The governor was loosey goosey with reporters a few minutes ago, rejecting a Public Utility Regulatory Authority request to move from state Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection offices in Hartford, suggesting that if PURA employees don’t like the current set up they can resign. The memo was sent to federal officials last week. “I’m not in agreement with it,” Malloy told Capitol reporters after the monthly State Bond Commission meeting. “I’ve been in government for a long time. I’m used to people anting to have their own empire. I don’t believe that’s necessary. I believe that we need to constantly be looking for greater efficiencies and if any of the commissioners find that objectionable, they can always act on it…They can resign. I am absolutely in disagreement with that argument. We’re not going to go about recreating a Connecticut government the likes of which I inherited. I will point out that there are future state employees today than the day I was sworn in, not last week, but four years ago. I know that sometimes stretches people to what they think are their limits. We need to stretch people to those limits.”
Then, asked about a proposed ban on plastic shopping bags that was the subject of a Hearst Connecticut Media report Sunday, Malloy recalled that the bill has been proposed in recent years. “I’m the owner of a couple dogs,” he quipped, signaling the end of the news conference. “I appreciate those plastic bags being around.”