Democratic Governor Dan Malloy quietly on Friday officially announced he’s seeking another four-year term. Not exactly a revelation. Malloy has been publicly coy about another term, preferring to keep the focus on governing as Republican challengers position for the right to face him in November. But, if not verbally, Malloy has acted like a candidate kicking up appearances in cities pushing the minimum wage increase he has signed into law.
Tom Foley, the 2010 GOP nominee, State Senator John McKinney and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton are the leading contenders for the Republican nomination that appears to be heading for an August primary. The party convention is the weekend of May 16 and 17 at Mohegan Sun. Place your political bets.
Malloy and his GOP rivals are raising money through Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program of publicly financed races that requires raising $250,000 in donations of $5 to $100 to trigger larger grants. Grants for qualified CEP gubernatorial candidates participating in a primary will be $1,354,250. Grants for qualified CEP gubernatorial candidates in the general election will be $6,500,400, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission that oversees the voluntary program.
Malloy issued this eblast to supporters on Friday:
I’m in. I just announced that I’m running for reelection and wanted to make sure you heard the news from me right away. This campaign will be about you and the work we’ve done together over the last three years. But it’s mainly about what we still need to accomplish together in Connecticut.
Will you join my campaign to keep Connecticut moving forward by visiting my new website right now?
When I was a boy, my mother always told me that we have an obligation to leave this world a better place for having lived in it. Those words are burned into my memory. But as a kid who couldn’t even tie his own shoelaces because of some disabilities I was born with, I sometimes wondered what kind of future I’d have. I dreamed of the chance to help others the way my mother and my teachers helped me.
I fought my whole life to have the privilege to serve my community, my city, and my state. It’s how I live my mother’s words each day. I never would have made it to where I am today without the inspiration and help of so many–my parents, my wife Cathy, my family, teachers, friends and supporters–to overcome obstacles and take on the challenges that truly make a difference in people’s lives.
Connecticut has been through so much these last three years, but every time we’ve faced a challenge we’ve stepped up, and together, we’ve overcome every single one. We’ve given small businesses the help they need to grow and create good jobs, turned the worst deficit in the nation into a balanced budget, reduced the state’s long-term debt by billions, and made Connecticut the first state in the nation to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.
We’ve made a lot of progress since 2011, but I’m not satisfied. We have more work to do. Today, I’m asking for your help because you will drive this campaign. Its success depends on you.
Can I count on you to make a contribution to help move this campaign forward?
My focus right now is on the legislative agenda we’ve put forward for our state’s future; that’s why this campaign will be built by you. There’s so much more I want to share with you, and I will in the coming days and weeks. Right now I humbly ask for your support so we can continue the work to leave this world–this state–a better place for having lived in it.
Malloy website: www.danmalloy2014.com
Not a chance I will vote for this anti-Bridgeport candidate.
Regular OIB readers may remember I occasionally mention OPEN, ACCOUNTABLE and TRANSPARENT. Perhaps you are more familiar with my closing, TIME WILL TELL. Today while making out a check to pay taxes on a building in Fairfield, I noticed a message printed on my TAXPAYER’S COPY: “State assistance for this fiscal year is estimated at $9,247,341. Without this assistance the mil rate would be 24.78 mils.” The actual mil rate in Fairfield is 23.93.
Can you imagine this information provided to Bridgeport taxpayers in the coming year: “State assistance for this fiscal year is estimated at $198,273,353. Without this assistance the mil rate would be 68.20 mils, give or take, and also assumes continuing Federal grants to both City and BOE.” Mil rate is 41.1.
And that is without any re-valuation info stirred into the soup. (I know your head is probably hurting, but we all paid for a revaluation with nearly $300 thousand of taxes, yet we cannot see what our money has purchased because Mayor Finch continues to go to Hartford for cooperation on running our lives.)
He has gone to Hartford:
** for Pension A formulations (but has not showed us the schedules or the City Council either unless it’s a secret);
** for Pension B transfer of public safety to MERF but those funding and overtime implications are also secret (or at least private);
** for revaluation postponement–denied in 2013; but no problem asking again for two-year deferral as gubernatorial election comes closer–Bingo!!!
** for assistance again and again during the past three years for education, posing as a friend of education but he continues to walk away from local “minimum budget requirement” for a community that already receives $173 Million in education cost sharing. If he does not pay up this year and sign on for next year’s funding, State funding may reverse. How is that for the Charter Yes, Accountable Mayor?
