Hardy flap just won’t go away

It’s been nearly two weeks since Hartford State’s Attorney Gail Hardy withdrew June 29 from seeking reappointment in the face of opposition and it was announced that she’ll be given “a new role in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney to foster diversity in the Division of Criminal Justice.”

But Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo still has yet to fill in a number of blanks about what Hardy’s duties will be in the newly created job of executive assistant state’s attorney for diversity and inclusion, and there are still reverberations inside the state criminal justice system from the controversy that attended her withdrawal.

Here are a few examples:

So far no detailed plan has been made public for how Hardy will foster diversity and inclusion. When asked for a formal job description, Colangelo’s office produced an existing, general description of “Executive Assistant State’s Attorney” positions issued by the Department of Administrative Services, which lists various legal duties and other responsibilities but doesn’t mention diversity. The DAS document does set a pay range of $111,515 to $151,731, which at least clarifies that Hardy, who now makes about $163,000, will be taking a pay cut. Whether she’ll be at the top of the range, at $151,731, hasn’t been settled yet, though.

All Colangelo’s office would say Friday about Hardy’s specific duties was: “The duties will be discussed with State’s Attorney Hardy” — as phrased in an email from Alaine Griffin, Colangelo’s director of communications. So it was still unclear if there will ever be a formal, written description of the new diversity and inclusion job duties. Hardy’s starting date in the new role won’t be determined until a successor is chosen to replace her at the top of the Hartford prosecutor’s office. Griffin said neither Colangelo nor Hardy would be available to talk to The Courant on Friday.

And, as to reverberations from the controversy: A written reprimand has been handed to Mark Brodsky, a senior assistant state’s attorney in Hartford, after he was heard to remark — “Oh, come on … liar” — during the June 26 portion of Hardy’s reappointment hearing before the state Criminal Justice Commission. Brodsky also was told he had to forfeit two vacations days. The comment came after Hardy was asked how many cases she has tried herself in court, and she estimated she’s personally handled a maximum of three trials a year. The hearing — which was continued to June 29, the day Hardy withdrew — was conducted via the Zoom communi