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Black Lives Matter wants 132rd District candidate Alexis Harrison to register as a lobbyist. They’d have more credibility if they’d demanded the same from Connecticut housing advocate Sara Bronin and a progressive group she founded which, in very short order, undermined the power of local communities to decide housing policies for themselves.
Three years ago, I filed a complaint with the State Office of Ethics stating Ms. Bronin had violated major provisions of the state ethics code. Yet the office refused to investigate on the grounds that while Ms. Bronin’s actions were suspect, they weren’t actionable. What a contrast to the tenacious State Elections Enforcement Commission, which seems intent on pursuing specious claims against Ms. Harrison, one of Ms. Bronin’s most formidable foes.
Ms. Bronin, wife of former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin, founded Desegretate CT in June 2020 for the purpose of “first imagining and then enacting a new vision for local and state land use policies that promotes economic growth, racial inclusivity, and environmental sustainability.” To achieve its goal, the group had to pull housing policy away from the oversight of local planning and zoning committees and give it to Hartford lawmakers and regulators. Within months, DesegregateCT had commandeered housing and land use policy in the state.
State ethics laws require people to register as lobbyists if they expend or receive at least $3,000 for their efforts to sway the administration and state legislators. In her resume, Ms. Bronin, a renowned housing and preservation attorney, boasted that she raised untold sums for “education and advocacy” on behalf of DesegregateCT, authored model legislation, crafted the group’s highly polished and coordinated media campaign, and provided many hours of expert legal counsel. She personally testified as an expert on behalf DesegregateCT and its favored bills. State Rep. Tony Wang in a March 15, 2021, hearing called her “one off the most effective lobbyists that I have ever encountered in my 12 years in the General Assembly.”
Any one of these services would have racked up tens of thousands of dollars in professional fees for Desegregate CT– certainly more than $3,000. In aggregate, their value was incalculable.
And yet, the Ethics Office gave the well-connected Desegregation Gidget a pass. The ethics enforcement officer overseeing my complaint said that because neither Ms. Bronin nor DesegregateCT traded cold, hard cash for services, Ms. Bronin was merely exercising her rights as a private citizen to advocate for her pet cause.
Despite Ms. Bronin’s flagrant abuse of state ethics rules, BLM-Hartford somehow believes it’s Alexis Harrison who must register. “We really feel segregation Barbie should answer about why she’s failed to register as a lobbyist with the ethics committee or pay the fees required,” the group recently posted on X about Ms. Harrison.
These days, Ms. Bronin chairs a federal advisory council for historic preservation in Washington, D.C.. But her Connecticut allies press on. Incumbent state Rep. Jennifer Leeper is incensed that CT169 Strong, the local-zoning advocacy group Harrison helped found, has called attention to her yea vote for the so-called “Work, Live, Ride” bill. The legislation failed, allowing cities to dodge yet another law designed to impose top-down zoning requirements on our towns. In response, Ms. Leeper has done what all other Democrats do when their records are challenged -- sic a state enforcement agency on her opponent. Perhaps Ms. Leeper should try defending her vote.
Full disclosure: I have testified once or twice for bills endorsed by CT169Strong. Also, Ms. Harrison is a friend, whom I admire for her warmth, intelligence, and work ethic; I don’t know anyone with more integrity. The citizens of the 132nd would do themselves a great service by sending her to Hartford.
Faith Ham
Cheshire, CT
The Connecticut Centinal has obtained a copy of the Client Lobbyist Registration for the CT169 Strong Corporation which clearly identifies Alexis Harrison as the responsible person.
