Fasano Seeks to Temporarily Remove Bates from Secretary of the State’s Office

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) today wrote to Secretary of the State Denise Merrill to ask that she temporarily remove Deputy Secretary Scott Bates from the Office of the Secretary of the State in light of recent public allegations regarding Mr. Bates’ role in the Connecticut Port Authority.

Recent allegations include questionable purchases, contracts, and employment decisions made by Mr. Bates while he served as chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority’s board of directors.

“Until we have a full accountability of what happened, you ought not to have an individual associated with such significant breaches of the public trust associated with one of the most sacred objects of public trust, the public vote,” Fasano wrote.

“The public needs to have absolute confidence in the Secretary of the State’s Office. While the administration is continuing to investigate ongoing concerns within the Connecticut Port Authority allegedly involving Mr. Bates, I believe it would be most appropriate to temporarily remove Mr. Bates from your office in order to eliminate any concerns regarding the operations of the Secretary of the State’s Office.”

Full letter from Sen. Fasano to Secretary Merrill is below and attached.

August 20, 2019
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill:

Given the recent public allegations regarding the Connecticut Port Authority involving questionable purchases, contracts, and employment decisions, I believe the Office of the Secretary of the State needs to closely reconsider its employment of Deputy Secretary Scott Bates, a former board member and chairman of the Authority. The recent allegations involving Mr. Bates raise serious concerns and have damaged public confidence.

The public needs to have absolute confidence in the Secretary of the State’s Office. While the administration is continuing to investigate ongoing concerns within the Connecticut Port Authority allegedly involving Mr. Bates, I believe it would be most appropriate to temporarily remove Mr. Bates from your office in order to eliminate any concerns regarding the operations of the Secretary of the State’s Office.

As you are aware, some of the publicly reported issues within the Port Authority that have come to light in recent weeks include:

• Questionable consulting and marketing deals that benefited associates of Scott Bates, chairman of CPA’s board of directors from 2016 to 2019.
• Questionable interior-decorating payments that appear to have benefited a friend of the CPA Executive Director.
• Mr. Bates, as chairman, authorized the approximately $3,000 purchase of photos taken by the daughter of board member Bonnie Reemsnyder.
• Mr. Bates stepped down as chairman in June but remained a board member until Aug. 9, when the controversies forced him to resign.

Mr. Bates’ role within the Port Authority is plagued by controversial decision making that has severely jeopardized public trust. It is not in the best interest of the state to allow Mr. Bates to continue serving such an important role within the administration when so many questions have yet to be answered. Until we have a full accountability of what happened, you ought not to have an individual associated with such significant breaches of the public trust associated with one of the most sacred objects of public trust, the public vote.

Your office has described Mr. Bates’ role within the Secretary of the State’s office as one with many responsibilities including overseeing the creation of the state’s Cybersecurity Task Force, the complete reorganization of the office to save taxpayer money, and travelling to each of Connecticut’s 169 towns to meet with the town clerks and registrars of voters. A role this important must be filled by someone who is trusted by all and bolsters public confidence.

At a time when so many controversies and scandals are surrounding Mr. Bates, it would be in the best interest of our state to remove him from these responsibilities until all questions are answered and we all know the full scope and nature of the issues within the Port Authority. This is especially important as primary and municipal election season is imminently upon us.

At this time, the cloud of suspicion that surrounds Mr. Bates is now casting a shadow on your office as well. An office that is responsible for objectively overseeing all elections needs to be extremely cautious about public perception and public trust. That is why I am calling on your office to take action today.

Sincerely,
Len Fasano