Employees, family of DOT contractor gave $45,000 to Conn. Democratic Party last month

by Zachary Janowski | Nov 22, 2013 | Ethics, Features, General, Politics, State Budget, Transportation | 0 comments

Eight donors affiliated with HAKS Engineers – a company paid millions a year by the state Department of Transportation – contributed $45,000 to the Connecticut Democratic Party last month.

In all, the party raised a little more than $300,000 from individual contributions. That means contributions from HAKS account for nearly 15 percent of the money raised in October.

The State Central Committee’s federal account received all of the HAKS-related donations on Oct. 7.

In fiscal year 2013, DOT paid HAKS $6.1 million, according to the General Assembly’s transparency website.

DOT paid HAKS $4 million in 2012, $6.3 in 2011 and nearly $7 million in 2010.

HAKS had two state contracts worth about $4.3 million that date back to before Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, took office. In 2012, DOT signed two new contracts with HAKS worth another $3.6 million to date, according to the transparency website.

A May 2012 DOT contract with HAKS specifies a $582,534 “fixed fee for profit” and a maximum budget of $7.5 million.

HAKS highlights at least two Connecticut projects on its website.

HAKS chairman Husam Ahmad gave the party $7,000. Uzma Ahmad, who shares the same New York address, contributed $10,000.

CFO Shahid Akhtar and controller Mubbashir Rahman, who live in New Jersey, gave $5,000.

President and CEO Elliot Gene Sander of New York also gave $5,000.

Franco Balassone and Louis Torelli, both Connecticut residents, gave $5,000 each. Another Connecticut resident, Mahmood Mohammed, gave $3,000.

Dan Smith says:

November 23, 2013 at 21:18

This is why every state,and the federal government need to shrink. The more overbearing government becomes the more corrupt it is.Liberal Democrats are the masters of corruption

John Sanders says:

November 23, 2013 at 11:33

I think it has more or less become common knowledge that government is profoundly corrupt to the point where stories like this no longer have much impact- likely because most who read them feel powerless to do anything about the issue. How many election cycles have we gone through where we though we were rooting out corruption only to subsequently learn that we replaced it with more of the same?

Those who pretend to represent us are feeding off ignorance- which is itself built on a number of things- not the least of which is an educational/indoctrination system which is dutifully churning out future constituents who will support erosion of their freedoms that previous generations wouldn’t have stood for. Another more important enabler of that as well as the culture of corruption is our collective inattention. We need to establish and hold attention on what is being done under the veneer of public service when all too often the public ends up not being served.

We also need to educate succeeding generations on the value of simply paying attention and not relying on information sources that prove themselves to be anything but unbiased. There’s a LOT that makes such graft possible going well beyond the guilty parties.

Art Mazeau says:

November 22, 2013 at 23:48

Haven’t I said this before? If you want the members of the state or federal government to really hear what you are asking them, the only way to get their attention is to include a large cash donation to the letter you are sending them. Since I never did that, I have only received form letters that generically spout off on the candidates position, and always fail to address the actual subject that you wrote them about. You want real lip service? send MONEY!