Around 2 p.m. the Republican House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk and Senate Minority Leader Louis DeLuca, R-Woodbury, stormed up to the Capitol Press Room to tell the media Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, walked out of budget negotiations once he saw them sitting at the table with representatives from the governor’s office.
Cafero said Amann was told they were coming and walked out the backdoor as we were on our way in. DeLuca said there’s “one and half days left and we’re not that far apart. I don’t know what the problem is.”
Keep reading to find out the problem.
Amann’s spokesman Larry Perosino said he was with Amann who happened to be walking out when Republicans were walking in. He said Amann’s exit had nothing to do with the Republicans.
But Republicans were left with the impression that Amann wasn’t ready to meet with them, Cafero said.
Sources have said that last night Democratic leaders gave the Governor’s Budget Secretary Robert Genuario their negotiating positions on the budget and expected him to return last night with answers from the governor’s office. But there was no answer when they adjourned near midnight. Sources said the governor’s chief of staff M. Lisa Moody was too busy spinning a Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities complaint filed against her to give Genuario an answer in response to the Democratic position.
Cafero said the best case scenario now is to have a potential budget agreement in principle before the session is over midnight Wednesday.
DeLuca again refused to answer questions about his potential resignation. “I’m here to address the people’s business,” he said. Will you step down at the end of session? “I haven’t made a decision,” DeLuca said.
