Keith M. Phaneuf, state budget reporter. Keith is the former state Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester. He has spent most of 21 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut's transportation and social services networks. A former contributing writer for The New York Times, Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.