Political Capitol

Faced with an estimated $3.4 billion deficit when he assumes office January 5, Democratic Governor-elect Dannel Malloy has pledged to streamline and downsize state government.

Last week Malloy told me his first, two-year budget, “will reflect my desire to combine some existing departments and will also presumably do additional consolidations and reorganizations in the second year as well. I think it will be a multi-step process.”

He cited the Department of Motor Vehicles and social services agencies as a few of the areas he’s looking at.

Retiring Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell during a press conference this morning said she has read Malloy’s sentiments and, “I chuckled to myself.”

“I think of the short term memory of some in this building,” Rell told reporters gathered at the governor’s traditional, post-Bond Commission meeting press conference.

Rell said for the past few years she has urged the Democratic-majority legislature to overhaul state government with little success.

Her critics will argue her proposals were either unrealistic/too harsh or that the administration never truly took the ideas seriously enough to fight for their implementation.

But it is fair to view Malloy’s promises with some healthy skepticism, considering the recent inability of lawmakers to follow through on promised government overhauls and the numerous studies that have gathered dust over the years.

Just because Malloy is a Democrat does not mean legislative Democrats will fully embrace his proposals, although Rell noted they can no longer use her as an excuse for inaction.

I asked Malloy last week if he viewed his election as an opportunity to push through dramatic changes in government.

“There’s an opportunity and a necessity,” he said. “We’ve got to find ways to create efficiencies … Some of it’s going to require I actually get sworn in and fill some positions and have a team working day and night on this subject.”

And what about the importance of selling his ideas to the General Assembly? As Rell has been fond of saying, a governor proposes, the legislature disposes.

“I think salesmanship is important but a good dose of desperation might help as well,” Malloy said. “People have to understand the mirrors have been broken, all the smoke is gone, there are no quick fixes. We’ve got to come to grips that we’ve been on an unsustainable path for a long time … The people of Connecticut hired me to be their governor and I intend to straighten this mess out. Will it be done in a single year? No.”

Hearst Connecticut Media Group colleague Ken Dixon just reported on his blog that Jodi Latina, one of losing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon’s spokespeople, has been hired by the state Senate Republicans.

And yesterday Mark Pazniokas at the Connecticut Mirror wrote that McMahon’s former campaign manager, one-time state Senator David Cappiello, has landed at a non-profit.

Finally, Politico, in a related story, is today confirming that Connecticut GOP Chairman Chris Healy, whose wife was employed by the McMahon campaign, has dropped his bid to run the National Republican Committee.

Today Democratic Governor-Elect Dannel Malloy announced he will conduct a nationwide search for commissioners of transportation, environmental protection, social services and education.

But following the sudden resignation of DOT Commissioner Joseph Marie in June, then candidate-Malloy had this to say: “If I were governor, I’d look in Connecticut first. Without question we always want the most qualified person for the job; and, if we can’t find the right person for the job in Connecticut, then looking elsewhere is of course the right thing to do. But there is something to be said for homegrown talent. People who are known quantities are less likely to surprise you in bad ways. They’re better able to navigate the political culture of Connecticut’s state government. They’re more likely to understand the history of transportation-related issues in Connecticut. I sometimes think we’ve fallen into a habit where we push the ‘national search’ button reflexively…”

I asked Malloy’s transition spokesman, Colleen Flanagan, to reconcile the above comments with today’s announcement.

In an e-mail she wrote, “What Governor-Elect Malloy said in June is exactly what he’s saying now – we need to find the right person for the job, period. As he said today, the search for commissioners in these four agencies will only broaden the pool of talent, not narrow it. If people in Connecticut believe they have the skills, qualifications and talent to lead these agencies – including those who are commissioners now – they should feel free to make their intentions known and submit their materials to the Personnel Committee.”

Caught up with retiring Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in New Haven today and asked why she chose not to borrow the initial $8 million needed to move forward with a major overhaul of the state’s criminal justice information technology systems.

