaningful tax cuts and kept Connecticut moving forward.”
In particular, Stefanowski has faced questions about his business ties to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"I owe it to my clients to keep where they do business, and how they do business [confidential],” Stefanowski said on Thursday.
For months, the GOP has attacked Lamont on his family’s business ties, inflation and crime. Still, the governor enjoys a double-digit lead in three recent polls.
Stefanowski's RV tour wraps up Saturday at Two Roads Brewery in Stratford.