McKinney on SEEC NU Decision: “Malloy has a choice to make.”

Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney issued the following statement in response to the State Elections Enforcement Commission’s finding that Northeast Utilities’ CEO didn’t violate the law last year when he solicited $50,000 from subordinates to support re-election of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The SEEC condemned the solicitation as a violation of the law’s “spirit and intent.”

“Under Gov. Malloy, we have some of the highest electricity rates in the nation, and those rates may be hiked again soon,” Sen. McKinney said. “Meanwhile, we have witnessed this pay-to-play shakedown in which Northeast Utilities’ CEO asked managers to contribute money to help Gov. Malloy win re-election. What an insult to ratepayers. The request revealed that our regulated energy market, which is supposed to serve the public’s best interests, is up for sale.

“Clearly, NU’s CEO violated the spirit of our clean election law – a law which was once a model for the country. That historic legislation has become a mockery.

“Gov. Malloy now has a choice to make. He can keep the money he received from NU officials, or he can return it. If he keeps the money, he will place a cloud on our campaign finance system. If he returns it, he will restore some integrity to the system. The ball is in Gov. Malloy’s court. I hope he makes the right choice.

“I also hope Democrats will join with Republicans to repair the holes in our campaign finance laws. Connecticut Democrats passed – and Gov. Malloy signed – the changes to the law in 2013 which made this current abuse possible. The system must be reformed so that this cannot happen again.”