Malloy hits Foley on Georgia textile mill closing in new ad

Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery.

Look no further than the latest blistering attack ad from the re-election campaign of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

And then compare it to a hit on Foley four years ago by Republican primary opponent Michael Fedele, the lieutenant governor at the time.

From the stock footage of a rusted water tower and the ruins of a Georgia mill to the same pained voices, Malloy’s latest ad paints Foley as a corporate raider who reaped a $20 million profit from the closure of Georgia textile mill owned by the Bibb Co. in the 1990s. The blunt narrative attempts to undercut Foley’s message of a turn-around specialist who will create jobs.

Foley has repeatedly disputed claims that he drove Bibb into bankruptcy to make a buck, having said that overseas competition and the changing dynamics of the textile industry forced the company’s subsequent owner to close one of a multitude of its mills.

Neil Vigdor