Malloy visits The Journal

WINSTED — With a week left in Connecticut’s primary races for governor, Democratic candidate and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy visited The Winsted Journal’s Main Street office Monday afternoon after meeting with strikers at Laurel Hill Healthcare (see story, this page).

Malloy’s visit comes one week after his opponent, Ned Lamont, came to Torrington and Winsted, also stopping at The Journal for an interview. The campaigns have been sparring over each candidate's record and who stands a better chance of fixing Connecticut's broken economy.

Lamont skipped a debate with Malloy at New London’s Garde Arts Center to make his Litchfield County stops last week and told the Journal he was not planning to appear at any more debates. Under pressure from the Malloy campaign, Lamont ended up participating in two more televised debates this week, but called for “civility� in the debates.

That didn’t stop Malloy from taking swings at Lamont and other candidates in the 2010 elections during his interview here.

“I think this is very interesting. With Linda McMahon, Tom Foley and Ned Lamont, you have these folks with vast personal fortunes literally looking to buy elections,� Malloy said. “I have a guy who will easily outspend me by $5 million and Foley is outspending Fedele.

"And McMahon — my God, it’s just incredible what she’s doing — and I think it’s all going to be rejected. I think Lamont, Foley and McMahon are going to lose their campaigns for election.�

Malloy and Lamont have spent much of their debate time focusing on Connecticut’s economy, which is the number-one priority among voters, and have made similar observations about the state’s property-tax system and the need for greater investment in communities.

In his interview here, Malloy said he blames both Democrats and Republicans for Connecticut’s current fiscal problems. “I think it’s both of their faults. What they really did was just keep deciding that somebody else would eventually make the right decision. Governor Rell didn’t veto the budget so she has no right to complain about it. In fact, [the budget] included many of her decisions. On the other hand, I think Democrats have made some mistakes in agreeing to these structural deficits.�

Malloy acknowledged that property-tax problems have been plaguing Connecticut residents for more than two decades and that many politicians have complained about it, but added that voters here haven’t tried his approach. “They’ve never had a mayor for a governor,� he said.

Malloy said his experience as a New York City prosecutor and city mayor would defy the status quo in Hartford. “Nobody wants to cut spending,� he said. “The Democrats and Republicans don’t want to take the hit, so you end up with structural deficits, and that has been made worse by the economy."

Malloy’s leadership record in Stamford has been questioned by Lamont and other critics who have said Stamford had a net jobs loss under Malloy’s leadership. Malloy has claimed that he created thousands of jobs in Stamford, and he said Monday that he was talking about new jobs created, regardless of how many jobs were lost.

The candidate has also been criticized for presiding over government officials who ended up embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from city coffers. In a televised debate Tuesday afternoon on WFSB-TV, Lamont told Malloy directly that the state “can’t afford your promises.�

Malloy told the Journal that he believes running a city of 100,000 people has given him greater experience than his opponent and that he will be able to bring more money into Connecticut. “That’s why I’m running for governor,� he said. “I worked on transportation in Stamford and brought back tens of millions of dollars from Washington. When our state government directly competes and doesn’t win, maybe it’s time to change the quarterback.�

Malloy acknowledged that Gov. M. Jodi Rell is still a popular figure but said he would like to see more work being done in the governor’s office and that he is glad to see she is stepping down. “I think it’s good for her,� he said. “People have this affection for the governor, but I also think people in Connecticut overwhelmingly understand it’s time for change.�

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