In his first official statement on staff raises the Connecticut Board of Regents awarded, then rescinded, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the board’s credibility has been damaged despite other achievements in board President Robert Kennedy’s initial tenure on the job.
As first reported by the Connecticut Mirror, the Board of Regents awarded raises totaling more than $250,000, including nearly $50,000 for Michael Meotti, executive vice president of the Board of Regents. Malloy had frozen wages for state workers in an attempt to balance the budget.
“Serious problems have been identified in recent days and they need to be fixed,” Malloy stated. “The Board of Regents needs to step in, conduct a review of these matters and take appropriate steps based on their findings. The credibility of the central office has been damaged, and it needs to be restored as quickly as possible.”
Kennedy previously led the University of Maine, where he was credited with effectively building partnerships with the private sector, among Malloy’s goals for the Connecticut State University system and community colleges regents oversee.
In his own statement, Kennedy said there was “no excuse” for approving the raises.
“There was no intent to deceive or mislead, but I it”™s clear that I could have and should have handled this differently and in the future, I will,” Kennedy stated. “Right now, my focus is on beginning to repair the damage that has been done, and ensure that our organization has the proper procedures and protocol in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”
Board of Regents Chairman Lewis Robinson said the board would form a special committee on administration to oversee compensation and other issues going forward.
