After the Connecticut General Assembly passed a budget she could not support but lacked the power to stop, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced she will not run for reelection next year.
A popular Republican from Brookfield in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, Rell”™s decision opens the floodgates for candidates for the 2010 gubernatorial race, with Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele a likely candidate for the Republican ticket.
Democrats who have announced campaigns include former Connecticut house speaker James Amann; Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz; outgoing Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy; and Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi.
Rell”™s decision comes even as Republicans made some gains in this month”™s elections, most notably in Stamford where Michael Pavia defeated Democrat David Martin. Throughout 2009, she had attempted to craft a budget against Democrats holding a veto-proof majority in the Connecticut General Assembly, albeit majority weakened by some Democratic legislators from Fairfield County attempting to straddle the line between their party and their more conservative constituents.
A longtime legislator, Rell became lieutenant governor under former Gov. John Rowland, then replaced him in July 2004 following Rowland”™s resignation in a corruption probe that ultimately landed him in prison.
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Rell focused her first few years as governor on making government more transparent and accountable for voters, then defeated New Haven Mayor John DeStefano in 2006 to win election in her own right.
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“I came in at a troubling time in our state”™s history,” Rell said, in a prepared statement. “We had been through much and we needed a new start, a renewed sense of faith in public officials and a recommitment to integrity in our government. Working together, we steadied our state and we passed landmark ethics reform and campaign finance reform legislation. I am very, very proud of that.”
In the first two years following her election, Rell attempted to get municipalities to lower property taxes by funneling state aid to assist local school districts, which received mixed reviews as taxes continued to rise in many jurisdictions.
She also pushed through $1.3 billion to improve the state”™s transportation infrastructure, most notably in the form of new commuter rail cars that have begun arriving in Connecticut.
In the first half of her term, Rell also attempted to address the high cost of insurance in Connecticut for many residents by creating the Charter Oak Health Plan, which struggled out of the gate to sign up physicians who were wary of getting minimal reimbursement from insurance carriers participating in the plan.
In the past two years as budget deficit projections have grown to billions of dollars, Rell has engaged in an escalating war of words with legislators, arguing for spending cuts and new revenue streams as opposed to hiking taxes.
The budget she fought levies a higher state income tax on individuals earning at least $500,000, a measure some small business owners opposed on grounds they file their company income using individual forms, and so are getting hit with a form of a corporate tax.
Rell did not cite any one specific reason for not choosing to run, but said it is “time to begin a new chapter in life” after 25 years in public service.
“From the beginning, I have always sought to be a citizen-governor,” Rell said. “At one open house, after standing for hours, I finally kicked off my heels and stood in my stocking feet greeting people. I”™ll never forget the woman who said, while looking at my feet, ”˜That”™s why we like you ”“ you”™re normal; you”™re like us.”™ That was the highest compliment she could have given me.”
