By Chris Powell With his excellent and even fascinating review last week, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong did not oppose ranked-choice voting in principle or declare it surely unconstitutional. He concluded that the concept’s constitutionality is “a close call” and so it shouldn’t be enacted without an amendment to the state Constitution. Caution is usuallyContinue reading “Attorney general’s opinion needn’t stop ranked-choice voting”
Author Archives: cxpowell
Governor, treasurer celebrate a disaster with ‘baby bonds’
By Chris Powell Governor Lamont and state Treasurer Erick Russell this week invited Connecticut to celebrate a disaster. They announced with rejoicing that almost 8,000 children born in Connecticut since last July 1 have qualified automatically for state government’s “baby bonds” program by virtue of the coverage extended to their parents by Medicaid, government medicalContinue reading “Governor, treasurer celebrate a disaster with ‘baby bonds’”
Prisons aren’t the only agency that could use an ‘ombudsman’
By Chris Powell With their residents locked in and the public locked out, Connecticut’s prisons are inevitably far more secretive than other agencies of government. Combine this secrecy with the disdain for prisoners and the decline of journalism and prisons become especially susceptible to malfeasance, misconduct, and abuse of power. Criminal justice in Connecticut isContinue reading “Prisons aren’t the only agency that could use an ‘ombudsman’”
Soccer won’t rescue Bridgeport but middle-class housing might
By Chris Powell Hartford’s decline into poverty over the last 60 years hasn’t been reversed or even halted by the expensive development projects that have shuffled the city’s downtown this way and that — first Constitution Plaza, an office building complex; then the Hartford Civic Center; then the Connecticut Convention Center; and most recently aContinue reading “Soccer won’t rescue Bridgeport but middle-class housing might”
Poor need much more housing, not protection from eviction
By Chris Powell Many elected officials make a living by causing problems and then purporting to solve them. So it is with the Eviction Protection Act recently re-introduced in Congress by Connecticut U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District. The legislation would have the federal government offer financial grants to state governments that provide lawyers toContinue reading “Poor need much more housing, not protection from eviction”
Publicize more police video; and can Hartford change?
By Chris Powell Video from police cruiser dashboard cameras and body cameras worn by officers in Connecticut isn’t just protecting civilians against police misconduct, as was the main objective of camera advocates years ago. These videos, like the ones made quickly available by the state’s inspector general after recent shootings of criminals, are also protectingContinue reading “Publicize more police video; and can Hartford change?”
Weather hysteria of TV news doesn’t keep Connecticut safe
By Chris Powell Even on a warm, sunny summer day local television newscasts in Connecticut are usually trivial. But when winter comes and there is any chance of a few inches of snow, TV newscasts are liberated from all pretension to meaning, and they crown their triviality with redundancy. As they did last week, forContinue reading “Weather hysteria of TV news doesn’t keep Connecticut safe”
‘Dollar’ stores don’t cause poverty but just reflect it
By Chris Powell Like the rest of the country, Connecticut is seeing an explosion of “dollar” stores — Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree, discount retailers that are causing alarm in some quarters because, while they sell food and consumer goods, they don’t offer fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables and they are feared toContinue reading “‘Dollar’ stores don’t cause poverty but just reflect it”
Secrecy in discipline weakens public confidence in courts
By Chris Powell Can respect for Connecticut’s judiciary be maintained only by imposing nearly complete secrecy on complaints of misconduct by judges? That is the presumption of state law, as Connecticut’s Hearst newspapers reminded readers this week with investigative reporter Bill Cummings’ comprehensive review of the Judicial Review Council, the agency in charge of discipliningContinue reading “Secrecy in discipline weakens public confidence in courts”
Put liquor lobby in its place: Ban ‘nips,’ boost competition
By CHRIS POWELL Now that Connecticut’s 5-cent tax on tiny “nip” liquor bottles has done little to remove their litter from streets and roadsides, state Rep. Joseph Gresko, D-Stratford, plans to propose legislation to allow municipalities to ban the sale of the troublesome product. The “nip” bottle tax, paid by liquor distributors to municipal governmentsContinue reading “Put liquor lobby in its place: Ban ‘nips,’ boost competition”
Chris Powell column 