The Connecticut Citizens' Election Program handed the first election grants to qualified candidates at a press conference Tuesday that included some of the state's most prominent elected officials.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, House Majority Leader Rep. Chris Donovan, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and many other officials were on hand to celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited campaign finance reform.

"We expect that we will be changing the face of the elections in CT for good and yes forever. These reforms make Connecticut a national leader in electoral reforms and in fact I believe we are a model for the rest of the nation."

So far, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission, 145 candidates have opted into the program, though that number is expected to significantly increase in the coming weeks. CT News Junkie wrote:

This morning I was privileged to address the Connecticut State Convention of Missionary Baptists.  There, in a room of about 200 people, I was the lone white person - talking to a huge crowd who came to the convention to discuss their religion, praise God, and commune with fellow Baptists.  I was nervous beforehand.  Would these good people really want to listen to a white activist talking about something that had nothing to do with their convention or mission?  I had confidence that I would be politely received, but was unsure whether I could generate any enthusiasm for the program.

So now that the Citizens' Election Program is available in Connecticut, we are on the road to creating a level playing field in Connecticut politics.  Hopefully more and more candidates will run under the CEP program, following the great state of Maine where about 84% of candidates now  run "clean".  But in order to get to that point, there is work to be done. Most of you have read blog entries about Clean Elections, and probably feel familiar with the program at this point.  But there is a large proportion of the citizens at large who (shockingly!) don't hang here on the blogs or who are not part of CT politics inner circles.  As well, even people who know about the program have lots of questions and concerns.  So our task over the next six months is to SPREAD THE WORD.  

What can you do?  Help us!  First of all, know that Common Cause organizers are available to come speak about the Citizens' Election Program to whatever group invites us.  We never say no to an invitation to speak!  Do you know of any groups that would benefit from this?  Tell them to give us a call and invite us to speak.  In order for the CEP program to be really useful, people from all walks of life need to learn about it.  In order to cut down on the number of uncontested races in the state, people need to find out that the playing field has been leveled, and anyone can run.

You're busy you say?  I know - me too.  Work, kids, spouse, etc , etc .  Plus, this is a Presidential year, so everyone is out stumping for his or her  favorite - and of course that is a very good thing.

Some people have expressed concerns about where the funding comes from for Connecticut's new Citizens' Election Program.  With middle class families really feeling the pinch in this economy, it is quite reasonable for people to worry about yet another potential tax burden.  Fortunately, the smart people who crafted this law already thought of that.  The funding for the Citizens' Election program comes not out of taxpayer dollars, but from the Citizens' Election Fund, which is made solvent by the sale of property from the state's abandoned property fund.  Not only that - if you feel as strongly as I do that Clean Elections will level the playing field and play a part in stopping the influence of money in politics, you can also donate to the fund through the Connecticut Citizens' Election website .

We spend money on public education, teaching high school students about civics.  We need to make sure that money is well spent by providing new voters with good candidates to chose from.  We need to make sure the education doesn't end at the high school doors, but that everyone gets the opportunity to learn from candidates about the issues, funded by a strong Citizens' Election Program.

As someone who ran for office in the past and lost to an extremely well funded incumbent, I know first hand how difficult it is for a relatively unknown candidate to raise funds and get people to hear about the issues. There is a great pool of talented people here in Connecticut who could contribute a great deal as a legislator but who won't run because they can't conceive of dialing for the number of dollars it takes to run a successful campaign.  Now any qualified candidate who can meet the threshold of small dollar support from their district can run.  It is my hope and expectation that this will go a long way to broaden our pool of candidates in Connecticut and enable people from a wider variety of backgrounds and walks of life to represent us at the State House.

Follow the money.  Any time there is a whiff of corruption in government, someone says "follow the money and you'll find the problem."  Too often, that someone is right.  Every day we hear about major contributors gaining too much access and having to strong a role in writing policy.  The truth is that money is power right now in politics.  Candidates spend excessive amounts trying to get elected.  Men and women newly elected to Congress can't do their jobs effectively because as soon as they are elected, they have to turn right around and start raising money to get re-elected.  Just so they can start the cycle over again.

What can we do?  Well, we are incredibly lucky here in Connecticut, because a bunch of very hard working legislators and activists worked together to pass campaign finance reform and set up the Citizens' Election Program.  The legislative elections coming in November will be the first general election to take advantage of this program.  Maine and Arizona instituted similar programs several years ago, and both states have seen great success.  In Arizona, the number of small contributors to gubernatorial campaigns increased by 243% in four years.  In Maine, 84% of the legislature is now "Clean" (having used the Clean Elections program).

So what does this mean for you - the voter sitting at your computer perusing the blogs?  How are you affected?  

Embattled State Sen. Lou DeLuca, who admitted talking to an individual on the fringes of organized crime in an effort to intimidate his granddaughter's boyfriend, has resigned.

The resignation came hours before the Connecticut State Senate was expected to vote on a measure granting a Senate investigative committee subpoena powers in effort to secure an FBI audiotape of DeLuca and an undercover agent. With DeLuca's resignation, the investigative committee voted to end its inquiry.

So, a sad scandal that unfolded five months ago finally ends.

However, there are still so many unanswered questions. What was on the tapes that would apparently prompt DeLuca to resign? Why did he turn to organized crime instead of the multitude of officials he speaks to on a regular basis? What took the state Senate so long in setting up a committee of inquiry? Why wasn't the committee granted subpoena power or the ability to hire an independent counsel? What is the deal with Connecticut and corruption?

At least the people of Connecticut can take comfort that when the voters of the 32nd Senate district elect DeLuca's successor in a January special election, the candidates won't have to rely on campaign contributions bundled by organized crime. They can opt to the Citizens' Election Program, qualify for a $63,750 election grant and be beholden only to the people of Connecticut.

Republican Jason Perillo has won the special election for the 113th House district in Shelton, Conn. - the first election in Connecticut that offered Citizens' Election grants to candidates.

Perillo, who won with 64 percent of the vote, earned the distinction of being the first candidate to qualify for the state's election grants and will now be the first Citizens' Election Program participant to be sworn into office. His opponent, Democrat James Orazietti, also participated in the Citizens' Election Program.

Although it will still be several days before the State Elections Enforcement Commission issues a final determination how well the new Citizens' Election Program worked in the special election, SEEC officials have said no major problems have occurred.