The state’s running back stops running
After taking over as state Senate minority leader six years ago, Len Fasano quickly became the face of the Republican Party in Connecticut. Fasano was Gov. Dan Malloy’s primary nemesis, and leaned hard on Malloy’s successor, Ned Lamont, through the governor’s turbulent first year of trying to revive tolls.
His resolve in the face of Democrats’ stranglehold on Connecticut politics was so relentless that during meetings with the Hearst Connecticut Media Editorial Board we inquired why he wasn’t running for governor.
“My wife would kill me,” he replied with a wry smile.
Which is not the same as saying he wasn’t interested in the job.
Fasano’s stature was such that news of his decision not to seek re-election this fall sizzled through the General Assembly like a lit fuse, even as lawmakers follow social isolation guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s always a dragon to slay. There’s a conveyor belt of dragons,” he said of his decision to step off the belt.
When Fasano, 61, said “You have to know when to get in and get out,” it’s a nod to his days as a running back at Yale University.
He approached the game under the gold dome like he was in a stadium, though he was almost always playing for the underdog. He arrived in the Senate in 2003, representing Durham, East Haven, North Haven and Wallingford. At the time, the face of the party was one-time wunderkind Gov. John Rowland, who would resign in shame during a corruption investigation the following year, and ultimately serve two stints in prison.
Fasano was — if there is such a thing — a firm moderate. He distanced himself from President Donald Trump, defining his concerns as those of Connecticut. He embraced issues such as justice reform, welfare and urban issues.
As the son of a doctor, he worked on health care initiatives and was honored by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance as a “Children’s
Champion.”
As a former football player, he favored big plays, and never flinched from opponents on the other side of the line. He didn’t just shout about tolls legislation, he shaped an alternative that would use budget reserves to pay down liabilities and invest the savings on transit needs.
As a lawyer, he framed his arguments with research. In his campaign to block Andrew McDonald from becoming chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, he presented his case to the editorial board over 90 minutes, referencing 5 inches of documents marked with a rainbow of Post-its. A natural charmer, he momentarily simmered about whispers that his team’s opposition was homophobic. “I’m a mother bear with my caucus,” he said.
This mother bear’s leadership will be missed. We hope someone else seizes one of his pet causes, the many drawbacks inherent with quasi-public state agencies such as the port authority and lottery commission.
The running back has stopped running. Fans of both teams should applaud how much ground he covered.
He approached the game under the gold dome like he was in a stadium, though he was almost always playing for the underdog.