New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Activists plan to protest Lamont’s nominee for DCP
Activists are planning to show up “in numbers” to protest Gov. Ned Lamont’s pick to head the Department of Consumer Protection.
Bryan Cafferelli’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for March 14, and Ivelisse Correa said she and other activists are intending to protest his selection.
Cafferelli currently serves as legal counsel of the Connecticut Senate Republican Office, but he was previously a drug control attorney at DCP, where he was “responsible for managing the agency’s drug enforcement cases, including all aspects of administrative action, rule making process, and statutory and regulatory development,” according to a news release issued by Lamont’s office.
“The prosecutor for DCP is being nominated to head DCP, and we have concerns about that,” said Correa, executive director of Good Trouble Advocates and vice president of BLM860.
Correa said she doesn’t feel “comfortable” with someone with Cafferelli’s background holding the position considering the state’s focus on social equity as it continues to expand the recreational cannabis market intended to aid communities most impacted by the drug war. Cafferelli was largely involved at DCP with cases involving prescription drugs and controlled substances.
State Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, said that while he knows Cafferelli, he does not know him “in that context.”
“Politically, you start off with a guy who’s been on the Republican side, then on the wrong side of cannabis prosecutions,” Winfield said. “You can see a mile away how that’s going to play out.”
The nomination will go in front of the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee next week and would be voted on later by the state Senate.
“I’m not sure that’s the pick I would have made, but I haven’t had a conversation with the administration to figure out why that’s the pick they made,” Winfield said. “So maybe there’s something I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem if I’m picking amongst a bunch of folks, that’s the pick I’m going to make if I’m the Democratic governor of Connecticut.”
The news release issued by the Lamont administration included positive sentiments from both Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, and Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, DNew Haven.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, Lamont praised Cafferelli’s experience at DCP.
“He’s got good bipartisan support, especially in the state Senate, where he’s been involved. I think that’s a good thing,” Lamont said. “He knows his way around the Capitol. He’s going to be a champion for consumers, which I think is really important.”
“Bryan’s nomination to be our next commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection has received support from Democrats and Republicans — a testament to his reputation as a fair and hardworking individual who will look out for all consumers in the state,” Adam Joseph, Lamont’s director of communications, said in a prepared statement. “Bryan will be a thoughtful leader as the department continues its important work of regulating new industries such as cannabis and online gaming, protecting residents from unfair business practices, and ensuring a safe marketplace for everyone.”