Nicholas M.

Donofrio, Chairman Board of Regents for Higher Education April 15, 2014

The Honorable Mark D. Boughton Mayor, City of Danbury 155 Deer Hill Ave Danbury, CT 06810 Dear Mayor Boughton: I am writing to take serious issue with some of your recent public comments. During the Republican candidate debate broadcast April 13 on Fox CT, you said: Look at the head of the Board of Regents right now. Donated $10,000 dollars to the State Democratic Party, and then gets appointed to a high paying job. That accusation is completely false. My service on the Board of Regents for Higher Education is 100 percent voluntary. I receive no salary whatsoever. Governor Dannel P. Malloy appointed me to serve as chairman of the Board of Regents System because I share the Governors vision of a cohesive, technology-centered system that prepares students for 21st Century careers. I am honored to dedicate my time, energy and intellectual resources to the improvement of our four state universities, 12 community colleges, and single online college. And I do so without compensation because I believe the mission of extending opportunity to any and all who pursue it through our system is a good and honorable one. I know from previous reports that this past Sunday was not the first time you made such an accusation. Whether you are getting bad advice from your staff or if your continued misstatements are deliberate, quite frankly I dont care. Your comments are reckless. They are wrong. And I would urge you to do the right thing retract them and apologize. Attempting to score a political cheap shot based on blatant factual errors that could have been avoided with a little research, and doing so at the expense of Connecticut students, is shameful. As someone who attended one of our state universities, I would expect more from you. Let me assure you Mr. Mayor, I did not enter public service to make money as you so erroneously stated. You have an obligation to hold yourself and those that work for you to a higher standard. I hope you can use this opportunity to make this right. Cordially,

Nicholas M. Donofrio