Another Republican scandal - CT State Senator Lou DeLuca steps down over ties to organized crime

Sen. DeLuca Resigns

Sen. Louis C. DeLuca announced his resignation shortly after 1 p.m. today, ending a 17-year career in the Senate and a five-month controversy over his dealings with James Galante, a trash hauler accused of having ties to organized crime.

DeLuca struggled to remain composed as he read aloud a two-page statement. His wife, Alice, stood by his side, her right hand on his left shoulder.

"For now, I must do what is right for my family, my district and my state. I will retire from the state Senate and resign my office, effective Nov. 30, 2007," he said. Then he thanked his supporters and added, "I love you, and farewell."

http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hcu-delucaresign-1113,0,2349316.story?coll=hc_tab01_layout

CT Dems already have veto-proof majorities in both houses in the state - this just increases the Senate margin by one.

I believe Galante also donated money to Joe Lieberman.

The Hartford Courant reports that James Galante, the trash-hauling businessman with ties to the mob, bundled $14,000 in donations to Joe Lieberman.

http://www.topix.com/city/danbury-ct/2007/10/did-lieberman-get-dirty-money-from-galante

Full story:
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=b5e7f4a5-f8c3-4ca1-8e89-a053d6660ae3

For a Republican, that sounds like a conflict of interest!

After all, one can be loyal to the Bushistas, or to another crime family, surely not both!

the whole party is really an organized crime family.

involved the city of Providence, RI and a traincar full or brand new iron manhole covers.

The city special-ordered a few thousand of these solid cast iron sewer covers and they were loaded onto a train in Pittsburgh. We're talking hundreds of tons of iron.

The train arrives in Providence, but the car containing the iron covers has vanished. VANISHED.

Oh, that's okay, one of the mayor's (Buddy Cianci, known as the Prince of Providence) Italian friends from Connecticut has a company that can fill the order, tout-suite. A week later, they send a train up to Providence stuffed to the rafters with thousands of iron manhole covers, custom-cast with "city of Providence" on them. Wow, that's service!

Amazing what can be accomplished with enough determination and manpower.

Oh, yeah,....

and connections.

DeLuca Resigns From State Senate
DeLuca Ends Fight As Senate Closes In On Tapes

By MARK PAZNIOKAS And CHRISTOPHER KEATING | Courant Staff Writers
November 14, 2007

Facing a growing clamor for his expulsion, Sen. LouisC. DeLuca abruptly resigned Tuesday, ending a 17-year Senate career that came to be defined by a family melodrama and his dealings with an indicted trash hauler, James Galante.

DeLuca notified Senate leaders of his resignation hours before senators were to authorize a special committee to subpoena FBI tapes of conversations DeLuca had with an undercover agent who posed as an associate of Galante.

He ignored the scheduled Senate vote and a looming showdown over the FBI tapes as he announced his resignation at 1 p.m. in an office at the state Capitol that was packed with somber relatives and colleagues.

http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-deluca1114.artnov14,0,529132.story?coll=hc_tab01_layout