Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

We’ve got an abridged Tip Sheet this week, mostly because this newsletter’s author is still catching up on sleep after the end of the legislative session and spent most of the weekend pouring through about a decade’s worth of expense reports.

If you haven’t seen, the Hartford Courant and WTNH News 8 both published stories on Sunday detailing various purchases with Erin Stewart’s city-issued credit card during her time as mayor.

Let’s dive in…

A decade’s worth of expense reports trigger a new Stewart news cycle

The oldest continuously published newspaper in America proved it still has the juice more than two and half centuries after it first went to print.

On Sunday, the Hartford Courant’s Ed Mahony was first out of the gate with a story detailing expenditures made with Erin Stewart’s city-issued credit card. Many members of the Connecticut press corps had heard inklings of a new report set to be published by the administration of Mayor Bobby Sanchez, Stewart’s Democratic successor in New Britain. Mahony was the first to obtain, via an open records request, and report on the underlying credit card charges that have presumably been combed through by the law firm probing Stewart’s time in office.

Mahony’s report describes some of the expenses and found that more than half of the purchases charged to Stewart’s city credit card did not have accompanying receipts. More than $207,000 in total purchases were made over the roughly 10-year period, according to Mahony.

WTNH News 8 followed suit later on Sunday after obtaining the expense reports through another open records request. The News 8 report homed in on purchases of clothes, shoes, and cosmetics.

Stewart gave on-the-record comments to Mahony, saying that her mayoral office regularly sponsored child-oriented expenses and made charitable donations. This is an apparent attempt to explain the numerous charges for purchases of things like pool toys, diapers, children’s toys, and various other items that might not be facially explainable as regular expenses of a government office. Stewart also described hosting regular parties and celebrations for employees, possibly in an effort to explain multiple purchases of decor and groceries.

Stewart did not appear to have explained to Mahony why so many purchases listed in the reports – at establishments ranging from Costco to Capital Grille – did not include receipts accounting for what was bought. 

Stewart’s campaign told News 8 they were reviewing the expense reports for the purchases of various women’s clothes, shoes, and cosmetics. The campaign is seeking to provide a response on Monday, a senior advisor said.

Some Stewart supporters were quick to try to discredit Mahony’s initial report on Sunday. Despite accusations of partisan motivation, Mahony has been one of the most dogged pursuers of stories that have shone a light on the conduct of legislative Democrats and the Lamont administration, at times becoming the subject of the governor’s frustration. Mahony was the key driver of reporting on Marissa Gillett and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. He was also the first to report the existence of the federal grand jury probe that sought information about State Sen. Doug McCrory’s involvement with state funds sent to a Hartford nonprofit.

The PURA saga and the McCrory probe both sprawled out into months long affairs that captured state headlines.

Last-minute wrangling (and Kevin Rennie) define the lead-up to 1st District showdown

It’s been a busy few days in the fight to represent the 1st Congressional District. Late last week, Rep. John Larson and Luke Bronin rolled out new endorsements as they look to project strength before tonight’s district convention. Larson touted touted support from Chris Dodd, Barbara Kennelly, and a slew of trade unions. Bronin picked up a high-profile nod from Pete Buttigieg and two unions: Carpenters Local 326 and the Uniformed Professional Firefighters Association of Connecticut. 

On Saturday, Kevin Rennie injected even more intrigue into the last-minute scramble for delegates. The “South Windsor assassin” published a scathing review of a text message he obtained from State Rep. Gary Turco.

It’s impossible to do the Rennie-esque prose justice in this humble newsletter. So, just read it for yourself.

Executive branch movement: Montañez is said to have departed Lamont’s office; Rossignol heads to DPH

Thea Montañez has departed her role as senior advisor in the office of Gov. Ned Lamont, according to a knowledgeable source. The news was shared with the Tip Sheet on Friday, which was reportedly Montañez’s last day in the office. It’s unclear what Montañez’s next steps will be, but her resume is as enviable as any. She previously served as Luke Bronin’s top aide and was once included in Connecticut Magazine’s “40 under 40” list.

Audrey Rossignol will be leaving her senior advisor role in Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz’s office. She’s landed a new gig in the upper staff ranks at the Department of Public Health. No more long nights waiting on the Senate to wrap up debate!

An ask of our readers

For several months now, the Tip Sheet has been mulling a “30 under 30” list for Connecticut politicos. Somewhere in the notes app of this author’s phone, there’s a rough draft with roughly 20 names (in no particular order). Legislators, staffers, lobbyists, activists, and organizers are among the select few. But no true list of movers and shakers is complete without some outside input.

So, the Tip Sheet now appeals to you. Send us your ideas for folks to include on the inaugural “30 under 30” list. Provide a sentence or two on why you think your nomination should be included. Nominations will be kept anonymous.

Email: Michael.Cerulli@protonmail.com.

Self-nominations will be – and already have been – frowned upon. You know who you are.

That’s all for this week! We’ll be back next week with another edition of the Tip Sheet.