Rob Simmons jumps in

WINSTED — Former Congressman Rob Simmons (R-2) has been stirring the political pot across the state, announcing he will seek the Republican nomination to run against Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd in the 2010 election.

Simmons, a Stonington resident and longtime political figure in Connecticut, announced March 15 that he would challenge Dodd, whose popularity has plummeted in the wake of the American International Group (AIG) bonus scandal.

"I planned to announce candidacy the first week of April," Simmons said in a phone interview Tuesday, following a Quinnipiac University poll last month which indicated he had strong support against Dodd.

"When the Q-poll was announced, I didn’t know that they were putting my name in," Simmons said. "That of course shined a light that my numbers were pretty good and his were not and that created a lot of press interest. I felt that I had to respond that I was running."

Dodd has seen a large amount of negative attention in recent weeks and months in regard to a possible "sweetheart mortgage" through Countrywide Mortgage and involvement with the AIG bonus debacle.

"He’s the chairman of the banking committee and it’s very disheartening to think that he is getting a sweetheart deal from the company that he oversees," said Simmons.

And while Dodd’s negative attention can certainly be construed as good timing for Simmons’ announcement, Simmons pointed out that the problems that Dodd is facing were self-inflicted.

"I did not create any of these problems. I didn’t decide to move to Iowa [a move made during Dodd’s 2008 presidential bid]. I didn’t decide that he should partner with some questionable individuals and buy a cottage in Ireland. I didn’t renegotiate a sweetheart deal with Countrywide. It seems in recent years he has lost touch with Connecticut."

Simmons was born Feb. 11, 1943, in New York City and educated at Haverford College. He earned his graduate degree from the University of Connecticut.

During the Vietnam War, Simmons was drafted into the Army, beginning his career in political and national service. After leaving active duty, he led the 434th Military Intelligence Detachment before a 10-year career with the CIA. He ultimately earned the rank of full colonel.

"I believe we need good intelligence to make good public policy," Simmons said.

For six years Simmons worked in the Senate on the staff of Sen. John Chafee of Rhode Island. In 1981 he became staff director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) under the chairmanship of Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona.

After leaving the Senate, Simmons taught political science as a visiting lecturer at Yale University and served for 10 years in the Connecticut House of Representatives. He served an additional six years at the U.S. House of Representatives and was defeated by Joe Courtney in 2006.

In 2007 Simmons was approached by Gov. M. Jodi Rell to serve in a new capacity.

In 2006, under a new law, the Office of the Business Advocate was established.

"When I lost my race in 2006, I served out my term and the governor approached me in 2007 and asked me if I would be interested in serving in that capacity," said Simmons, who accepted nomination for the position in February 2007.

The Office of the Business Advocate was established as a way of providing small business owners with the help and support they need to be successful. Simmons served as business advocate from March 2007 to January 2009, when the position was cut from the state’s budget.

"On Nov. 24 of last year the Democratic leadership placed language in a bill that was taken up in the special session to take up some of the governor’s budget cuts to try to balance the budget. They did away with the position. I was told that I could stay on in some capacity, but not as the business advocate," said Simmons. "I was not going to stay on simply to earn a check from the government."

Still eager to write good public policy and advocate for the people of Connecticut, Simmons said he was considering running against Dodd for the Senate seat when the Quinnipiac poll ranked him higher in the polls than Dodd.

"We hope in the next few weeks we will bring a few people in and get a little more organized," said Simmons. "It’s still a long and difficult path [to the election] and there is nothing wrong with starting early."

In the meantime, Simmons said the support of his family will keep him grounded, with his wife, Heidi, a public school teacher at the Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London, working beside him from his home office. Together Simmons and his wife have two children, Jane, 31, who works in New York City and is a Trinity College graduate, and Robert, 25, who lives in Rhode Island and is a Providence College graduate.