The Governor’s Commission on the Reform of the Department of Transportation announced that its much-anticipated recommendations, due to be submitted to Governor Rell today, will be delayed until the first part of January.
A short statement on ConnDOT’s webpage, as well as subsequent news reports, indicate that the Commission postponed its meeting this past Friday, at which members were to approve the final report.
The announcement followed the surprise resignation of Commissioner Ralph Carpenter last week, and the subsequent appointment of former commissioner Emil Frankel as the interim Commissioner. There is no word on when a permanent replacement will be appointed by the Governor.
According to the New Haven Register, “some DOT officials speculated that release of the reform report was delayed to avoid giving the impression that Carpenter was leaving as a result of its recommendations.” The Governor’s office has denied this.
Whatever the cause of the delay, the Tri-State Campaign continues to urge the Reform Commission to consider the four-point agenda supported by advocates, business groups, and progressive legislators, as argued in an op-ed in yesterday’s Hartford Courant.
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