Community Corner
Mayor Drew Calls out Foley for What he Considers Lies and Hypocrisy
The Democratic mayor of Middletown penned a piece in the Journal Inquirer this weekend in response to the Greenwich millionaire's criticism of Gov. Malloy's finance reform legislation.
Middletown Mayor Dan Drew fired back at former Republican candidate for governor Tom Foley in Saturday's Journal Inquirer after the Greenwich millionaire's commentary that criticized the governor's campaign finance reform law and the Democratic party for politically motivated contributions.
Drew's Jan. 4 piece in the Journal Inquirer and the Connecticut Post, "Foley contradicts his own record," responds to Foley's Dec. 30 op-ed, "Make it illegal again to extort state government contractors," which calls donations from the likes of state government contractors, lobbyists and other organizations "tainted" for their ulterior motives.
Drew pulls no punches in his editorial, refuting Foley's charge that donation rules were loosened by the law and enumerates what he considers false allegations and hypocritical actions.
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The Democratic mayor harshly worded commentary includes references to Foley's 1981 traffic incident, his suspected "unscrupulous" actions while employed by the Bush administration, and a $15,000 fine levied by the State Elections Enforcement Commission after the Republican registered a political action committee out of state during his race for the governor's office.
In a mid-September appearance on WFSB's Face the State, Drew writes, Foley went after state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty, state Supreme Court justice Andrew McDonald and one-time Malloy senior adviser Roy Occhiogrosso in "unsubstantiated accusations" of criminal activity.
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Drew's letter concludes, "He has emerged in Connecticut politics as a hybrid of Joe McCarthy and Mitt Romney, a patrician demagogue flinging baseless accusations and right-wing bromides in pursuit of the singular goal of being elected governor. Diverting from that path — even if it’s good for the people of Connecticut — will not serve his ambition and wouldn’t be consistent with his record."
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