PURA appointee Fonfara's conflicts pose problem, Lamont says

Fine, voting record raise questions about senator involved in deal with PURA chair

A company owned by a key senator in the deal around Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Marrissa Gillett owes the agency more than $1 million in fines, raising questions about a potential conflict. The fine is owed by Wattifi, a non-shuttered third-party energy supplier that was partially owned by Sen. John Fonfara, (D-Hartford). Fonfara’s been at the center of controversy...

PURA appointee Fonfara's conflicts pose problem, Lamont says

A Democratic lawmaker whose company racked up more than $1 million in fines with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will have to undergo further vetting before gaining an appointment he’s seeking with the utilities regulator, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday. Lamont had announced plans last month to appoint Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, to PURA as part of a deal to reappoint the authority’s chairwoman Marissa Gillett for another four-year ter…

CT Lawmaker Eyeing PURA Seat Owes Struggling Ratepayers Over $1 Million

John Fonfara, a Connecticut state senator who’s reportedly a candidate for commissioner on the utility regulatory board, headed a delinquent electric supplier company that owes over $1.1 million to customers who are struggling to pay their electric bills. Staff at the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), alarmed by the company’s mismanagement, recommended its leadership “should not be permitted to engage with the electric supplier marke…

Fonfara is 1-10 on casting/missing votes on Executive and Legislative Nominations. — Daily Ructions

State Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford) has missed more than 90% of the roll call votes this session on the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. Of the 11 votes on nominations cast by committee members, Fonfara voted in only one. On February 20th, the veteran legislator joined his Democratic colleagues in casting his first vote of the year for Public Utilities Regulatory Agency (PURA) chair Marissa Gillett. Since the pandemic, the le…