Stamford's Democratic mayor Dannel Malloy appeared before the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee on Thursday evening and delivered an ebullient and wide-ranging address. Malloy lost the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to John DeStefano in 2006, who in turn lost big to incumbent Republican governor Jodi Rell. Malloy will be running again for governor in 2010. Here's a roundup of Malloy's remarks (full disclosure: I served as a Lamont delegate to the state nominating convention in 2006 and voted for Malloy for governor at the same convention that year):
Malloy began by expressing his pleasure that Greenwich resident Jim Himes had won his race for congress, unseating 21-year incumbent Republican Chris Shays last year. Malloy stated that he was proud to have worked with Jim and for Jim during his campaign. He revealed that he played the role of Chris Shays in Himes' debate prep last autumn, and joked that it was the only time that he had taken Shays' side of an argument.
Dan Malloy then recounted his background and record. He is the youngest of eight children and was born in Stamford, whose mother was a nurse at Greenwich Hospital. He graduated from Boston College, became an attorney and a prosecutor in the Brooklyn, New York (specifically Kings County)proscutor's office, where he prosecuted twenty three felony cases, including four homicides, and obtained convictions for all but one. He entered politics in Stamford where he served on the city's board of finance for eleven years, and a year on its board of education. He has now served fourteen years as the mayor of the city of Stamford, becoming its longest-serving mayor in history. He quipped that he has twenty seven nieces and nephews living in the state, and that getting them to vote for him is part of his strategy for winning the governorship. Malloy revealed that he suffered from a learning disability while he was growing up, and that he is the only person to take the bar exam verbally in New York and Connecticut who wasn't legally blind.
Mayor Malloy recounted that during his tenure as mayor crime in Stamford has declined 64%. When he took office his city was rated 35th in crime compared with cities of its size. It now ranks as the fourth safest. He pointed out that Stamford is the only city in Connecticut that mandates that 10% of all new housing to be built must be affordable housing. He also pointed out proudly that though 28% of all children entering kindergarten when he took office had never attended pre-K education, Stamford is now the only city in Connecticut that guarantees at least one year of pre-K for every child in the city. Mayor Malloy reported that a another pre-K facility will open soon- the William Pitt Center that will accomodate 365 children. Malloy pointed out that he is determined to eliminate the so-called "achievement gap". His city's education budget has risen from 44% of city spending when he took office to 63% most recently. At the same time, Malloy pointed out that the city of Stamford employs less municipal employees today than when he took office fourteen years ago, in spite of the fact that the population is higher by 12,000.
Malloy then turned to the challenge and the failure: He pointed out that by the 2010 election, it will have been twenty four years since Connecticut inaugurated a Democratic governor. "Imagine how much better off we would be had we had a Democratic governor", he said. "We could have built a light rail system like New Jersey's." He said that Connecticut could have taken action to reduce state electric rates, which are double the national average. Mayor Malloy recounted how Governor Rell had requested five minutes of air time last month from all the networks and that during her address she told state residents that the government faced an $8 bn deficit over the next two years. Yet three days later when she submitted her budget formally to the state General Assembly, her budget had only assumed only a $6 billion deficit.
"That was the most disingenuous start of a budget discussion that I've ever seen", said Malloy. He characterized Rell's actions as amounting to "Bush politics, Rovian politics. It was an attempt to own an issue: no tax increases, though she raised several fees."
Malloy pointed out that Connecticut ranks as one of the five worst-hit states in the country in terms of its projected deficit to revenues, though forty seven states in total are facing deficits. He then went on to outline his plan for dealing with the deficits.
Malloy stated that the government must raise some taxes, cut some expenses, delay other expenses, and resort to borrowing. But he blamed Governor Rell for a number of problems with state government even before the current crisis. He sharply criticized Rell for the nearly $1 billion cost overrun her administration incurred in building a rolling stock repair facility near New Haven and a $100 million loss on another program.
Malloy returned to comparing what might have been had Connecticut been governed by a Democrat these past two decades by looking at New Jersey's successes. He pointed out that Yale in New Haven, Connecticut and Princeton in New Jersey are equidistant from Manhattan. Yet Connecticut ranks dead last of all fifty states in job growth, while New Jersey has maintained job growth. In contrast to Connecticut's steep deline in manufacturing jobs, New Jersey has maintained its manufacturing base. He pointed out that New Jersey has dramatically improved its transportation system, adding light rail, replacing rolling stock, and adding ferry service to Manhattan; Connecticut, on the other hand, has watched its transportation system deteriorate dramatically. "Connecticut? We've added exit eight to Stamford", he quipped, referring to an exit ramp added off of Interstate Route 95. And while New Jersey has sharply reduced its utility costs, Connecticut is burdened with one of the highest rates in the country.