** He spends more time in Hartford than he does just talking with folks, plain folks, taxpayers, who are feeling really alone in trying to get someone to listen to them.
Governor Malloy may find any candidate who gets here to listen and RESPOND will stand a better chance of winning a vote than an automatic Democrat line. And perhaps more info needs to be placed on line by the State so “secrets” do not continue the sickness that exists in Bridgeport. Time will tell.
What a surprise. The $10.10 minimum wage, opposition to the three remaining tribes, and all the other knee-jerk, shameful attacks to gather support by attacking and promoting the lowest form of human emotion. I have wondered for many years what twist in a human’s brain strives for power and the desire to control other humans’ behavior. Whatever the mental disorder on his part is, one term has done enough damage!
John, you and I have been to many, many meetings and watched our ineffective council people go through the motions like they give a shit. The problem with this city and I imagine many others is the average citizen sits on his ass and says nothing or you elect members like we did to the BOE and these guys sit on their hands and the bullshit continues on. Someone tell me if the new members banded together with the incumbents they could not put Baraka and Bagley where they belong. They got elected to protect the kids not rip the opposition apart.
The council is made up of self-centered stooges who have only themselves and family members at heart. Do they give a shit about the city? No. There is one South End district leader who if he loses an election and his family members get laid off from the city, the unemployment rate in Bpt will jump 5%.
Some on the council may want change and we need to give the newly elected time to settle in but time is running out.
Whatever happened to volunteers where you did the job gladly for free but got satisfaction out of doing it?
What happened to the honest politicians like Tom Bucci?
When did we get all these gutless bastardswho parade around like they care about us?
You messed it up when you got to this part:
“What happened to the honest politicians like Tom Bucci?” The only time he was honest (to himself) was when he told himself he wasn’t going to win re-election.
Big surprise. And I was convinced he wasn’t going to run and get a real job. Do I feel stupid.
Did you notice the $1.1 million authorized by the State Bond Commission yesterday for the Discovery Museum? I hope so. The SBC is controlled by Governor Malloy. Look at the historic rehab of the Mechanic’s and Farmers building and soon to be Security Building. Lots of bond money has come to Bridgeport during Malloy’s term. Much more than during Rowland and Rell’s terms. I for one am supporting the Governor. The state needs another four years controlled by the Dems. The last time Bridgeport saw so much bond money was during the Weicker Administration. Those were the days.
countdown, what party did Weicker represent? The Democrats have done very little to help Bridgeport or the rest of the state. They have taxed us to death, just look at the gasoline tax, the utility tax, property tax and the list goes on.
Connecticut has lost people in the four years Malloy has been in office, we have had very few new jobs created in these four years. He will not champion getting rid of the PILOT program so city residents can get some relief. The Democrats keep coming up with these feel-good programs that end up in the cities and in many cases take taxable property off the tax rolls.
Did you know the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation has a walk-in clinic downtown, that’s great for redevelopment.
Malloy refuses to put tolls on the highways leading into Connecticut so we foot the bill for all the road repair. This administration is bloated with BS jobs. Time for a Change.
*** HE’S GOING TO BE TOUGH TO BEAT! ***
Andy,
That walk-in clinic has been Downtown for many years, not sure if Rell or Rowland is responsible. Connecticut has been losing population for over two decades. We’ve had many years of Republicans with no positive results for Bridgeport. I just don’t think three years is enough to judge the Democratic policies and initiatives. I think the Dems deserve another term, then judge the results.
The only glimmer of hope is tomorrow Dave Walker will be getting a little closer to qualifying for CEP (I’m gagging due to three letters) with the appearance of Chris Shays.
The Dems have controlled this state minus the governor’s office for years. When was the last time we had a Republican senator or representative? The Dems have controlled both houses in Hartford for years. Malloy for years has been anti-Bridgeport and he still is. He is sucking around now for votes because he is in trouble. How does he feel about doing away with the Pilot program and letting nonprofits pay their share? I bet he is against it.
The Dems have been in control of Washington for the past 5 years and where are we? What have our Democratic senators and congress people brought home? Basically bupkis. Glad to see you’re back, countdown.
Dead men vote Democrat.
This reminds me of that old joke.
Grandma at 88 years old said she was going out to become a prostitute. After a week, she finally came back home, with $10 and 10 cents.
Grandpa asked “Who gave you the 10 cents?”
Grandma replied “They all did!”