Grasso: Piedmont Spoken Here

Democrat Ella Grasso, 55, Governor-elect of Connecticut, is definitely at home with the boys. The first woman Governor in America whose husband did not precede her in the post, she was elected because of political skills that are universal and unisexual. Downplaying the feminist issue and opposing abortion, she was sometimes called "Ella fella." Scoring heavily throughout the state, she defeated her G.O.P. opponent, Congressman Robert Steele, 631,382 to 431,142. "In Connecticut," she explains, "I'm just an old shoe."

One that wears exceptionally well. In 22 years of political life, Grasso has not lost an election. A protege of former Democratic National Chairman John Bailey and a product of one of the nation's best-oiled political machines, she served as secretary of state for twelve years and was twice elected to Congress. As the daughter of Italian immigrants, she belongs to the state's largest ethnic group. Her husband Tom, a retired principal, is also an Italian American. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Mount Hoiyoke, Grasso speaks the language of the classroom as easily as she does the Piedmont dialect of Italy on the front porch.

In the campaign, Republicans dubbed her "Spenderella" because she promised not to raise taxes at the same time that she pledged to expand social welfare programs. But Grasso campaigned largely against a highly unpopular utility rate increase. Once she had disclosed that consumers had been overcharged $19 million in one year because of a miscalculation and began to exploit that fact, Steele did not have a chance.

When she takes over the statehouse, Grasso must come to grips with her campaign contradictions. She faces a multimillion-dollar budget gap. But she plans to tackle problems, as in the past, with her personal appeal. She promises to run an accessible administration staffed by the most open people available.

Some critics wonder if she can continue to be just plain Ella fella when she becomes Governor. But she has no misgivings. At a recent campaign appearance, a sartorially conscious Teamsters official asked: "If you are elected Governor, will you wear stockings?" Replied Ella: "I keep my campaign promises, but I never promised to wear stockings." She plans to change her political style no more than her casual dress. "It's important for me to continue to stop in cafes, to keep my curbside office that allows me to walk down the street and do business." In becoming the highest-ranking woman in U.S. politics, she has been inescapably catapulted nationally into the center ring, and will continue to enjoy that most pleasant of political perks: gainsaying further aspirations.

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