45°
About eight weeks before the election, gubernatorial candidates Dan Malloy and Tom Foley paid a visit to UConn-Stamford on Wednesday to talk economics with an audience made up largely of businesspeople. Both cited problems with the current political system, and each insisted he is the person best suited to fix those problems.
"We've imposed policies on employers in Connecticut [making it] impossible to employ people here and remain competitive in the marketplace," said Foley, a Greenwich businessman. He added that employers' "uncertainty" in the state's economic environment "makes it a place where they're really reluctant to invest."
His solutions include making the state more "employer friendly," determining and supporting "high value-added jobs," and managing the state budget in a better manner. Foley promised, as he has throughout his campaign, to achieve the latter without raising taxes.
Malloy, the former mayor of Stamford, focused immediately on instituting GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for the state to control budget issues.
"If I'm elected and I'm sworn in on Jan. 5, I will require GAAP finance rules by executive order, requiring state departments and agencies to report under that," Malloy said, "We've got to get serious about tackling new problems in an organized and systemic fashion."
Foley and Malloy also linked the state's economy to its education system. Malloy, who especially focused on education during his primary campaign, reiterated his preference for universal preschool for the state. Although the state's economy is in recession, "this is not the time to back away from our commitment to public education," he said.
Other issues impacting the workforce are affordable housing, a good transportation system and a more flexible higher education system, Malloy said.
The candidates were participating in the Fairfield County Economic Summit & Outlook presented by CBIA, the Stamford Chamber of Commerce, and UConn's The Connecticut Economy, a quarterly review.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
