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Politics & Government

Malloy Talks Bacon With Democrats

Malloy talks about budget deficit at Wilton DTC-sponsored breakfast.

Gov. Dannell P. Malloy has three words for the Republican caucus: “God Bless ‘em.”

“Unconstitutional? Give me a break,” Malloy told Patch referring to the GOP's threat to seek a court injunction against the proposed Democrats' state budget should the General Assembly vote on Monday without knowing whether the unions agreed to $2 billion in concessions.

“I’ve made it very clear, passing this budget will give us those concessions,” Malloy said after making a keynote address before the Wilton Democrat Town Committee Saturday morning. Malloy also said it’s hypocritical for the Republicans to call a vote on the budget unconstitutional since “they did the same thing before.” 

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However, many of those Republican lawmakers represent towns in Fairfield County. Several are on the record as saying a vote on the $40.2 billion budget before reaching a deal violates Connecticut’s balanced budget amendment. They also find it ironic the governor calls them hypocritical.

“This is where the governor is misinformed. We never ever passed a budget without that issue [unions] resolved. To pass a budget into law without this piece of it has never been done,” said House Majority Leader Lawrence Cafero (R-142) in a telephone interview after the breakfast.

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While some municipalities worry about a budget that doesn’t answer the $2 billion question of concessions, Wilton should be fine, said Board of Selectman Ted Hoffstatter.

“There should be no immediate effect on the town budget,” Hoffstatter said. “I trust Dan knows what he’s doing. I think we’re going to be okay here in Wilton.”

Malloy told the more than 100 people gathered for breakfast at Wilton’s Trackside Teen that he inherited the $3.5 billion deficit.

“Into this mess I was elected,” Malloy said.

Moreover, Malloy said former Republican governor M. Jodi Rell’s office wasn’t fully accommodating during the transition time.

“I wasn’t treated that well during the conversion period and I didn’t get all the information I needed,” Malloy said. “I discovered the problem was too big to tax our way out if, and too big to cut our way out of.”

Malloy who has been more openly critical of Rell in recent weeks said her policies, and that of former Republican governor John Rowland were responsible for the fiscal crisis.

Republicans call that unfair since Democrats enjoyed a majority in both the House and Senate during those administrations.

“The governor is trying to mislead the public,” Cafero said. “For the last four years his party has had a super majority and they could do what they wanted to do. They chose this.”

In addition, Cafero said it’s wrong for the governor to ignore the latest figures from the Office of Policy Management and the Office of Fiscal Analysis, which project a $288 million surplus.

That’s some serious green. But maybe not as amusing as the presence of so many green ties in one spot.

“We thought it would be fun to do and to surprise him,” said John Kalamarides, chair of the Wilton DTC.

The only one missing the dress-code dispatch was Malloy. He showed up tieless in a blue striped button down and camel colored blazer.

Ties aside, getting a vote on the budget and moving the state forward is a priority said former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz who is campaigning for Senate.

“We have many challenges, but the biggest challenge is to create jobs,” Bysiewicz said. “We have more people leaving the state than any other. We need 90,000 jobs just to get us back to where we were before the recession. That’s why I’m running for Senate.”

Bysiewicz said Connecticut must invest in infrastructure and clean energy.

Patrice Gillespie, a member of Wilton’s Conservation Commission, was pleased to hear Malloy talk about his goal of having Connecticut become number one in energy industry.

She hoped to give Malloy a black baseball cap embroidered with the word Carbon.

“It’s a carbon cap!” Gillespie said.

As gas continues to inch toward $5 a gallon in some places, people are concerned about price zones and are flooding the Attorney General’s office with complaints.

“I met with the Malloy administration and we are putting together a task force to watch price gouging, but it’s a long-term strategy,” Attorney General George Jepson told Patch.

Malloy made certain to tell the enthusiastic crowd that he came to thank them for their early and continued support.

“What we’re doing as Democrats is taking this state back,” Malloy said. “Not because we want to own it, not because we want to run it…but to put it on a road map to sustainability.”

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