Rowland to Resign

June 21, 2004

Comments

Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland will announce his resignation Monday night, amid a federal corruption investigation and a growing move to impeach him, an administration source told The Associated Press.

The governor was planning to announce his resignation on a live television address to the state at 6 p.m., the source said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Rowland’s resignation would elevate Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell to governor.

Rowland, 47, a Republican easily re-elected to a third term in 2002, admitted late last year that he lied about accepting gifts and favors from friends, state contractors and state employees.

State and federal authorities have been investigating those allegations and a special House committee also has been considering whether to recommend Rowland’s impeachment.

The word comes days after the state Supreme Court ruled that the legislative panel could compel the governor to testify.

Interesting.

UPDATE: CNN has additional details: Lawyer: Rowland to announce resignation

“He’s going to announce his resignation at 6 o’clock,” William Dow III, his personal lawyer, told CNN from his office in New Haven, Connecticut.

The televised address will last six to eight minutes, said Chris Cooper, the governor’s spokesman, who said he could not discuss the subject of the speech.

One response to “Rowland to Resign”

Brendan

June 21, 2004 at 4:56 pm

A tribute to John Rowland, based on Allan Sherman’s “You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie”:

Oh, John G. Rowland was the governor in two-thousand-four
He was worse than John N. Dempsey
He was worse than John Davis Lodge
He was worse than John H. Trumbull
He was the worst since Johnny the First*

John Rowland was living like a king while his corporate friends screwed us rotten
So the people, they told him, “Resign, you jerk,” but the arrogant bastard ignored us for months, and of course we remember his simpering speech, begging that his sins be forgiven and forgotten.

You went the wrong way, Gov’ner Johnny
You made Connecticutians cry
Because you worked out a sweet deal
With the fine folks at Enron
Oh, what a great guy

Now your third term has gone kablooie
And though you may not think it’s fair
This oughta teach you not to be
such a prick — if you weren’t,
maybe someone would care

If you had been a nicer gov,
We’d give you lots more love,
But you were bad, you must admit
So now your ratings are so low,
You’ve finally got to go,
You supercilious, haughty twit

You went the wrong way, Gov’ner Johnny
So clean your desk out, please, and go
Too bad you won’t be here to see
That great big Adrian’s Landing,
You wanted it so

To you, dear John, we say good riddance
You disappointed your whole state
But then what else could we expect
From a governor who thought that
His own sh*t smelled great

You filled your coffers with bribe money
You are a felon, for pete’s sake
And you accepted gifts and favors
Then lied to the public
So give us a break

We’re gonna throw you and your brass
Out on your sorry ass
Don’t plan on a parade through town
No teary-eyed goodbyes
For those who we despise
We chose you and you let us down

So pack your bags, dear Gov’ner Johnny
And say hello to Gov’ner Rell
Your resignation’s long in coming, but thanks,
See ya later, now please go to hell!

—