In the department of “let’s reinvent the wheel,” we have the concept of the property rights ombudsman, a state employee who helps people whose property rights are threatened by state and local government, most typically eminent domain. We had one during Gov. Jodi Rell’s administration, and we need one again.

Connecticut—the Nutmeg State, the land of steady habits and the Constitution State—is also recognized with contempt for the botched eminent-domain taking of Susette Kelo’s little pink house in New London. She lost the battle in the U.S. Supreme Court, but protectors of property rights won the war when 43 states, including Connecticut, changed their eminent domain laws to provide more protection for property owners.