Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information
Minutes, June 6, 2025
This special meeting was via Zoom
Present: Mike Savino, Jeff Daniels, Mitch Pearlman, Mary Connolly, Katherine Revello, Liz Gemski.
This special meeting was scheduled to finalize the winners of the 2025 CCFOI awards to be presented on June 18 at The Hartford Club. The winners of the Stephen A. Collins Award were approved at the May 21 meeting. Five winners of the Champion of Open Government Award were approved at this meeting. It was decided not to award the Bice Clemow Award this year.
Stephen A. Collins Award: Joe Wojtas, night editor of The Day.
Stephen A. Collins Award: Andrew Brown, investigative reporter at the Connecticut Mirror.
Champion of Open Government Award: House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, who represents East Hartford and Manchester.
Champion of Open Government Award: Rep. Lucy Dathan, co-chair of the Government Oversight Committee, who represents New Canaan and Norwalk.
Champion of Open Government Award: Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, ranking member of the Education Committee, who represents Bethany, Cheshire, Prospect and Waterbury.
Champion of Open Government Award: Sen. Rick Lopes, deputy majority leader, who represents New Britain, Berlin and Farmington.
Champion of Open Government Award: Elizabeth Gemski, senior vice president of government relations for Kozak & Salina. As CCFOI’s lobbyist, she has year after year accomplished what often seems impossible, protecting Connecticut’s historic Freedom of Information Act.
Looking ahead: Our annual awards event is June 18 at The Hartford Club, 46 Prospect St., Hartford, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Our annual board retreat will be June 27 at noon in the backyard of Mitch Pearlman, 35 Bunker Hill Road, Glastonbury.