NAACP Says Malloy Transition Team Lacks Diversity

Scot Esdaile, President of the Connecticut State Conference NAACP, has chided Governor-elect Dan Malloy for not including African Americans among his transition team. The mostly Irish American line up includes: Nancy Wyman, Tim Bannon, Lauri Aronson (Tim Bannon's Wife), Colleen Flanagan, Howard Rifkin, Mark Ojakian, David McQuade, Kevin Sullivan, Bill Curry and Ben Barnes.

"The lack of diversity in Dan Malloy's transition team,” Mr. Esdaile said, “is a slap in the face to all of the urban areas in the State of Connecticut. Clearly Dan Malloy would not have been elected if the minority communities did not come out in record numbers on election day. Only time will tell, but we demand substantial representation at the table.”

Soon after the NAACP media release was sent out Tim Bannon, Co-Chair of Governor-Elect Dan Malloy’s transition efforts, sent out the following missive:

"It's unfortunate that the NAACP chose not to discuss their concerns with us first before sending out a press release. The fact is that the transition team has not yet been named. Some of the names they cite are wrong, and there are other people who will be joining the team whose names they don't even have. If the NAACP would like to discuss diversity within the transition team or the future administration, we’re happy to have that discussion."

According to a late Saturday report on Capitol Watch, media advisor to Malloy Roy Occhiogrosso provided a correct partial listing of Malloy’s transition team.

"Members of the transition team will include Wyman, Bannon, Flanagan, Occhiogrosso, Ojakian, and Aronson, Occhiogrosso said, but he added that there will be others. When the full team is announced, Occhiogrosso said, it 'will reflect the diversity that is Connecticut.'"

On Monday, Malloy's transition team passed the diversity sniff test, according to CTMajority:

"The group Malloy announced today includes eight individuals who are African-American or Hispanic. Segarra, a native of Puerto Rico, is Hartford's first openly gay mayor. McDonald and Ojakian also are gay."

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