Ethics Mess

Today John Rowland gave his first speech since he left prison.

"It seems like just yesterday I was at the White House staying in the Lincoln bedroom and everything was wonderful," he said. "And then almost overnight I'm standing in line for toilet paper at a prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania." (AP)

How quickly the mighty fall, and all over a scandal involving ethics in state government.

Someone ought to tell Lisa Moody that.

A copy of an ethics memo, central to a legislative committee's investigation of fund-raising violations by top Rell administration officials, bears notations in the apparent handwriting of gubernatorial chief of staff M. Lisa Moody - raising questions about Moody's sworn testimony that she didn't read the memo.

Word of the existence of the hand-edited draft of the May 2005 memo - obtained Friday by The Courant, a day after the governor's office said it had no such document in its files - prompted a legislative leader to say that he'll ask his committee to consider requesting a criminal investigation into whether Moody perjured herself or obstructed the legislative investigation.

"It now appears that Lisa Moody has lied under oath to the legislature, has perjured herself, and, and effectively has obstructed the legislative process," said state Rep. Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the government administration and elections committee. (Lender)

Governor. Please. For the good of the state, ask for the resignations of both Lisa Moody and Jeffrey Garfield. Both of them have done far more harm to the state and to the credibility of state government than should be allowed, especially in an administration that has made ethics such a high priority. Both lied to the legislature in one form or another. They should go. Period.

Surely there must be many good, decent and honest people in Connecticut who are qualified to do their jobs. Governor, please find those people and replace Moody and Garfield with them. It's the right thing to do.

If they don't, then we've really learned nothing from our experience with John Rowland.

Sources

Lender, Jon. "Memo's Changes Point To Moody." Hartford Courant 1 July, 2006.

"Former Conn. governor makes his first speech after prison." Associated Press 1 July, 2006.