Hartford - Gov. M. Jodi Rell's administration has used polling to guide its decisions far more extensively - and far more recently - than the governor has publicly acknowledged, newly obtained correspondence between a pollster and Rell's chief of staff shows.As long ago as 2007, Lisa Moody, the governor's closest associate, was offered access to polling data about Rell's popularity by Ken Dautrich, a public policy professor and polling expert at UConn.

As long ago as 2007, Lisa Moody, the governor's closest associate, was offered access to polling data about Rell's popularity by Ken Dautrich, a public policy professor and polling expert at UConn.And e-mails between Dautrich and Moody also show the professor offering to conduct polls for Rell as recently as last July, more than a year after Rell claims her aides rejected Dautrich's offer to do polling for the governor using public resources.

And e-mails between Dautrich and Moody also show the professor offering to conduct polls for Rell as recently as last July, more than a year after Rell claims her aides rejected Dautrich's offer to do polling for the governor using public resources."Let me know when/if you want to talk about setting up our own polling tracking," Dautrich wrote to Moody on July 21 as the two discussed the impending release of the latest approval rating for the governor by pollsters at Quinnipiac University. At the time, Dautrich's summer salary was being subsidized by Rell's budget office, which paid for the professor and a team of graduate students to study strategies to streamline state government.

"Let me know when/if you want to talk about setting up our own polling tracking," Dautrich wrote to Moody on July 21 as the two discussed the impending release of the latest approval rating for the governor by pollsters at Quinnipiac University. At the time, Dautrich's summer salary was being subsidized by Rell's budget office, which paid for the professor and a team of graduate students to study strategies to streamline state government."Don't use one of the beltway bandits - Neil and the others are way overpriced and they don't know CT," Dautrich wrote in an apparent reference to Neil Newhouse, who conducted a poll for Rell's re-election campaign in 2006. "I'll do it at cost of phone bank. Some good tracking can get behind the overall rating and head-to-heads."

"Don't use one of the beltway bandits - Neil and the others are way overpriced and they don't know CT," Dautrich wrote in an apparent reference to Neil Newhouse, who conducted a poll for Rell's re-election campaign in 2006. "I'll do it at cost of phone bank. Some good tracking can get behind the overall rating and head-to-heads."It is unclear from Dautrich's suggestion and Moody's response whether the tracking poll was ever conducted, and if so whether it was paid for by Rell's political exploratory committee or through Dautrich's $223,000 budget for his ongoing study of government streamlining. Money from the streamlining study was used to pay for a focus group conducted in late 2008, one of several Dautrich conducted that year to determine public opinion about taxes and spending.

It is unclear from Dautrich's suggestion and Moody's response whether the tracking poll was ever conducted, and if so whether it was paid for by Rell's political exploratory committee or through Dautrich's $223,000 budget for his ongoing study of government streamlining. Money from the streamlining study was used to pay for a focus group conducted in late 2008, one of several Dautrich conducted that year to determine public opinion about taxes and spending.Dautrich did not return a message seeking comment on Tuesday, and a spokesman for Rell said she would have no comment while the issue is being investigated.

Dautrich did not return a message seeking comment on Tuesday, and a spokesman for Rell said she would have no comment while the issue is being investigated."While this issue is under review by the auditors and the attorney general, we believe it would be inappropriate to comment," said Rich Harris, the spokesman, in an e-mail message.

"While this issue is under review by the auditors and the attorney general, we believe it would be inappropriate to comment," said Rich Harris, the spokesman, in an e-mail message.The exchange between Moody and Dautrich was one of many pieces of correspondence that Rell's staff failed to provide to The Day in accordance with a Freedom of Information Act request about Dautrich's work. Harris explained last week that some of Moody's sent messages had not been disclosed because the governor's staff failed to properly use the "find" function in the Microsoft Outlook e-mail program.

The exchange between Moody and Dautrich was one of many pieces of correspondence that Rell's staff failed to provide to The Day in accordance with a Freedom of Information Act request about Dautrich's work. Harris explained last week that some of Moody's sent messages had not been disclosed because the governor's staff failed to properly use the "find" function in the Microsoft Outlook e-mail program.But the documents provided to The Day on Tuesday show that a far broader range were not disclosed in response to earlier requests.

