Community Corner

Connecticut Summer Jobs: State Lawmaker Wants End to Nepotism

The latest published report on nepotism in our state government says as many as 30 summer jobs this year went to the children of state workers, jobs that were never advertised.


Following reports that dozens of state employees' kids might have gotten coveted state summer jobs, Hartford Sen. John Fonfara is calling for an end to the apparent nepotism. 

Fonfara told the Hartford Courant on Monday that such state jobs should be eligible to urban youths who need the experience and money, and not kids with well-connected parents. He suggested the state use a lottery system to dole out the jobs each year. 

"Too many young people residing in our cities, especially those of African American and Latino backgrounds, lack the family or friend connections that so many from more affluent backgrounds enjoy," Fonfara told the Courant. 

He was responding to new reports by the newspaper that as many as 29 of 56 summer workers at the state Department of Transportation got their jobs from a family member in the DOT. That report follows an earlier one in which the Courant said three of the DOT's summer hires were related to full-time employees at the department. 

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