Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Snakes Under A Desk: CT Lawmaker Makes Lewd Remark To Teen Ambassador
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 1, 2013
Modified Mar 1, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 1, 2013
Modified Mar 1, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Connecticut Republican Party is calling for the resignation of a Connecticut Democrat who made an ill-advised remark to a 17-year-old girl who testified during a state committee hearing. The teen was trying to convince lawmakers that the Connecticut Science Center ambassador program should continue because it had helped her overcome shyness and fear of snakes. Then State Rep. Ernest Hewett said, "If you’re bashful I got a snake sitting under my desk here."
You can listen to a recording of the February 20 hearing below (Hewett's remarks come at the very end) and there is definite tittering. But he was stripped of his title and extra salary as deputy speaker, which his fellow Democrats think was an appropriate punishment. One said, "I think he is paying a big price by losing his assignment as deputy speaker. He is embarrassed obviously, he is clearly remorseful and he has apologized to everyone."
Hewett told the Connecticut Post he didn't mean for it to be innuendo—instead, it was "the kind of crazy analogies I use to try to make a point. Like, sometimes I'll tell someone, 'If you believe that, then I have an acre of land in the Everglades to sell you.' …It came out the wrong way. …It had nothing to do with sex, in my mind, but I can understand how people would think that by hearing it."
Tagged
connecticut
desk
ernest hewett
snake
stupid
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .