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HARTFORD, Conn. A powerful Republican lawmaker from Norwalk wants the Democratic governor to butt out of a state Supreme Court case that could determine who represents southern Fairfield County in Congress after next Novembers election.
State Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero, R-Norwalk, co-chairman of the legislatures Reapportionment Commission, is calling on Gov. Dannel Malloy to withdraw from the congressional redistricting case now before the court.
Cafero, House minority leader, said Malloy should not be involved in any way because the governors action "smacks" of undue influence in the case.
Malloy filed a brief to the Supreme Court last week along with Democrats and Republicans on the commission after the panel failed to meet its Dec. 21 deadline for coming up with a map that redraws congressional lines. On Jan. 5, the court will assign the matter to a Special Master, who must decide the case by Feb. 15.
Cafero said he is troubled by Malloys actions.
The governor has no existing role to play under the State Constitution. This is clearly a political process that is laid out for the legislature and the commission, said Cafero. I think his [Malloys] intervention now smacks of potential undue influence with the Supreme Court. He has stated publicly he vehemently opposes the Republican redistricting proposals.
As part of the once-a-decade update of voting districts, state Republicans led by Cafero proposed moving Bridgeport out of the 4th Congressional District and into the 3rd District with New Haven.
Democrats were strongly opposed, saying the purely political plan by the GOP would greatly reduce minority representation in Bridgeport, and also jeopardize the re-election of U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, a Greenwich Democrat.
Himes won election in the 4th District in 2008 and 2010 with overwhelming voter support in heavily Democratic Bridgeport, the state's largest city, and Stamford, another Democratic stronghold.
In the end, Bridgeport was not the issue that kept the two sides from reaching a deal, but rather a disagreement over other districts, Cafero said.
Andrew McDonald, general counsel to the governor, said Malloys involvement in the case at this point is justified.
"Rep. Cafero is simply mistaken, McDonald said. Connecticut's Constitution specifically provides that once the commission that Rep. Cafero co-chaired failed to fulfill its obligations, 'any registered voter' could participate in the Supreme Court proceedings. The governor had urged members of the commission to get this job done.
Now that it is [before] the Supreme Court, he [Malloy] intends to advocate for a redistricting plan that is fair to all of Connecticut's citizens and is accomplished within the timelines set forth in the constitution. We will not be withdrawing from the case," McDonald said.
Cafero, however, noted that the governor earlier this month urged the nine-member commission made up of five Democrats and four Republicans to settle the issue because as he said, they have the votes.
The governor waded into the middle of the process before it went to the high court and urged the majority Democrats to take an unprecedented step and vote 5-4 to approve their plan, Cafero said. But the governor [is] specifically excluded from the reapportionment process.
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