Gentile, Miller and Perillo Talk Veto Vote

Editor’s Note: State Rep. Linda Gentile, a Democrat representing Ansonia and Derby, along with Shelton Republican representatives Jason Perillo and Lawrence Miller, all issued statements Friday regarding the House overriding Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s veto of a bill that will provide Dan Malloy, a Democrat running for governor, up to $6 million from the Citizen’s Election Program.

For more on the House vote to override the governor’s veto, please visit CT News Junkie.

From Linda Gentile

My decision to override the governor’s veto of clean election legislation boiled down to two words – opportunity and fairness.

Connecticut’s landmark Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) gives average working people the opportunity to realistically and fairly mount a campaign to run for elected state office.

Remarks from the other side of the aisle about the results of the primary and this override session being related to those results cannot be further from the truth. It has never been about providing a single candidate with more money; it is about all future elections and all future aspiring candidates who don’t have millions in their personal checking accounts to finance their campaigns and therefore would not have the necessary resources needed to run.

The CEP has been very successful in just a few short years. Special interest money has been removed from campaigns and the playing field has been leveled, thereby creating more opportunities for potential candidates to run for office.

By reducing the cost of the program by $2.3 million dollars from the original version of the CEP, this override will save the state and our taxpayers significant money.

Sincerely,

Linda Gentile
State Representative

From Lawrence Miller and Jason Perillo:

Representatives Lawrence Miller (R‑Shelton, Stratford) and Jason Perillo (R‑Shelton) joined their Republican colleagues today and voted against increased funding for the State’s Citizens Election Program.

Recently, certain provisions of campaign finance reform laws enacted in 2005 were struck down in federal court. The court ruled that prohibiting lobbyists from donating to political campaigns and providing supplemental grants triggered by an opponent’s spending as unconstitutional. 

Today, the Democrat controlled House passed S.B. 551 ​“An Act Concerning Clean Elections” which gives $3 million more in campaign funds to their gubernatorial candidate. The vote was along party lines- 106 – 30 ‑with only one Democrat voting no.

“The fact that this vote benefits only one candidate bothers me, especially considering he has the means to fund his own campaign,” Rep. Perillo said. ​“At a time when the state is facing a record $7 billion deficit the state should be helping taxpayers.”

Rep. Miller agreed, adding ​“I’ve been against this program from the beginning and once again we see its original purpose being perverted to help a candidate that doesn’t actually need it,” Rep. Miller said. ​“The people of this state need jobs and tax relief, they don’t need to be paying for a candidate’s campaign signs.”