Michael J. Brandi has been Executive Director and General Counsel of the State Elections Enforcement Commission since February 3, 2012. Mr. Brandi became the Commission's sixth Executive Director and General Counsel, following the departure of Albert P. Lenge, who retired in September 2011. The appointment of Mr. Brandi concluded a rigorous six-month search to fill the vacant position, and happened at a time when the agency was in flux due to agency consolidations.
Mr. Brandi, a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, was a practicing attorney from Hamden, Connecticut. For the previous seven years, he worked at the firm of Cohen and Acampora in East Haven, specializing in municipal, administrative and business law, and serving as advisor to dozens of corporations and business entities. From 2002 to 2004, he served as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of Hamden, where he administered operations for the town of 58,000, and was responsible for supervising and coordinating the operations of 13 municipal departments. Prior to that he worked at the firm of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, as a member of the firm's Litigation, Corporate and Real Estate Practice Groups. Mr. Brandi is an experienced administrator and attorney, practicing law in Connecticut since 1996.
Commissioner Stephen F. Cashman said, "After an exhaustive nationwide search for candidates to fill the position of Executive Director and General Counsel we were fortunate to have found a pool of highly qualified candidates from which to choose. Michael Brandi is an exceptionally talented and dynamic person and a respected attorney. In light of the challenges we face in the area of public campaign financing and agency consolidation issues, it is essential to have someone with his experience and energy to lead the Commission through this difficult time."
Mr. Brandi resides in Hamden with his wife, Dr. Eileen Denny, and their four children, Michael, Vincent, Caitlin and Molly.
The State Elections Enforcement Commission is responsible for ensuring independent, non-partisan enforcement of all election laws in Connecticut as well as providing campaign finance advice and serving as the repository for all state-wide campaign finance reports and committee registrations. Since 2005, the Commission also has been home to the Citizens' Election Program, Connecticut's innovative, successful public financing program.
Contact: Telephone: 860-256-2940 Email: Michael.Brandi@ct.gov
Commission Overview and History
In the wake of the Watergate scandal, the Connecticut General Assembly created a five member bi-partisan and independent State Elections Commission (Public Act 74-213) to ensure the integrity of the state's electoral process. The Commission was given the authority to investigate possible violations of the election laws, inspect campaign finance records and reports, refer evidence of violations to the Chief State's Attorney or to the Attorney General, issue advisory opinions and make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning revisions to the state's election laws. Appointments to the Commission are divided equally amongst the Governor and the four highest ranking leaders of the General Assembly.
In its first year of operations, the Commission was given a budget of $50,000 and utilized staff loaned by the Secretary of the State, temporary and summer workers. Until April 1975, the Commission conducted its activities without the benefit of a permanent office. Since 1974, the Commission's investigative and enforcement authority has grown. It now has full subpoena power, can impound voting machines and absentee ballots, require a forfeiture of contributions or payments and impose civil penalties against violators. The Commission's enabling authority can be found in §§ 9-7a and 9-7b of the General Statutes.
In 2005, Public Act 05-5 established the Citizens’ Election Program, giving the Commission the authority to administer the most sweeping public campaign finance program in the country. The CEP provides public campaign grants to qualified candidates for Statewide offices and the General Assembly, who adhere to expenditure limits and other program requirements.
The Commission is also charged with developing and implementing an electronic campaign reporting system (eCRIS). The Commission is now the state campaign finance filing repository for all past and present campaign finance records for party committees, political committees and candidate committees organized for state elections.
The Commission currently has a permanent full time staff, with 35 authorized positions, headed by the Executive Director and General Counsel. More than 200 investigations are conducted each year, with sanctions imposed in approximately two-thirds of the cases. Commission staff also responds to thousands of requests for oral and written advice. It regularly conducts training sessions for candidates, campaign treasurers and others concerning campaign finance requirements. The agency also produces publications to assist the public in navigating the campaign finance laws and regulations. Each year, the Commission makes recommendations to the General Assembly for revising election laws.
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