Perspective: B3
A proposal by one of the candidates to use the position of lieutenant governor to coordinate the effort to combat addiction might not be a bad idea whoever wins that position, writes Paul Choiniere in this week’s column.
The Connecticut Constitution states that the lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate, has a right to debate, and can cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie. Also, he or she takes over as governor in the event the governor dies, resigns, is impeached or incapacitated.
That’s it for the job description. It leaves plenty of room to fill in the blanks.
When M. Jodi Rell served as lieutenant governor under Gov. John G. Rowland, she assumed a largely ceremonial role, showing up to cut ribbons, put a shovel in the ground for a new project, and congratulate organizations on various milestones.
Rell did not seem terribly tied in on policy decisions. That worked out well. When pay-to-play corruption forced Rowland’s resignation and sent him to federal prison, Rell emerged unscathed to become a popular governor. At least until the economy turned and Connecticut confronted massive deficits.
With the Senate tied 18-18 after the 2016 election, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman has cast some tie votes, but only rarely. She has worked more closely with the governor than did her predecessor, literally standing with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for many major announcements.
Health policy has been Wyman’s specialty, chairing the Board of Access Health CT and the administration’s Healthcare Cabinet. Her close association with Malloy likely played a role in Wyman’s decision not to run for governor. His extremely low approval numbers posed a contagion that would have poisoned a Wyman candidacy.
This past week, a candidate for the office said in a press release she had an interesting job in mind if she wins. Jayme Stevenson, who is seeking the Republican nomination, wants to lead the state’s response to the issue of addiction and the growing number of overdose deaths.
Stevenson, 56, is in her fourth term as first selectwoman of Darien. She told me the work of prevention, treatment and recovery is so extensive and involves so many groups — law enforcement, the courts, correction, nonprofit providers, mental health agencies, local governments, medical centers — that a central figure is needed to direct coordination and improve communication. That makes sense. To begin with, said Stevenson, Connecticut officials need better data to drive decisions. The State Medical Examiner reported a record 1,038 overdose deaths in 2017, but we don’t know how many overdoses there were in which lives were saved. Reporting expectations for emergency responders are not consistent, she said.
Addicted individuals, many with mental health issues, repeatedly move through the criminal and court system. They’re arrested for criminal behavior tied to their habit, ordered into treatment programs, only to often relapse and repeat the behavior, she said. To make better policy decisions, Stevenson said Connecticut needs better information on the extent of this “circular system.”
But assuring an addict has access to the extensive and prolonged treatment that can lead to recovery costs money. Republicans, I pointed out to Stevenson, don’t like government to spend it.
“I’m not your typical Republican,” she responded. “My primary goal would be public health and safety. Addiction is very costly to society. It is directly related to the fiscal health of the state to better address it, but we need better information to assure what we spend we spend effectively.”
Married 30 years and the mother of five grown children, ages 19 to 28, Stevenson knows firsthand how addiction tears at a family. One of her daughters became addicted to cocaine in high school. A family intervention and treatment brought her back from the brink. Now married, she recently gave birth to Stevenson’s first grandchild.
It will be months before the system sorts out the gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidates. Whoever wins should consider Stevenson’s proposal.