Middletown mayor: Campaign appeal to city employees not coercion

Middletown Mayor Dan Drew Middletown Mayor Dan Drew Photo: Nicole Alekson / Contributed Photo Photo: Nicole Alekson / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Middletown mayor: Campaign appeal to city employees not coercion 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

MIDDLETOWN — Democratic Mayor Dan Drew is facing mounting criticism for using his office to obtain the private addresses of city employees for campaign contributions in his bid for governor.

The Press has obtained a letter that Drew sent last week to city workers, including police officers and other first responders, requesting $100 donations toward his campaign.

Former federal prosecutor and Democrat Chris Mattei, who has formed an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2018, denounced Drew’s actions.

“What Dan Drew did was wrong - plain and simple. As the elected mayor of Middletown, he used the authority of his office to obtain the confidential information of his subordinates, and then used that authority and information to urge city workers to give money to his campaign. It’s not unreasonable for those workers to think that they now have to donate to his campaign in order to continue or advance their careers,” Mattei said in a press release.

Drew’s request, contained in a Sept. 13 letter, has set off a firestorm of controversy, raising questions about the legality of his actions.

The letters were sent to employees at their home addresses, raising questions among city councilors about how the mayor obtained the home addresses of police officers which, by law, are supposed to be confidential.

In the letter, Drew, who is serving his third term as mayor, begins by saying being mayor “has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”

He continues: “Working alongside dedicated professionals has been a constant reminder of how strong our community is, how good our people are and how much we can achieve by working together towards big goals.

“I want to do for Connecticut what we’ve accomplished together for Middletown. That’s why I decided to run for governor and why I would be so honored if you would make a $100 contribution to my campaign. I know that, with your support — and a lot of hard work — we can do for our state what we’ve done for our community.”

The paragraph asking for contributions appears in bold face and is underlined.

Republican Common Councilor Deb Kleckowski denounced the mayor’s action as “intimidation” of town employees, and said even if it is not illegal, it is unethical. “Shame on the mayor,” Kleckowski said during a telephone conversation Wednesday morning.

“I’m not sure it’s illegal, but it’s darn close,” former mayor and current Council Minority Leader Sebastian Giuliano said Wednesday. “This puts the unions in a very tough position,” Giuliano said, adding the letter “is likely to generate at least as much resentment as it does donations.”

Like Kleckowski, Giuliano focused his attention on how the mayor obtained the home addresses of police officers/dispatchers and firefighters. There are occasions when a mayor should know the addresses of officers who work for the city, Giuliano said, “But this ain’t one of them.

“I don’t know why he thought this was a good idea,” Giuliano said. “I don’t see the upside of this, and the downside is a gaping hole.”

When asked for his initial reaction to the letter, Giuliano said, “I wouldn't have done it.”

Council Majority Leader Thomas J. Serra, a fellow Democrat and former mayor, said he has asked the council clerk to review the city's ethics ordinance (and relevant state statute) to determine the legality of Drew’s letter.

“Even if it's not a violation of the ethics ordinance, it’s inappropriate,” Serra said Wednesday morning. “It was not a good decision to make.”

“This is a very disconcerting situation,” Kleckowski said, noting Drew negotiates the contracts of city employees.

“I feel bad for the City Hall employees,” she said, adding that the letter has made City Hall “a very uncomfortable place to work. They may feel a sense of intimidation: If they don’t make a donation, there might be repercussions.”

“This is wrong. It’s ethically wrong to send a letter targeting town employees,” she said. “People should know better. You know by common sense this is not ethical.”

Throughout the conversation, Kleckowski returned again and again to the issue of how the home addresses of police officers were unmasked.

“It’s very concerning that police officers received these letters at their homes,” she said. “Who gave that campaign those addresses?”

“This is one of those times when, politics aside, residents have to know these type of shenanigans and intimidation tactics have been done and cannot be tolerated,” Kleckowski said.

Joshua Foley, a staff attorney in the compliance division of the State Elections Enforcement Commission, said Wednesday he could not comment on the matter until, and unless, the commission receives a complaint and acts upon it.

“We have a complaint process in which, if we receive a complaint, we would investigate and analyze a complaint before passing judgment on it,” Foley said.

However, Foley did forward a copy of state statute Sec. 9-633, which outlines “illegal practices” and prohibits municipal employees from soliciting contributions from “an individual under the supervision of such employee.”

Drew said, “Campaigns send out letters all the time to all sorts of people. I appreciate when people do make donations, and I understand when people don’t want to make a contribution.”

Drew estimated he sent out “200 to 300” letters to town employees. To date, he has received “a couple of donations,” but added, “It’s still early.”

Drew said he does not believe he has ever sent out letters requesting donations from city employees during any of his previous races for re-election. Drew also said he had received expressions of concern from “a couple of police officers” about whether their personal addresses were released.

He dismissed suggestions of “intimidation,” saying, “There was none of that. The law is always followed, and that’s all there is to it,” Drew said.

“We send out letters all the time, and we always follow the law very carefully,” he said.