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 for almost two weeks after details emerged that he agreed to support sending Gillett’s nomination to the full legislature in exchange for a nomination of his own to PURA.

Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Connecticut) essentially confirmed the deal to reporters in his first public appearance since Gillett’s confirmation hearing.

He said legislative leaders approached him ahead of a Feb. 20 hearing and vote for Gillett by the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee.

“John was one of those two people and they said, 'you’re not going to get Marissa through without an arrangement,'” he said.

Former lawmaker Holly Cheeseman, a Republican, would be the other nominee as part of a deal that would also see PURA become a quasi-public agency.

Lamont, who was in Washington, D.C. during the hearing and then went on an economic trip to India, said he agreed because he wanted Gillett to get a second term.

“I think she’s the one person standing up for the consumers,” he said. “I thought it was very important that she be on that board."

Gillett’s nomination advanced past the committee thanks to a 13-8 party-line vote.

Fonfara has maintained that he voted for the nomination because he supported Gillett and not part of any deal.

Now details are emerging about Wattifi, a third-party electricity company that Fonfara owned.

Fonfara disclosed his stake in the company in ethics filings as recently as 2023, his most recent filing.

That same year, PURA ordered Wattifi to pay fees totaling $57,168 to Eversource and United Illuminating.

When the company failed to pay the fees, PURA imposed a $5,000-per-day fine.

That fine grew to more than $1 million when PURA revoked Wattifi’s license.

When reached for comment, a press aide said Fonfara stood by comments he made to Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

Fonfara told the newspaper chain, which initially reported the story, that the fee should not have applied to Wattifi and the fine was unfair.

But now it’s adding to the questions around a potential nomination for Fonfara in the future.

“The nature of his conflict with PURA is a problem, but I'll see if it’s a longstanding problem or something they’ll resolve in the next couple of months,” Lamont said.

Sen. Stephen Harding (R-Minority Leader) said Fonfara should not have voted on Gillett’s vote at the committee level.

He said his bigger concern, though, remains his questions about the deal between Lamont and Fonfara.

Harding noted Fonfara failed to cast a vote on any of the other nominations that came before the committee.

“It is just very odd that this particular senator did not vote once during the entirety of session except of the particular one that, according to the governor, was part of a deal,” Harding said.

But Rep. Matt Ritter (D-Speaker) said Fonfara would have to go before lawmakers as part of the usual process if he’s eventually nominated.

“Show your knowledge and depth of energy policy, clean up any areas like unpaid fines and things like that,” Ritter said.

Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-Minority Leader) said his concern, meanwhile, was about whether Lamont would be committed to filling two vacancies on PURA if Fonfara’s nomination falls through.

“Certainly the potential deal that was struck between the democrats and the governor are coming undone, so are we going back to square one?” Candelora said.

Gillett’s nomination still needs votes by the House and Senate. It has not reached the House calendar, meaning it can’t be called when the House goes into session Wednesday.

But Ritter said he expects that step to happen soon, keeping the nomination on pace for votes before the March 22 deadline.