If there was anything that reporters hammered gubernatorial candidates on last year during the public vetting process called the campaign trail, it was their plans for addressing the multi-billion-dollar state deficit. Republican Tom Foley’s centerpiece was a pledge to cut spending by $2 billion. At the same time Gov. Dannel Malloy admitted he would raise taxes to some extent. It was no secret. Foley also alleged Malloy had a deal with the state unions as part of his budget-balancing plans.
Some deal. Last week Malloy asked for $2 billion in concessions and savings over two years from the 45,000 unionized state workers. Here’s Malloy off the tape from tonight’s town hall meeting in Bridgeport City Hall. “I almost lost this election because I didn’t take a pledge to do something that another candidate said he would do. That other candidate said he would balance a $3.5 billion deficit by cutting spending by $2 billion and no one asked the question ‘where’s the other billion and a half dollars coming from?'” Well, that’s a case of selective memory at a moment of public stress tonight. Plenty of reporters asked the question. Indeed, Malloy and Foley asked each other often enough, too, about how they’d tackle the entire ugly deficit.