Gov. Ned Lamont called for Sen. Doug McCrory, D-Hartford, to “step back” from his leadership roles in the Connecticut General Assembly after a forensic audit showed McCrory used the Blue Hills Civic Association, a nonprofit in the north end of Hartford, to distribute millions of dollars in stat e funds to individuals and organizations of his choosing. The audit, which was commissioned by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, found that McCrory dictated how Blue Hills spent more than $15 million that was given to the organization in the past five years. And the auditors stated that the nonprofit’s “willingness to process large payments without due diligence not only facilitated possible fraudulent activity but also exposed BHCA to significant reputational and legal risk.” McCrory, who is also the subject of an ongoing federal grand jury investigation, did not immediately respond to a phone call for this story. But Lamont said the potentially fraudulent spending patterns uncovered at the Blue Hills Civic Association raised serious concerns and should prompt McCrory to “step back.” During a press conference Wednesday, Lamont said the Senate should be “very strict” with McCrory. “Look, as soon as DECD started hearing about some irregularities regarding Blue Hills, they put in place an audit,” Lamont said. “We got the results of the audit, and I think we’ve got to be really strict about this. I have zero tolerance for this type of stuff. I’m not sure he should stay in the positions he’s in right now.” Lamont said he’d leave the consequences of the audit up to the Senate, but if it were him, he’d want the Democratic senator to “step back.” Asked to specify whether he thought McCrory should step down from leadership positions or from the Senate entirely, the governor said, “I think he should step back.” The Senate Democratic leadership, which has not made any public comment about the FBI investigation of McCrory’s role in grant making, had no immediate statement on the governor’s comments. But Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, said he concurred with the governor’s call for McCrory, at a minimum, to step back from any role in leading a committee or advocating for grants in the budget process.  “That report is extremely damning and, unfortunately, based upon that, I don’t see how he can stay in office. At the very least I would suggest the Senate leadership of the Democratic Party strip Sen. McCrory of his committee assignments,” Harding said. Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, has sole authority over whether to suspend McCrory as as committee co-chair or member. He was expected to meet with Lamont later Wednesday. The governor said the state police could investigate, if necessary, to learn whether any state laws were broken in McCrory’s dealings with the nonprofit. If the Senate decides not to take action against McCrory, Lamont said, “there’s an election coming up in less than a year.” With more than two decades of experience in the legislature, McCrory holds significant sway in the General Assembly. He is currently a chairman of the legislature’s Education Committee. He is also a member of several state boards that are in charge of deciding how to spend millions of dollars. That includes the state’s Minority Business Initiative Advisory Council and the Community Investment Fund, which is in charge of divvying up hundreds of millions of dollars in distressed communities throughout Connecticut. The audit commissioned by DECD covered more than five years of spending at the Blue Hills Civic Association, but many of the findings were focused on more than $1.7 million that McCrory and Blue Hill’s executive director directed to businesses owned by Sonserae Cicero. Cicero is also a focus on the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI, which is asking question about her relationship with McCrory. CT Mirror reporter Mark Pazniokas contributed to this report. ...read more read less