Hints Of A Rowland Resignation

There are indications that Governor Rowland may be considering resigning.

The Hartford Courant reports:

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's opening of the House impeachment committee's public hearings, Gov. John G. Rowland's chief of staff began quietly talking about the governor's possible resignation, The Courant has learned.

Informed sources say Brian E. Mattiello, Rowland's chief of staff since the late-April resignation of chief of staff/communications director Dean Pagani, called Pagani about two weeks ago and asked if he would help with logistical planning toward a Rowland resignation, possibly this month.

Pagani said no, the sources said. He told The Courant he did not want to comment Tuesday.

It was unclear Tuesday whether Mattiello's queries meant Rowland has been seriously considering resignation, or whether Rowland had authorized the conversation.

Rowland, during a public appearance in Stamford, declined to answer a reporter's questions about possible plans to step down, but he told the Associated Press Tuesday night that he is not resigning.

"I have stated repeatedly that I am not resigning," he said.

Rowland's legal counsel, Ross Garber, declined to comment Tuesday when asked about Mattiello's inquiry.

Mattiello would not come to the phone despite repeated calls.

Gubernatorial press spokesman Chris Cooper did not deny that Mattiello had made the inquiry to Pagani, however. Cooper would not respond when asked why Mattiello had brought up the subject of planning for a Rowland resignation during that conversation.

The pressure is building on Governor Rowland. Two months ago the Courant reported that Governor Rowland's most valuable aides were looking for new jobs:

The loss of either Ryan or Pagani, much less both, would be a blow to the governor.

"First of all, Marc Ryan, his departure at any time, even if Rowland wasn't having other problems, would be a big blow to his administration," said Rep. Robert Farr, R-West Hartford.

[. . .]

"As far as Dean Pagani is concerned, he has been Rowland's main man for quite a while now," Farr said. "He is chief of staff, and chiefs of staff turn over all the time, but Dean Pagani has been much more than that. ... He's been the governor's confidant and spokesperson and everything else."

A week later Pagani, announced he was stepping down as the governor's chief of staff.

Yesterday the first gubernatorial impeachment hearings in Connecticut's history began. The Courant reports:

Steven F. Reich, special counsel to the impeachment committee, stepped to a podium and faced the 10 committee members, who sat in two rows on risers. To his right, sat the governor's legal team of five lawyers, led by Rowland's personal lawyer, William F. Dow III, and Ross Garber, who represents the office of the governor.

The slightly built Reich, who advised Congress during the impeachment of President Clinton, opened a loose-leaf binder and read aloud a nine-page statement that outlined the task ahead.

"Today is another historic step in the process that the House of Representatives undertook in January of this year," Reich said. "Never before has this state conducted an impeachment inquiry relating to its governor, and never before has a committee of the General Assembly faced what you face: a decision whether to recommend that a popularly elected governor be removed from office."

[. . .]

"Impeachment is a remedy for abuses of power, abuses of office or abuses of public trust committed by public officials," he said. "It is designed to protect the citizenry from official misconduct. For that reason, an act need not be criminal to be impeachable."

The committee may rely on individual acts of misconduct to impeach Rowland or the cumulative weight of a pattern of wrongful acts. A pattern may show that acts not seemingly serious by themselves actually were intentional and willful - and therefore impeachable, he said.

"You might also conclude that while a single mistake is forgivable, a pattern of similar mistakes is not," he said.

I still don't think Rowland is ready to quit. As I have posted previously. Rowland is still better off remaining governor. If he had become a private citizen last year, Rowland would have been able to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Now his gubernatorial salary looks good. Staying in office in office provides Rowland greater bargaining power should the federal investigation into his conduct result in charges.

Comments

[Eric]

Johnny isn't going anywhere. Trust me. He's scared shitless and trying to build up all the power he can in that office in case it comes down to federal charges. Remember, resigning his office to escape other charges is a plausible scenario. He can't do that if he has no office to resign.