Democrat Accuses Rell, Committee Of ‘significant Violations’

Democrat accuses Rell, committee of ‘significant violations’ By Ted Mann Published on 10/14/2009 Hartford - A Democratic political consultant filed an elections complaint Tuesday against Gov. M. Jodi Rell and her political committee, charging “serious and significant violations” of state campaign financing laws in relation to Rell’s use of a University of Connecticut pollster to help craft her budget and political messaging. In the complaint, Jonathan Pelto, a former state legislator and former political director of the state Democratic Party, said that Rell’s political committee appeared to have not fully disclosed campaign assistance given by Ken Dautrich, the UConn professor, who was using a secret, publicly funded project to help shape Rell’s budget message and has also acknowledged that he consulted on a Rell campaign poll free of charge to her committee. Dautrich has said he was never paid for his political work by Rell’s exploratory campaign committee, which never disclosed his involvement in its polling on campaign finance filings. In that case, Pelto said, it appeared Dautrich’s donation of his services constituted an improper in-kind contribution to Rell’s political committee. Rell said last week that she would direct her exploratory committee’s treasurer, Thomas Filomeno, to consult with election officials about whether Dautrich’s work constitutes an in-kind contribution, and if so, to amend her campaign filings and pay any related fines. Later Tuesday, Democrats signaled their intention to keep up pressure on the polling controversy. The chairman of the state Democratic Party, Nancy DiNardo, formally requested access under state Freedom of Information laws to all files maintained in the governor’s office and the Office of Policy and Management related to Dautrich’s project, including any recordings or transcripts of the focus group session the professor held last December. Since Rell’s Friday press conference, her press office has refused to answer additional questions about the scope of Dautrich’s work, apparent inconsistencies in the governor’s account of when her aides considered polling voters about budget matters with public resources, and other details of the political advice Dautrich offered. “In light of the ongoing investigation, which the Governor welcomes, we are not commenting,” Rell spokesman Rich Harris said Tuesday in an e-mail message.