Connecticut Gov. Rowland Resigns

Gov. John G. Rowland announced his resignation Monday amid a months-long cascade of graft allegations, a federal investigation and a rapidly gathering drive to impeach him for accepting gifts from friends and businessmen.

Rowland, a third-term Republican who was once one of the GOP's rising young stars, became engulfed in scandal in December when he admitted accepting renovations at his lakeside cottage — including a hot tub and new heating system — and lying about it. Other gifts and favors soon came to light.

"I acknowledge that my poor judgment has brought us here," Rowland said, standing on the back lawn of the governor's mansion, his wife Patty by his side.

Rowland, 47, becomes the first U.S. governor in seven years to resign under pressure. His resignation is effective July 1.

Republican Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell will serve the rest of Rowland's term. The next gubernatorial election is in 2006.

State and federal authorities have been investigating the allegations against Rowland, and a special House committee also has been considering whether to recommend Rowland's impeachment.

One longtime friend, a state contractor, bought the governor's Washington condominium at an inflated price through a straw buyer.

Rowland received cigars, champagne, a vintage Ford Mustang convertible, a canoe and free or discounted vacations from employees and friends — including some with state contracts. The FBI was even looking into whether Rowland skimmed money from low-stakes poker games he hosted.

For months, Rowland has insisted he never did anything in exchange for the gifts. But the drumbeat of allegations sent his approval ratings plummeting and led to demands for his resignation from Republicans and Democrats alike.

"The governor has chosen late in this journey to take the honorable road. John Rowland made many bad choices that led us to today's resignation," said House Speaker Moira Lyons, a Democrat. "I am sad that such a gifted and talented leader chose a path of deception and ethical malaise for so long."

The decision effectively brings an end to what was once considered a remarkable political career. Rowland was once the nation's youngest governor — he was 37 when first elected in 1994 — and considered a rising star in the GOP. He is a former chairman of the Republican Governors Association and was rumored to be considered for several positions in the Bush administration.

But 2003 began badly for Rowland and rapidly descended into nightmare.

Last March, Rowland's former deputy chief of staff, Lawrence Alibozek, pleaded guilty to federal charges he steered state business to certain contractors in exchange for gold and cash.

That plea — and the governor's subsequent acknowledgment that a federal grand jury had subpoenaed stacks of documents relating to several major projects and a politically connected contractor — set the stage for a spring and summer of embarrassing revelations about discounted vacations he had taken at homes owned by people doing business with the state.

One of those people was William Tomasso, a principal in the contracting firm under scrutiny by the grand jury.

Rowland paid $9,000 to the state Ethics Commission to settle its probe of the vacation stays. Two months later he paid $6,000 to the state Elections Enforcement Commission to settle a complaint over charges he made to a state Republican Party credit card.

Rowland admitted no wrongdoing in either case.

But in mid-December Rowland admitted he had lied about who paid for improvements to a one-story, lakeside cottage he purchased in 1997. Asked Dec. 2 about who paid for the work, Rowland insisted he and his wife, Patricia, had taken out several loans to cover the bills.

Ten days later he issued a statement apologizing to the Capitol press corps and admitting friends, employees and some state contractors — including the Tomassos — had paid for renovations, including a new heating system, a hot tub, work on the kitchen, ceiling and deck.

Before being elected governor, Rowland had served three terms in Congress and two in the state House.

Rowland received a $78,000 annual salary for his first two terms in office. For his final term, his pay was increased to $150,000. Christopher Keating, capital bureau chief for The Hartford Courant, said, "That was an issue, the 78 thousand dollars, Rowland turned down a pay increase and said he would veto the bill. He did not say, but the real reason was he thought it would hurt him politically if he increased his own pay."

Only seven governors in U.S. history have been impeached and removed from office. The last was Arizona's Evan Mecham, a conservative former car dealer whose campaign accepted a secret $350,000 loan from developers. A campaign finance charge was dismissed, but the unpopular political outsider was impeached in 1988 on an unrelated charge of trying to thwart an investigation into an alleged death threat made by a state official.