Former Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Foley Testifying Monday At State Capitol

Former gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley, who lost to Democrat Dannel Malloy in the closest Connecticut gubernatorial election in more than 50 years, will be testifying Monday at the state Capitol complex.

Foley, a Greenwich business executive, will testify on Senate Bill 727, which would make it a crime for any state employee or elected official to receive more than $1,000 per year from a lobbying group, public employee union or state contractor. The crime would be punishable as a Class D felony.

“Connecticut shouldn’t need this law because our public officials should voluntarily reject payments to them that would even appear to affect their impartiality on public policy matters,” Foley said in a statement. “But many of them don’t.  Those who don’t would be guilty of a serious crime if this law passes – and they should be.”

He added, “The cozy relationships and self-dealing in our Capitol have gone on far too long, earning us the name ‘Corrupticut.’  We need to stop it.  Taking a bribe isn’t okay, even if it isn’t against the law.  Our state needs to be run for the benefit of its hardworking citizens, not political insiders.  Watch carefully how our legislators vote on this bill because a vote against SB 727 is a vote for continued corruption in our Capitol.”

The hearing by the Government Administration and Elections Committee starts at 11 a.m. at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Foley has said several times that he expects to be running in the 2014 gubernatorial election.