★ Courant Endorses Romney

"...

"Highly Competent Manager

"As governor, Mr. Romney had some real accomplishments. To encourage smart growth in a state plagued with sprawl (like Connecticut), Mr. Romney created a super-agency, the Office of Commonwealth Development, to oversee and coordinate the departments of environmental protection, housing and community development, transportation and energy. He appointed Douglas Foy, a longtime environmentalist and head of the Conservation Law Foundation, to direct the agency. It worked well.

"Also, though he speaks of it now like a person confessing a crime, Mr. Romney led the effort to bring near-universal health insurance coverage to the state. It was a highly complex situation: The state was faced with a loss of federal Medicaid funds if it didn't reduce the number of uninsured recipients of health care services. Mr. Romney moved methodically ahead in a bipartisan fashion and got a first-in-the-nation coverage-for-all program through..."

"The Republican governor led the fight to control sprawl and bring more affordable housing to the Bay State with groundbreaking laws and a dramatic reorganization of state agencies. In 2003, he combined transportation, housing, environmental and energy agencies into a super-agency, charged it with stopping runaway suburban growth, then appointed a Democrat environmentalist to run it. By comparison, Connecticut is still nibbling around the edges of smart growth.

"The former venture-capital company CEO and rescuer of the 2002 Winter Olympics also worked with the Democratic legislature to stop job losses and reduce a projected $3 billion budget shortfall. He managed to balance his state's budget without sales or income tax or gas increases. And he streamlined other government agencies — all while maintaining the state's huge accomplishments from a decade of education reforms that put Massachusetts ahead of Connecticut on many academic achievement scores...

"Mark Twain said about Wagner that his music “is better than it sounds.” Mr. Romney is a better leader than his perplexing campaign performance makes him out to be."

Connecticut Political & Business Leaders

That are supporting and working to elect Mitt Romney:

State Leaders:

* The Honorable Tom Foley - fmr. Speaker of the House, U.S. Ambassador

* The Honorable Rob Simmons - Congressman, 2001-2007

* The Honorable Larry DeNardis - Congressman, 1980-1984

* Kevin O'Connor - fmr. Connecticut U.S. Attorney

State Senators:

* Senate Minority Leader John McKinney

* State Senator Toni Boucher

★ State Senator Scott Frantz

* State Senator Rob Kane

* State Senator Michael McLachlan

* State Senator Kevin Witkos

* fmr. State Senator Dan Debicella

* fmr. State Senator Judith Freedman

★ fmr. State Senator Mark Nielsen

State Representatives:

* House Minority Leader Larry Cafero

* State Rep. Mike Alberts

* State Rep. Chris Coufu

* State Rep. Janice Giegler

* State Rep. John Hetherington

* State Rep. Jason Perillo

* State Rep. David Scribner

* State Rep. Terrie Wood

* fmr. State Rep. John Stripp

* fmr. State Rep. Julia Wasserman

City Officials:

★ Mayor Mark Boughton - Danbury

* Mayor Tim Stewart - New Britain

* Mayor Dick Moccia - Norwalk

* Mayor Ryan Bingham - Torrington

* First Selectman Laura Francis - Durham

* First Selectman Michael Pace - Old Saybrook

* First Selectman Tim Herbst - Trumbull

* Selectman Jayme Stevenson - Darien

* Selectman Jerry Nielsen - Darien

* Councilman Corey Brinson - Hartford

Republican State Central Committee Members:

* Diane Generous - Baltic

* Rich Tutunijan - Barkhamsted

* Jennifer Harvey - Bolton

* Bill Jenkins - Chaplin

* Jonathan Gilman - Gilman

* Jane Dauphinais - Groton

* Alex Karsanidi - Ridgefield

* Mike Botelho - Glastonbury

Republican Officials:

* Dick Foley - fmr. Connecticut Republican Party Chairman

* George Gallo - fmr. Connecticut Republican Party Chair

★ John Pavia - Connecticut Finance Committee Chairman

* Jim Campbell - Greenwich Town Chair

* Cindy Varricchio - Portland Town Chairman

* Ed Dadakis - fmr. Chairman, Greenwich

* Mike Doyle - fmr. Chairman, New London

* John Miller - fmr. RNC National Committeeman

Other:

★ Greg Butler - Sr. V.P. and General Council, Northeast Utilities

★ Jay Malcynsky - Attorney; Connecticut Director, Bush for Pres. 2000

* Derek Phelps - Director, External Affairs for Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.

