POLITICAL SURVIVOR BACK IN THE HOT SEAT

State Sen. Ernest Newton has ridden the wild waves of the highest highs and
the lowest lows at the Capitol.

An admitted cocaine addict whose problems were obvious to his fellow
legislators in the 1990s, then-Rep. Newton was confronted by friends who
told him that he was getting out of control. Newton dominated his
Bridgeport district even during the darkest times, though, and he
eventually kicked his habit. Two years ago, he won a nasty, four-way
primary that vaulted him into the state Senate, where he became a
Democratic leader.

Now Newton faces his toughest battle yet: an ongoing FBI investigation and
a guilty plea in federal court by an associate who swears that he gave
$5,000 in cash bribes to an unnamed public official - believed to be Newton
- - in exchange for $100,000 in state funding for his nonprofit agency.

Newton is strongly proclaiming his innocence to his friends, saying he was
doing legitimate consulting work for the Bridgeport nonprofit that paid him.

The story of Newton's life shows a man of contradictions - an ex-drug
addict from the inner city who is also a former music teacher and an
accomplished piano player of classical and gospel music. He is a fighter
for the poorest of the poor and is under investigation for taking bribes
from the head of a job-training agency.

During his 17-year career in the legislature, Newton has become known as a
champion of the underprivileged and a proponent of the so-called
millionaires' tax on the state's wealthiest residents. As the former
co-chairman of the legislature's public safety committee - he stepped down
earlier this year after news broke that he was under investigation - Newton
pushed for a bill to counter racial profiling by the police in
motor-vehicle stops. He later sought to equalize the penalties for
possession with intent to sell crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

But while he was, until this week, the fourth-ranking leader in the Senate,
even his friends say that he has not been a significant force in tackling
major social issues or pushing bills through on key issues like civil
unions, medical malpractice, medical marijuana or campaign finance reform.

Newton's friends want to believe he is not guilty, but prosecutors say they
have a wiretap recording of a discussion concerning the $5,000 bribe.
Public documents show investigators conducted wiretaps over 178 days last
year, collecting 391 "incriminating" intercepts in a corruption case that
is believed to be focused on Newton.

Both Newton and his attorney, Salvatore C. DePiano, declined to comment for
this article.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan, a friend who strongly supported Newton in his
primary battle for the state Senate in 2003, said he is hoping that Newton
can recover from the allegations.

"Ernie is a survivor," Sullivan said. "He's a street kid who made it, then
lost it - getting heavily involved in a bad cocaine addiction while serving
in the legislature. Then he beat it, and came back. That's what strikes me
as incomprehensible - to put himself in this position after having clawed
and scraped and fought back to be where he is."

Even after federal investigators searched offices linked to Newton earlier
this year, Newton maintained his happy-go-lucky demeanor throughout the
legislative session. He consistently dismissed the investigation as
"rumors," and often asked, "What rumors have you heard today?"

But friends and insiders say that the allegations took on a new level of
seriousness when Warren Keith Godbolt went to federal court this week and
pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges. Godbolt admitted
embezzling as much as $120,000 from Progressive Training Associates Inc., a
Bridgeport nonprofit agency that was awarded $100,000 last year to renovate
its headquarters. Court documents said the unnamed official who took the
bribe from Godbolt issued two press releases taking credit for the state
aid; both came from Newton's office.

In a life of twists, turns, and tragedies, Newton, 49, has defied the odds
and won nine consecutive legislative elections because of his popularity in
his hometown of Bridgeport. Even some at the Capitol, though, were unaware
that he was a former music teacher who studied the subject at Winston-Salem
State University in North Carolina. Newton is mentioned on the school's
website under a listing for "famous alumni" that includes mayors,
professional sports stars and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

"Most people don't know he's a musician," said Sen. George "Doc" Gunther,
who sits near Newton in the Senate circle. "I've heard him play. He amazes
me. The man is good, and his talent is good."

While Gunther, a Republican, and Newton rarely agree on anything regarding
taxes and spending, Gunther says he finds his colleague entertaining at times.

"When you get Ernie off by himself, he can be a very, very decent guy,"
Gunther said. "But when you get him in a crowd, he's got to put a show on."

Known as a unique character in a building filled with characters, Newton is
famous for wearing the flashiest suits in the Capitol - sometimes wearing
purple and red in the staid Senate chamber where virtually everyone else is
in navy blue.

Newton is also known as the king of malapropisms and mixed metaphors. They
come up so frequently that insiders pay close attention when Newton is
speaking. During one debate, Newton said he was unsure of the consequences
of the bill under discussion, adding, "I'm just afraid of opening up a
panacea's box."

Besides his fancy suits and one-liners, Newton is known in the legislature
for publicly acknowledging his drug addiction on several occasions. On the
Senate floor this year during a debate on the penalties for possessing
crack cocaine, Newton announced that June 26 marked 10 years of abstinence
from drugs and drink.

The person most credited with helping Newton to get into an inpatient
drug-treatment facility was then-House Democratic chief of staff Bernard
Sullivan, a former Hartford police chief and state police commissioner.

"People had talked to him about his obvious change in personality,"
Sullivan recalled Friday. "I sat down and told him the facts - the problem
is not going to go away. You've got to solve it before it gets worse."

"I hope for Ernie's sake - for everything he went through - that he gets
through this," Sullivan said.

Some lawmakers said they were surprised by the timing of the allegations
against Newton - noting that the alleged actions came at the height of the
impeachment investigation of then-Gov. John G. Rowland. Public documents
related to Newton's case state that the unnamed public official accepted
the first bribe of $1,500 on June 17, 2004, in the midst of Rowland's
impeachment inquiry.

The second bribe of $1,500 was paid on July 9, 2004, eight days after
Rowland's resignation took effect. The third installment of $2,000 was paid
on July 30, 2004, according to court documents and the plea agreement.

Fellow legislators have reacted to the allegations with both disgust and
surprise. Rep. Arthur O'Neill, the co-chairman of the Rowland impeachment
inquiry, says the Senate Democrats have an obligation to open an
investigation into Newton's actions. Senate President Pro Tem Donald
Williams rejected the idea.

On Friday, state Republican Chairman William Hamzy said that the Senate
Democrats have been remarkably silent in not calling for Newton's resignation.

"These same Democrat lawmakers who were so quick to articulate their
indignation during the Rowland scandal have, for the most part, displayed
an overt double standard when it comes to the ethical misconduct of their
own," Hamzy said.

But Patrick Scully, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, noted that
Williams did say that Newton should resign if the allegations are true.
Scully noted that Democrats did not call for Rowland's resignation until he
had admitted lying to the general public and accepting gifts from
contractors. By contrast, Newton maintains his innocence and has not been
charged with anything.

"Rowland and Newton are two totally different things," Scully said. "It's
not a double standard, and [Hamzy] knows it."