Rell left the $8 million, requested in October by Lt. Governor Michael Fedele and the other members of the Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board, off of Friday’s agenda for her final Bond Commission meeting.

The upgrades were a major part of the criminal justice reforms Rell signed into law in January, 2008 in reaction to the 2007 Cheshire home invasion/triple homicide.

The governor herself pushed for the technology project.

Her office did not respond to requests for a comment last week when I wrote about the Bond Commission agenda, which is why I spoke with her today.

“I have so many requests. I’m still getting phone calls,” said Rell, who chairs the bi-partisan commission. “We just don’t have it” i.e. the money.

Connecticut faces an estimated, $3.4 billion deficit.

But wouldn’t this be an appropriate time to move forward, particularly with the Cheshire home invasion again making headlines? One of the two parolees charged with the crime was last week sentenced to death and talk show host Oprah Winfrey is preparing a program on the tragedy.

“It is what we can afford to do right now,” Rell said.

I also asked Rell whether her decision had anything to do with clashes between Department of Information Technology Commissioner Diane Wallace and the CJIS Board and project director Sean Thakkar.

Wallace and Thakkar, who was hired from California and answers to the CJIS Board, for at least the past year have been at odds over how best to proceed.

“I haven’t talked to Diane at all lately,” Rell said.

In the coming weeks former Stamford Mayor/Democratic Governor-Elect Dannel Malloy will make one of the most important decisions of his fledgling administration – choosing a commissioner for the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.

The DECD is currently run by Joan McDonald, hired by retiring Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in May, 2007.

After today, I would not be surprised if Malloy kept her on board. Why?

McDonald was in New Haven this afternoon for Rell’s press conference touting a decision by a New Haven company to expand it’s business, with state financial support, into the city’s Science Park at the former Winchester Repeating Arms Co. site.

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006, took the opportunity to praise McDonald.

“Joan has been a great partner over these last several years,” DeStefano said. “She really got it.”

Afterward I asked McDonald if she wants to work for Malloy.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ve conveyed to them I’m interested.”

I asked DeStefano if Malloy should keep McDonald in charge of DECD, but he said that’s a decision for the new governor to make.

Later this afternoon Malloy’s transition team announced he will conduct national searches for commissioners of transportation, social services, education and environmental protection.

Notice DECD was not mentioned.

Democratic Governor-Elect Dannel Malloy owes his close victory over Republican rival Tom Foley in part to the state’s unions.

What do public employees want in return?

On Friday the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, in a message to members, began outlining how the unions intend to work with Malloy as he prepares to take office January 5 and assume responsibility for closing an estimated $3.4 billion budget deficit.

The headline of the message says it all about their enthusiasm for the Democratic governor: “Preparing for a New Administration. Finally Our Voice Can Be Heard.”

Union spokesman Matt O’Connor also forwarded me a copy of the proposals SEBAC unsuccessfully offered retiring Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell last January, when her administration sought additional concessions.

“We plan to pursue all of them in the new year,” O’Connor said.

UPDATE: Susan Haigh with the Associated Press has more.

Our latest story about how retiring Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration handled a complaint of inappropriate behavior that resulted in the controversial forced resignation of Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie in June.

Democratic Governor-Elect Dannel Malloy will be spending the next few days back in Washington D.C.

This will mark his second trip to the nation’s capitol since his election November 2.

During his November 16 visit Malloy made headlines when the National Journal reported he “blasted” the White House for its “weak job” communicating President Barack Obama’s successes.

Malloy spokesman Colleen Flanagan said his team will be issuing more information tomorrow about the trip, expected to last two days.

“He’s taking very seriously the role he has in advocating for Connecticut down in D.C., along with our Congressional delegation,” she wrote in an e-mail.

UPDATE: Thanks to an alert reader, I’m thinking I should change the “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” graphic above to this…

Why? Because one of Malloy’s D.C. stops is the Democratic Governors Association Annual Meeting and Holiday Party.