Thomas Gaffey

Infobox_Politician
name = Thomas P. Gaffey

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caption =
birth_date = birth date|1958|1|10|mf=y
birth_place = Meriden, Connecticut
residence = Meriden
death_date =
death_place =
office = Connecticut Senator from the 13th District
salary =
term_start = 1995
term_end = present
predecessor = Amelia Mustone
successor = Incumbent
party = Democrat
religion =
constituency = represents Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, and Middletown
majority =
spouse =
children =
website =
footnotes =

Thomas P. Gaffey is an American politician. Gaffey, a Democrat, has been a state senator from Connecticut since 1995.

Gaffey, a resident of Meriden, represents the towns of Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, and Middletown in the Connecticut Senate.

Gaffey was born in Meriden and graduated from Southern Connecticut State University. He was appointed in the fall of 2005 to serve as Chief Deputy Majority Leader by Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney and Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr., and currently serves in the position.

Gaffey also serves as an executive with the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. [http://www.tomgaffey.com/about/default.asp] In 2002, he was falsely linked to meetings with failed energy firm Enron [http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4099654&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6] . He was also cited that year for spending over $10,000 in personal expenses on his authority expense account, and failing to make timely reimbursement, but later exonerated and in fact, issued a CRRA check for more than $1,600 to repay amounts reimbursed in excess. [http://www.conntact.com/archive_index/archive_pages/15_Business_New_Haven.html]

In 2006 Gaffey supported legislation spearheaded by fellow Democrat Donald Williams intended to address childhood obesity in Connecticut. The legislation was however derided by opponents as the "cupcake bill." As of August, 2008, more than 63% of eligibile school districts have enrolled in the program.

In March 2008 New Haven schools enforced this policy by suspending an eighth grader for selling a classmate skittles [http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-12055344.apds.m0833.bc-ct--skitmar12,0,6101591.story] In May 2008, a principal in Greenwich was suspended in a dispute over bringing cupcakes to school. [http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-30110731.apds.m0339.bc-ct--cupcmay30,0,147001.story]

In 2007 Gaffey proposed that the Governor's power to appoint the Commissioner of Education be limited. Allies of Governor Jodi Rell labelled the proposal an attempted power grab. That year Gaffey also opposed efforts to increase education aid to suburban school districts, even those represented by fellow Democrats, in favor of adding more funds to urban districts. His response to complaints from suburban legislators was "Like everything else in those districts, that is rich!" [http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-education0331.artmar31,0,7288560.story?track=rss] Gaffey has also clashed with leaders of his local school board over the installation of artificial turf [http://www.record-journal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=18198945&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592709&rfi=6]

In November 2007 Gaffey suggested that the state had to impose a more stringent school integration plan on suburbs in the Hartford region. "The notion that we're going to get a better result by voluntary programs is ridiculous," said state Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, co-chairman of the legislature's education committee. "We need to shift away from the model of remedy that the state has been pursuing for years. The district is as racially isolated today as it was 10 years ago. It suggests you need to do something different." [http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-sheff1105.artnov05,0,2213459.story]

Another Gaffey initiative was a bill that banned most out-of-school suspensions. Educators were unsure how they could comply with the law [http://www.zwire.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=18755273&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592709&rfi=6]

In 2008 Gaffey did break with party leadership to support a Three Strikes Law to give life sentences to career violent criminals supported by Governor M. Jodi Rell; perhaps as the town of Cheshire is in his district and its 2007 home invasion prompted the bill.

Thomas P. Gaffey also has three children. They are wonderful. In 2005 the Connecticut Appellate Court denied the Senator's ex-wife's request for increased child support [http://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROap/AP91/91AP467.pdf] All three grew up in Meriden, Connecticut. Thomas P. Gaffey has a mother Joyce and a father Marty, who was in the war.

CSU bonding scandal

On December 2, 2007 Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie detailed Gaffey's efforts on behalf of a billion dollar bonding proposal from the Connecticut State University system; which he promoted while being romantically involved with the university administrator lobbying for the proposal [http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-commentaryrennie1202.artdec02,0,5991626.story] . Much of Rennie's story detailed personal communication between Gaffey and his girlfriend over state e-mail accounts. On December 3, 2007, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney and Republican State Chairman Chris Healy demanded an investigation into whether Gaffey's conduct violated state ethics rules [http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-gaffey1204.artdec04,0,5407593.story?coll=hc_tab01_layout] The Democratic senate caucus was split on the need to investigate, with Fairfield County Democrats Andrew McDonald and Bob Duff suggesting an investigation was needed, [http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nickerson7dec05,0,6573355.story] while Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. flatly rejected the idea. [http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctnogaffeyprobe1206.artdec06,0,1830720.story] On December 7, the Hartford Courant's editorial page called on Gaffey to be censured for his role in this affair [http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-gaffey.artdec07,0,6564320.story] , despite a letter from the Office of State Ethics refuting all conflict of interest allegations.

Both Gaffey and Rennie had stories in the December 9, 2007 Courant. Gaffey said there had been nothing improper in his relationship with the university lobbyist, citing his record of support for state colleges. [http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/op_ed/hc-gaffey1209.artdec09,0,2907978.story] Rennie's article alleged self-dealing by Gaffey, including getting Final Four basketball tickets from the university at a low price and using his political action committee to pay personal expenses, none of which was true. http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-rennie1209.artdec09,0,810870.column]

On December 11, Democratic senators proposed ethics reforms for the legislature. They denied it was done in response to the Gaffey scandal [http://ctlocalpolitics.net/2007/12/11/senate-dems-plan-on-ethics] On December 14, Gaffey asked Williams to be reassigned off the committee responsible for oversight of CSU [http://www.myrecordjournal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=19116343&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592708&rfi=6] One Democratic senator, Edith Prague, defended Gaffey, asserting "He didn't steal anything" [http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2007/12/sen-edith-pragu.html]

Republican Tim Lenox is challenging Gaffey in the November 2008 election [http://www.myrecordjournal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=19717029&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592708&rfi=6]

External links

* [http://senatedems.ct.gov/Gaffey.html Official website]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
before=Amelia Mustone
title=Connecticut Senator from the Thirteenth District
years=1995–present
after=incumbent