ranked-choice voting – Chris Powell column

Hospital rescues promise far higher medical costs

By CHRIS POWELL Someone had to be found to take over Waterbury Hospital, Manchester Memorial Hospital, and Rockville General Hospital in Vernon as they wallowed in bankruptcy after being looted by their private-equity owner, Prospect Medical Holdings. Connecticut couldn’t afford to let the hospitals go out of business and leave major population centers without service.Continue reading “Hospital rescues promise far higher medical costs”

Ranked-choice voting is good but Connecticut isn’t ready

By Chris Powell Governor Lamont and some good-government activists want Connecticut to adopt ranked-choice voting. This is the mechanism of “instant runoff” elections in which voters rank candidates in order of their preference. Candidates receiving the fewest votes are eliminated and their votes are transferred to the remaining candidates in accordance with voter preferences untilContinue reading “Ranked-choice voting is good but Connecticut isn’t ready”

Firing restores accountability; and governor boosts ‘ranked choice’

By Chris Powell By firing TaShun Bowden-Lewis, the state’s chief public defender and the first Black one, Connecticut’s formerly obscure Public Defender Services Commission has struck a belated blow for the public’s sovereignty over its own institutions. But it almost didn’t happen. Last year the commission was upset by Bowden-Lewis’ insubordination, whereupon she accused theContinue reading “Firing restores accountability; and governor boosts ‘ranked choice’”

Attorney general’s opinion needn’t stop ranked-choice voting

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”