* Gary DeFilippo - Fmr. Commissioner, State Dep. of Motor Vehicles

Senate Minority Leader John McKinney:

“With millions of Americans unemployed, is time for a president who will get people back to work. From his experience in the private sector, Mitt Romney understands what is required to create jobs. As Governor of Massachusetts, he balanced the budget without raising taxes. Washington needs this kind of leadership more than ever.”

House Minority Leader Larry Cafero:

“Connecticut voters are looking for someone who has experience working in the real economy. After three years of failed policies, it is clear that we need a candidate who will defeat President Obama and get America’s fiscal house in order.”

Connecticut Political & Business Leaders

That supported and endorsed Mitt Romney in 2008:

• ★ Mark Boughton - Mayor of Danbury

• Jim Lash - First Selectman of Greenwich,
   Chairman and Founder of Manchester Principal LLC

• David A. Burke - fmr. state GOP Finance Chairman

• ★ Mark Nielsen - fmr. State Senator,
   Assistant General Counsel of the Raytheon Company

• ★ Jay Malcynsky - Managing partner of Gaffney, Bennett & Associates, Inc.

• ★ L. Scott Frantz - President of Haebler Capital

• Bill Harrison - Director, fmr. Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase

• Donald K. Miller - Chairman of Axiom International Investors LLC.

• David Neeleman - Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jet Blue Airways

• Peter Barhydt - President, Aberdeen Associates

• Jim Barnes - CEO, Oakleaf Waste Outsourcing

• ★ Greg Butler - Sr. Vice President & General Counsel, Northeast Utilities

• John J. Donahue - Chairman, NIA/Magellan Health Services

• Scott G. Fossel - Retired, Venture Capital

• Murray S. Kessler - President & CEO, UST Inc.

• Jack E. McGregor - Counsel, Cohen & Wolf, P.C.

• Thomas McInerney - President & CEO, ING Insurance Americas

• J. Barry McMullin - Vice President of Sales, Wasserman Media Group

• Christian L. Oberbeck - Managing Director, Saratoga Partners

• ★ John Pavia - Managing Director, Siena Lane Partners

• Malcolm S. Pray - Retired, Pray Automotive

• Russell S. Reynolds, Jr. - Chairman, Directorship Search Group, Inc.,
   Founder & Former CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates

• George Skakel, CEO, EMG, LLC

* Family Institute's Peter Wolfgang

“I am writing today to tell you of my personal decision to endorse Mitt Romney for President of the United States.

“Three weeks ago I made my first-ever endorsement in a presidential race and it was for Romney’s opponent, Rick Santorum. Even then, I had this to say:

“I am not anti-Mitt Romney. To be a social conservative in southern New England is to contend with Republicans like congressional candidate Andrew Roraback... It is no small thing for Mitt Romney to have broken free of the dark forces that influence the political careers of the Andrew Rorabacks of our region.” ...

“With Connecticut’s presidential primary one week from today—it is time for pro-family voters to focus on the need to defeat President Obama in November...

“Marriage, life and religious liberty—these are the “foundational” issues that I spoke of three weeks ago... We must now coalesce around the only candidate who can defend these foundational values against a President who seems bent on destroying them. In the matter of the 2012 presidential campaign, we must devote ourselves fully to helping elect Mitt Romney as the next President of the United States.

“We can begin by voting for Mitt Romney in Connecticut’s April 24th Republican presidential primary. That is what I intend to do, and I hope you will too.”

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