Lamenting Lamont?
His inexperience and seeming indecisiveness can put legislators ‘in a pickle’
In admitting to Democratic legislators that he put them “in a pickle” when he changed his stance on trucks-only tolling, Gov. Ned Lamont created a pickle of his own when he added that he’d “raise money for the caucus,” an implication that he’d do so in exchange for their vote on tolls.
The quote spread across the internet, picked up by his opponents and detractors, and — due to a lack of clarity on what, exactly, he meant — spun into a political faux pas that made insiders drop their jaws.
In the 24 hours that followed, Lamont and his team were forced to clarify his intent rather than focus on the issue he was there to fight for in the first place. Four months into the Lamont administration, nearly two dozen legislators and
lobbyists interviewed by Hearst Connecticut Media say the governor has made many missteps, most notably appearing unsure in public on details of major legislative proposals.
Many compare him to his predecessor, Dannel P. Malloy, who they say knew exactly what he wanted. And while Malloy could be prickly and Lamont is a personable guy, they say, the new governor’s traits have not made up for his lack of a clear vision on policy.
“One of the things people have found endearing of Ned is that he’s not political,” said Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group and who has known Lamont for more than a decade after running his 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate. “But sometimes that leads to big messes and his most recent comment is a big clean up on aisle 3. I think that makes his fight over tolls that much harder and arguably it should.”
Lamont has taken a CEO approach by focusing on the broad aspects of big issues, but when it comes to negotiations involving issues in legislators’ districts, the administration struggles to keep up. One lawmaker, for instance, recounted how the administration had been inconsistent in its discussions on an issue in the lawmaker’s district and then was uncommunicative over a significant period of time.
Legislators and lobbyists, and even Lamont himself, attribute his inexperience in government for the occasions in which he’s made public comments that are confusing.
“Everything is public,” Lamont said Friday. “So every time I try out an idea on someone in private it ends up on the front page of the paper.”
Earlier this month, Lamont had suggested to a legislator that perhaps the Merritt Parkway would be excluded from tolls. The idea, of course, never truly had legs as it’s largely infeasible. But it was a conversation that needed clarification: Did the governor truly suggest or consider not putting tolls on the scenic highway that runs parallel to I-95?
In a press conference the next day, his answer was
“Everything is public. So every time I try out an idea on someone in private, it ends up on the front page of the paper.”
Gov. Ned Lamont
still unclear as he never explicitly said, “No, that’s not even a consideration,” and reporters had to repeatedly ask what he meant.
“I think aside from my very closest friends, I ought to be more careful about what I say when I’m thinking out loud. I come from a world where if you have closed-door conversations there are people you know you can talk to in confidence and share ideas . ... in government, people are trying to find ways to twist them, so you have to be a little more cautious,” he said.
That same week, Lamont told a reporter from the Connecticut Mirror that he didn’t think a deal on gambling would be made this session. But minutes later, on stage at a tourism conference in Hartford, his answer was less clear and made it sound like a deal could still happen this session, prompting confusion. As he came off stage, a small group of reporters asked for clarification. Lamont, now seeming unsure of his stance, consulted with a member of his team, and Rodney Butler, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequots, and confirmed that a deal is not likely this year.
In early April, Lamont puzzled a room full of business leaders at a Norwalk Chamber of Commerce dinner after he promised to “take another look at the Walk Bridge.” Doing so would further delay the construction project to replace the 100-year-old railroad bridge near the Maritime Aquarium significantly, and a spokesman for Lamont later clarified that the governor meant he wanted to make sure the project is done properly, but that the plan that’s been approved is the plan the city and the state will continue to move forward with.
Some who have known or worked with Lamont outside of his short tenure as governor said he does often understand issues more than it seems, but that his tendency to continue asking questions before taking a firm stance can make it appear that he is uninformed.
Many legislators and lobbyists at the Capitol said they’ve had a hard time adjusting to the new administration. Along with Lamont, they cited the many members of his staff who haven’t had lengthy tenures in politics — primarily his Chief of Staff Ryan Drajewicz, who, aside from a stint working for former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, has only worked in the private sector.
One lobbyist said Lamont seemed to acknowledge the political inexperience when he brought in an expert on the inner workings of the politics that take place within the walls of the state Capitol building. Johnathan Harris, on a sort of sabbatical from his post in the Office of Policy and Management, was brought in at the end of April to handle all legislative negotiations on behalf of the governor in the final weeks of the session.
Several legislators, who’ve known Harris since his own days as a state senator, said his presence has been noticed and certainly made a difference in their communications with the administration.
“(Lamont) appears uninformed on the independence, the membership and the processes of the General Assembly. I’m happy he brought Jonathan Harris in, but the question is whether it’s too little too late (to push through his initiatives),” said a veteran Democrat who asked to remain anonymous to avoid political friction.