Drinking at Capitol under scrutiny
Lawmaker’s arrest puts new spotlight on long-standing practices
For decades, drinking was commonplace at the state Capitol as lawmakers and state employees attended various alcohol-related receptions and held a major party at the end of the session that often lasted until the sun rose the next morning.
While longtime Connecticut lawmakers say that the merriment has been sharply curtailed, the recent arrest of a state legislator on drunken driving charges has raised questions and increased scrutiny about drinking at the Capitol.
In previous years, organized parties featured live music and copious amounts of alcohol as the most hearty revelers remained at the Capitol until dawn on the session’s final day. Legislative receptions often featured liquor, including an annual wine tasting at the same time that lawmakers in the state House of Representatives and Senate were debating in nearby chambers. Some lawmakers would attend a reception by the beer wholesalers, for example, before heading back to the House floor to debate bills and vote.
“I’ve always had a concern about the drinking that does go on within the building,” said House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford, a lawmaker for the past 17 years. “It’s something that, culturally, should be refrained from in the building. … There needs to be soul-searching around this building on what we’re actually here to do. Our (Republican) caucus has had this conversation, and I have certainly discouraged drinking while you’re in the Capitol. It obviously goes on.”
The issue has gained increased attention following the arrest of state Rep. Robin Comey, a 55-yearold Branford Democrat who had been at a Hartford bar with three other female legislators, according to House Democrats. Comey was driving a Honda Civic in a narrow section of Capitol Avenue near the popular Red Rock Tavern when her car flipped upside down and landed on its roof.
After being handcuffed at the scene by Hartford police, Comey’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.144 and then 0.140 on the second test. The standard for being arrested for drunken driving is .08 and higher. A report by Hartford
“There needs to be soul-searching around this building on what we’re actually here to do.”
— House Republican leader Vincent Candelora
police states that Comey “reeked of alcoholic beverages and could not stay focused when being spoken to” at the scene.
“If I am with legislators that I know have been drinking all day or drinking heavily, I would hope that I would prevent them from getting into a vehicle and putting themselves into a position that Robin put herself into,” Candelora told the Courant. “I have personally been involved in this when I have seen someone drinking and prevented them from getting into a vehicle and driving. We all have a commute to go home, and we should be taking that into consideration. … At 6 p.m., to be that intoxicated is a bit early in the evening to be in that kind of position, and I’m glad that Robin is getting help.”
After her arrest that was captured by a television camera on FOX 61, Comey issued a public apology and said she was seeking treatment.
“I want to apologize to my constituents, my colleagues in the CT General Assembly, my family and friends for my DUI arrest,” Comey said in her statement. “After much reflection and with the support of my family, starting today, I will begin treatment to better understand the disease that is addiction and to get the help I recognize I need.”
Despite Comey’s arrest, legislators, lobbyists, and state employees say that drinking has been cut way back from the heights of the past. The Capitol was completely closed to the general public starting in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and there have been no organized, alcohol-related receptions for the past three years.
Deputy House Speaker Robert Godfrey, one of the longest-serving legislators, said the atmosphere is far more strict since he was first elected in 1988.
“This place is pretty sober,” Godfrey said in an interview. “I do remember the wild and crazy St. Patrick’s Day parties and end-of-session parties. No, there hasn’t been any wholesale drinking parties (recently). For St. Patrick’s Day and end of session, there was an organized effort to do a dinner and drinking and a band and dancing that sometimes went on to the wee small hours. But I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
The late-night parties were a bipartisan affair. Veteran employees remember then-Republican Gov. John G. Rowland in the crowded House Democratic caucus room singing “American Pie” after midnight in May 1996 as he joined hands with House majority leader Moira K. Lyons and others as a hired keyboard player banged out the famous tune.
Today, Gov. Ned Lamont, 69, remarked that he is in bed most nights by 11 p.m. as he explained his opposition to a bill this year that would have allowed some Connecticut bars in cities and casinos to remain open until 4 a.m.
“Look, you don’t drink in this building,” Lamont said in an interview outside the Capitol, pointing to the structure. “This is the people’s house. Period. If somebody goes across the street, I can’t manage that except to say, be careful and don’t drink and drive.”
Lamont added, “I haven’t talked to Robin, but you’ve got to get your health right. So I wish her the best and take care of your health, first and foremost.”
In the spirit of reduced drinking, the legislature’s transportation committee recently voted to make it easier for a motorist to be charged with drunken driving by reducing the threshold for arrest to .05, down from the current .08. The measure passed by 21-15 with Republicans and Democrats on both sides of the bipartisan issue. The measure will be subject to final negotiations before the legislative session ends in early June.
If approved, Connecticut would be one of only two states at .05, whereas many others are at .08.