Thomas Gaffey

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Thomas P. Gaffey
Connecticut Senator from the 13th District
In office 1995 – present
Preceded by	Amelia Mustone
Constituency	represents Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, and Middletown

Born	January 10, 1958(1958-01-10) Meriden, Connecticut
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Kathleen Gaffey
Residence	Meriden

Thomas P. Gaffey is an American politician. Gaffey, a Democrat, has been a state senator from Connecticut since 1995.

Gaffey, a resident of Meriden, represents the towns of Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, and Middletown in the Connecticut Senate.

Gaffey was born in Meriden and graduated from Southern Connecticut State University. He was appointed in the fall of 2005 to serve as Chief Deputy Majority Leader by Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney and Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr., and currently serves in the position.

Gaffey also serves as an executive with the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. [1] In 2002, he was linked to meetings with failed energy firm Enron [2]. He was also cited that year for spending over $10,000 in personal expenses on his authority expense account, and failing to make timely reimbursement [3]

In 2006 Gaffey and fellow Democrat Donald Williams spearheaded legislation intended to address childhood obesity in Connecticut. The legislation has however been derided by parents in Gaffey's own district as the "cupcake bill" by those who find it a government intrusion into parental rights and responsibilities, as local schools have banned children from bringing sweets into school for birthday parties

In March 2008 New Haven schools enforced this policy by suspending an eighth grader for selling a classmate skittles [4] In May 2008, a principal in Greenwich was suspended in a dispute over bringing cupcakes to school. [5]

In 2007 Gaffey proposed that the Governor's power to appoint the Commissioner of Education be limited. Allies of Governor Jodi Rell labelled the proposal an attempted power grab. That year Gaffey also opposed efforts to increase education aid to suburban school districts, even those represented by fellow Democrats, in favor of adding more funds to urban districts. His response to complaints from suburban legislators was "Like everything else in those districts, that is rich!" [6] Gaffey has also clashed with leaders of his local school board over the installation of artificial turf [7]

In November 2007 Gaffey suggested that the state had to impose a more stringent school integration plan on suburbs in the Hartford region. "The notion that we're going to get a better result by voluntary programs is ridiculous," said state Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, co-chairman of the legislature's education committee. "We need to shift away from the model of remedy that the state has been pursuing for years. The district is as racially isolated today as it was 10 years ago. It suggests you need to do something different." [8]

Another Gaffey initiative was a bill that banned most out-of-school suspensions. Educators were unsure how they could comply with the law [9]

In 2008 Gaffey did break with party leadership to support a Three Strikes Law to give life sentences to career violent criminals supported by Governor M. Jodi Rell; perhaps as the town of Cheshire is in his district and its 2007 home invasion prompted the bill.

Thomas P. Gaffey also has three kids.They are wonderful. A 2005 decision by the Connecticut Appellate Court upheld Gaffey's argument in his divorce trial he should pay them less in child support than state guidelines recommended [10] All three grew up in Meriden, Connecticut. Thomas P. Gaffey has a mother Joyce and a father Marty, who was in the war.

[edit] CSU bonding scandal

On December 2, 2007 Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie detailed Gaffey's efforts on behalf of a billion dollar bonding proposal from the Connecticut State University system; which he promoted while being involved in an alleged affair with the then married university administrator lobbying for the proposal [11]. Much of Rennie's story detailed personal communication between Gaffey and his alleged paramour over state e-mail accounts. On December 3, 2007, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney and Republican State Chairman Chris Healy demanded an investigation into whether Gaffey's conduct violated state ethics rules [12] The Democratic senate caucus was split on the need to investigate, with Fairfield County Democrats Andrew McDonald and Bob Duff suggesting an investigation was needed,[13] while Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. flatly rejected the idea. [14] On December 7, the Hartford Courant's editorial page called on Gaffey to be censured for his role in this affair [15]

Both Gaffey and Rennie had stories in the December 9, 2007 Courant. Gaffey said there had been nothing improper in his relationship with the university lobbyist, citing his record of support for state colleges. [16] Rennie's article outlined alleged self-dealing by Gaffey, including getting Final Four basketball tickets from the university at a low price and using his political action committee to pay personal expenses [17]

On December 11, Democratic senators proposed ethics reforms for the legislature. They denied it was done in response to the Gaffey scandal [18] On December 14, Gaffey asked Williams to be reassigned off the committee responsible for oversight of CSU [19] One Democratic senator, Edith Prague, defended Gaffey, asserting "He didn't steal anything" [20]

Republican Tim Lenox is challenging Gaffey in the November 2008 election [21]