Lamont cousin resigns as governor’s ‘bodyman’
Parttime rapper hired earlier this week at $52,000 a year
Charles Lamont Wolcott has resigned from his position as Gov. Ned Lamont’s “bodyman,” two days after Hearst Connecticut reported the governor had hired his cousin’s son for the $52,000peryear job.
“Effective immediately, I will be resigning from my position in the Office of the Governor,” Wolcott wrote in a letter of resignation dated Sept. 11. “I would like to thank you for the opportunity to be a member of the team and wish your Administration continued success.”
Wolcott, who was hired just this week, did not state a reason for his resignation in the letter.
“Charles Wolcott submitted his letter of resignation last night to Governor Ned Lamont, which was accepted by the Governor,” said Lamont spokesman Max Reiss in an emailed statement. “He expressed his concern of being the Governor’s trusted confidant and body person, a role in which he served the governor on the campaign trail, and having attention drawn to his previous work in the music industry. As this is a personnel matter, we will not be commenting further.”
Wolcott, who often performs as a rapper under the name MC One Con, had posted a series of videos to YouTube that fea
tured vulgar language and content. The videos were taken down from his personal YouTube page Tuesday afternoon.
Wolcott, 35, held a similar position with Lamont’s
campaign, but had few other government credentials. Because he is related to the governor — he is Lamont’s cousin’s son — the hire was reviewed internally by the governor’s legal counsel, but was not required to be reviewed by the Office of State Ethics.
In politics, a “bodyman” is essentially a personal assistant who accompanies a politician virtually everywhere, sometimes as a driver, and anticipate anything they might need. They do not provide security. They often arrange and provide lodging, transportation, interactions with
media, public, and family, meals, personal briefings and briefing papers, logistical instructions, speech cards, snacks, cell phones, and any other necessary assistance
Earlier this week, former Department of Public Health employee Andrea Lombard was fined $2,500
for violating the Code of Ethics by using her state position to help her daughter get hired for a temporary summer position and failing to disclose the conflict of interest.
The state statute only applies to immediate family members including spouses, children, chil
dren’s spouses, parents or siblings of government employees and elected officials. As a result, Lamont was not required to notify the Office of State Ethics to hire Wolcott.