But the documents provided to The Day on Tuesday show that a far broader range were not disclosed in response to earlier requests.They include:

They include:• An e-mail from Dautrich to Moody in October 2007 in which the pollster writes that he was "able to attach a few questions onto a statewide CT poll, which ran the past few days. includes the Rell rating and most important issues facing CT. Will have results early tomorrow, let me know if you'd like to discuss them." Moody responds, "I would like to know." The polling data in question was not produced by the administration.

• An e-mail from Dautrich to Moody in October 2007 in which the pollster writes that he was "able to attach a few questions onto a statewide CT poll, which ran the past few days. includes the Rell rating and most important issues facing CT. Will have results early tomorrow, let me know if you'd like to discuss them." Moody responds, "I would like to know." The polling data in question was not produced by the administration.• Dautrich's advice to Moody earlier this year that the governor could sign the Democratic legislature's budget while still taking credit for holding down the size of proposed tax increases, helping position Rell for potential reelection campaign in 2010. "Sign it - but don't smile," Dautrich advised. "... This sets up a simple and powerful story for why we need a Rell in the governor's office."

• Dautrich's advice to Moody earlier this year that the governor could sign the Democratic legislature's budget while still taking credit for holding down the size of proposed tax increases, helping position Rell for potential reelection campaign in 2010. "Sign it - but don't smile," Dautrich advised. "... This sets up a simple and powerful story for why we need a Rell in the governor's office."• Dautrich's request to Moody that he be named head of a search committee seeking a replacement for John W. Rowe, the chairman of UConn's board of trustees, who stepped down in March. (Dautrich was rebuffed.)

• Dautrich's request to Moody that he be named head of a search committee seeking a replacement for John W. Rowe, the chairman of UConn's board of trustees, who stepped down in March. (Dautrich was rebuffed.)• An e-mail from Dautrich to Harris in early August of this year, helping to craft talking points about the ongoing standoff with Democrats over the budget. "Hammer home the point that she has made unprecedented cuts, eliminated lots of waste, and that 'she won't rest until every penny of taxpayer dollars is spent wisely,'" Dautrich advised.

• An e-mail from Dautrich to Harris in early August of this year, helping to craft talking points about the ongoing standoff with Democrats over the budget. "Hammer home the point that she has made unprecedented cuts, eliminated lots of waste, and that 'she won't rest until every penny of taxpayer dollars is spent wisely,'" Dautrich advised.The latest revelations prompted a sharp denunciation from Jonathan Pelto, a former state legislator who has filed a complaint against Rell with the State Elections Enforcement Commission over the previously reported work by Dautrich to help gauge public opinion of Rell's budget policies. The e-mail exchange in which Dautrich offers to conduct a poll at the "cost of (a) phone bank" is especially noteworthy, Pelto said, since that is exactly what he suspects Rell's committee did for a separate poll it paid for in May. For that poll, on which Dautrich has acknowledged consulting, the Rell committee paid just $6,000, to Braun Research, a New Jersey-based firm that has performed phone-banking for Dautrich in the past.

The latest revelations prompted a sharp denunciation from Jonathan Pelto, a former state legislator who has filed a complaint against Rell with the State Elections Enforcement Commission over the previously reported work by Dautrich to help gauge public opinion of Rell's budget policies. The e-mail exchange in which Dautrich offers to conduct a poll at the "cost of (a) phone bank" is especially noteworthy, Pelto said, since that is exactly what he suspects Rell's committee did for a separate poll it paid for in May. For that poll, on which Dautrich has acknowledged consulting, the Rell committee paid just $6,000, to Braun Research, a New Jersey-based firm that has performed phone-banking for Dautrich in the past."A politician hiring a pollster is not surprising, but Rell's illegal use of public funds for her political and campaign activities is shocking," Pelto said. "This latest communication between the governor's staff and their pollster reveals yet again their efforts to pay below market cost for campaign services - which is a major campaign finance violation."

"A politician hiring a pollster is not surprising, but Rell's illegal use of public funds for her political and campaign activities is shocking," Pelto said. "This latest communication between the governor's staff and their pollster reveals yet again their efforts to pay below market cost for campaign services - which is a major campaign finance violation."Meanwhile, a spokesman for UConn, Michael Kirk, declined to comment when asked if Dautrich had potentially violated the university's regulations on consulting by professors in offering to perform campaign work for Rell at a reduced rate. The university is awaiting the outcome of a probe into Dautrich's work by the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for UConn, Michael Kirk, declined to comment when asked if Dautrich had potentially violated the university's regulations on consulting by professors in offering to perform campaign work for Rell at a reduced rate. The university is awaiting the outcome of a probe into Dautrich's work by the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics.