What a Long, Strange Journey Indeed
This article was originally published by CTNewsJunkie on July 11, 2010
In February 2008, just two days before the Republican Presidential Preference Primary in Connecticut, Arizona Senator John McCain came to Sacred Heart University in Fairfield to rally his supporters. Amid his remarks, Sen. McCain told the old joke: “Two prisoners are in the chow line. One turns to the other and says, “The food was a lot better when you were governor.””
For the crowd of Connecticut Republicans, it was a bit of unintended gallows humor.
It’s been six years since the resignation of John G. Rowland as Governor of the State of Connecticut. In the intervening period, he’s done a stint in a federal prison, worked as a motivational speaker, and now serves as an economic development official in Waterbury. This week the former Governor marked a bit of a return to the political arena as a three-day fill-in for Jim Vicevich on WTIC 1080AM’s “Sound Off Connecticut” weekday morning radio show.
No doubt many of the listeners tuning in were driven by what the Governor himself characterized as “morbid curiosity”. But those tuning in couldn’t help but be reminded why Rowland was, in his heyday, as successful as he was.
Alongside his friend and advisor Rev. Will Marotti, Mr. Rowland rolled with ease from topics such as the State Party Convention process to traffic patterns in Waterbury and Sweet Pea Pizza at Hartford’s First & Last Tavern .
Bypassing the more esoteric topics often examined by talk radio, the duo honed in the upcoming primary elections by interviewing the candidates and pressing issues like education funding and balancing the state budget. In addition to being interesting, it was a good use of time.
Mr. Rowland mixed moments of incredible sharpness with some understandable rust. He had a solid grasp on the nuances of the state’s post-Rowland public financing system with State GOP Chair Chris Healy but stumbled a bit to piece together the last six years of Democratic Lt. Governor Mary Glassman’s activities.
He criticized the State’s $3 million handout to Oakleaf Waste Management so that the corporation can move their HQ from East Hartford to Windsor, but as the Hartford Courant pointed out, Mr. Rowland engaged in similar activity when he was Governor . Incidentally, this same conversation was later described in other media outlets as “Rowland Hammers Rell”. In truth, he quite mildly suggested that listeners call the Governor’s office to voice their opinion.
Rowland bemoaned the fact that no one pays attention to politics during the middle of the summer, and opined that the State Party Conventions should be scrapped for a direct primary in June. He apparently didn’t remember that the Governor who signed the bill moving party primaries from September to August was, well, John Rowland .
If there was a takeaway point to be gleaned from nine hours of Gov. Rowland powered by 50,000 watts, it was that his effectiveness as a communicator of ideas has not diminished in the years since he departed the Governor’s Mansion. He articulated the merits of free enterprise, economic development, and common sense in budgeting with considerable talent.
His return to prominence also hastens reminders about why the feelings surrounding Mr. Rowland seem to still be strong, even six years removed from his downfall. He broke the public trust, which is no easy thing to forget or to forgive.
Given the scope of the state’s problems and his decades of experience with them, though, it makes sense that the former Governor would reapply his talents toward improving the state again. It certainly made for good radio.