Malloy turned to the need to compete for new jobs, asserting that "Connecticut has done a terrible job of competing." He pointed out that American Express had purchased office space in Stamford after 9/11, but didn't move in, moving instead to New Jersey and New York. Malloy recounted how he has been attempting to attract and retain businesses, pointing out the P&G/Clairol headquarters in Stamford. According to Malloy when Clairol was considering moving out of the city, he went to management and offered them a deal. P&G and Clairol owned thirty five acres of land in Stamford, but Malloy pointed out that they didn't need that much. He proposed that the city purchase thirteen acres of that land from the company, which would be considered a subsidy to the company, in return for which the Clairol would agree to maintain its 750-employee work force in the city. The company agreed and remained in Stamford for another four and a half years. However he suggested that when Clairol again discussed leaving, he received zero support from the governor in retaining those jobs. On the thirteen acres the city purchased from Clairol, however, the city has now constructed a new school, The regional environmental magnet school, a portion of whose students are coming from Greenwich.
Mayor Malloy went on to slam Governor Rell for her growing reputation for sloth, stating that when he becomes mayor he pledges to attend meetings of his own cabinet. Rell is known for not attending her own cabinet meetings.
Malloy then turned to the issue of health. Malloy was skeptical that Massachusetts' universal health plan would work in Connecticut, pointing out that the system was not meeting expense targets, and though it was covering more people, he didn't think that Connecticut could afford a state-run health insurance system that covered everyone. He opined that he hopes President Obama succeeds in implementing a system of national universal healthcare at the federal level, though he stated that he believed that improvements will only come in increments. Malloy suggested that the state needs to improve its public health system, pointing out that after World War II America maintained the best public health system in the world. That system has been permitted to atrophy, however, and needs to be reestablished. He suggested that clinics, especially in certain parts of the state that don't have ready access to hospitals and where doctors are in short supply, need to be established and staffed by the state. He also pointed out that too many Nutmeggers (Connecticut residents) are forced to get their health care from hospital emergency rooms. According to Malloy, the cost of an emergency room visit in Connecticut has risen from $750 four years ago to $1,100 today. "That", he stated, "is unsustainable."
Mayor Malloy then turned to new technologies and the need to attract new businesses. Malloy pointed out that two of the country's three leading fuel cell technology companies are located in Connecticut. "We need to be helping them," he said. Job growth is revolving around "green jobs", he said, "but green jobs are easy. We need to find out what it is these companies require and attempt to help them at multiple levels."
Turning to state employees and staffing levels, Malloy accused Governor Rell of "politicizing" state employment. "For many years middle management has been highly politicized," he charged. He pointed out a technique that Rell has been using which has permitted political appointees to circumvent the requirement to hire state employees for middle management positions to bring in politically connected individuals from the outside. That, according to Malloy, has led to bloated staffing at certain departments. "Rell is part of the problem", he stated.
When asked if he believed that the state's nearly 60,000 full-time equivalent employees need to be cut back sharply, as Republicans have demanded, Malloy said that "government needs to be right sized."
Malloy went on to point out that the probation department and office of child services need more employees, not less. But he pointed out that the state was unwisely locking up far too many people for minor drug offenses, which has led to enormous growth in the number of correctional officers. He hinted that the state needs to look at its drug laws and that lower rates of incarceration could lead to cuts in prison staff.
He slammed Rell's plan for early retirement for senior state workers, predicting that Rell's poorly thought out plan would result in twenty one of twenty five critically important experienced emloyees in the state's department of transportation will take early retirement. "It will be a disaster", he forecast. Malloy pointed out that "the department was gutted once before" by a similarly misguided early retirement plan offered under Republican governor John Rowland.
Malloy also criticized Rell for claiming that her budget plan will cut $650 million from the budget. "Rell's budget simply passes expenses out to 2011.", he charged.
Mayor Malloy summed up by stating that "Connecticut cannot let another twenty four years go by before electing another Democratic governor. Barack Obama needs a partner in Connecticut." He stated that unlike Rell, he "would not be leaving federal dollars on the table for health care", accusing Rell of not taking up all of the health care funding to which the state was eligible. "It's about having a relationship with one of the one of the greatest presidents in American history", he said, stating that Barack Obama, in his opinion, will prove a great president.