It wasn’t that long ago that Dannel P. Malloy was loudly proclaiming how different he would be as a governor. No smoke-and-mirrors budgets. Generally accepted accounting practices at every turn. No more underfunding pension liabilities. No more borrowing to keep the general fund in balance.
Ah, those were the days. The new governor could appear on Morning Joe and pick a fight with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He could tell the world he didn’t need to read the manual on being a governor. And he could dream of being a player on the national stage.
That was then; now he’s just fighting for his political life.
Plan A — the record tax increase and the hard-fought concession from state employee unions — didn’t right the ship. Plan B — an aggressive economic development effort aimed at luring new companies and creating new jobs — landed Jackson Laboratory. But overall, it hasn’t exactly worked. At least not yet. Tax revenues are behind forecast; unemployment remains above the national average; frozen hiring, frozen funding and a legally mandated rollback in spending have become facts of life.
So here Malloy sits, looking ahead to a tough re-election campaign and recognizing the party faithful are restless. State employees aren’t grateful for avoiding layoffs; they see the guy who’s slowing the gravy train. Teachers are angry and the higher ed community is in uproar. The nonprofit and social service communities are marching in the street. The municipal governments and their employees are worried. And the cupboard is bare. Really bare. Like another $ 2 billion dollars in the hole over the next two years.
Clearly, Malloy has now studied the ‘how to be a governor’ manual. He’s mastered the art of blaming the previous administration. He’s mastered the art of fudging the numbers and artfully evading calling a tax increase what it really is. And now he’s mastered the art of setting in motion grand programs that can’t be judged until he’s out of office, allowing the next governor the right to curse the previous regime.
Times were indeed grim when Malloy came into office but it’s hard to argue that Malloy saved the day. He has certainly moved in the right direction. Sure, the state employee givebacks were weak, but that was the right place to push. Consolidating some state departments and agencies created savings, however meager. The investment in an economic development strategy that focuses on creating jobs is enlightened, even if the execution is questionable.
But now the legislature is staring at a huge deficit; special interests are circling. And here’s Malloy outlining a $500 million investment in more economic development aid.
Some will see arrogance. Some of the programs seem designed to assure that his name will forever be tied to whatever eventually rises in the bioscience corridor of Farmington. Perhaps he sees Malloy Way eventually leading to Malloy Center.
Some will see misplaced priorities. The safety net is shredding; the education system remains in trouble and municipalities seem to be heading for a cliff of their own.
We prefer to see the rare politician who understands that the way to cure all these problems is to fix the economy. Whether he can sell that vision to his own party may well determine his political fate and legacy.
Whatever visions dance in Malloy’s head, selling the legislature on his vision is going to be an interesting fight. He needs to deliver the budget speech of his life this week. We’re rooting for him.
