State Ethics Official Faces Possible Suspension

HARTFORD (AP) — The executive director of the State Ethics Commission faces a possible two-week suspension without pay for criticizing then-Gov John G. Rowland last month, The Hartford Courant reported Wednesday.

The commission has told Executive Director Alan S. Plofsky it plans to suspend him for comments he made about Mr Rowland at a League of Women Voters meeting in Litchfield on June 3, the newspaper reported, citing sources it did not identify.

Mr Plofsky has responded by hiring a prominent labor and employment law attorney, Gregg Adler, to contest the proposed discipline, which could result in Mr Plofsky losing more than $4,000 in pay and receiving a written reprimand.

“He has retained me to represent him in this matter,” Mr Adler told the newspaper.

Mr Adler said Mr Plofsky has not been given due process rights, including proper notice that discipline was being considered and the chance to argue against it with help from a legal representative.

Mr Plofsky declined to comment Tuesday.

Rosemary Giuliano, chairwoman of the commission that oversees Mr Plofsky and the rest of the staff at the Hartford-based ethics agency, did not return a telephone call.

Mr Plofsky played a prominent role in legal interpretations involving questions of Mr Rowland’s ethics during the six months of public scandal that led to the governor’s resignation last Thursday.

The League of Women Voters invited Mr Plofsky to speak to its members last month about the state of ethics in Connecticut.

During the speech, Mr Plofsky predicted Mr Rowland would not be governor for much longer. He also said Mr Rowland had engaged in “lies” and “deliberate” ethical violations since 1997.

Mr Plofsky also said Mr Rowland’s attempts to restrict the ethics agency’s budget and operations amounted to “obstruction of justice” at a time when his administration was under criminal investigation.

The disciplinary issue may come up at the commission’s next meeting on Friday.