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Connecticut State Representatives

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Governor United States Congressmen

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Jackie SchechterEditor-In-Chief

The Westword spoke with Con-necicut Governor-Elect Democrat Dannel Malloy. Malloy was the mayor of Stamford for 14 years and a member of Westhill’s first graduating class in 1973.

The Westword: Why did you de-cide to run for governor?Dannel Malloy: I believe I have the right skill set to lead the state of Connecticut. I have very definite beliefs about properly budgeting the state [and] living within our means. But also I’m a progressive; I want to see things done in the state of Connecticut that I believe need to be done—universal pre-kindergarten, infra-structure investment, rebuilding urban educational systems. These are all things that I believe in that I would like to work on over the next four years.TW: Before you ran for gov-ernor, you were the mayor of Stamford for 14 years. How did being mayor prepare you for your new job?DM: I think in some ways the jobs are very similar. They’re chief ex-ecutive positions, they’re political

in nature, you have large workforc-es that have to be supervised and made more efficient. Obviously being governor is a different scale; there are 169 cities as opposed to one city I have to worry about. But I’m prepared to take on these chal-lenges. I think having been Mayor of Stamford for 14 years is very good preparation. Whether it’s on educational issues or public safety issues or health issues, I’ve dealt with most of the things I’m prob-

ably going to have to deal with as governor.TW: What would you say were your favorite and least favorite things about being the mayor?DM: I look back very fondly at the time that I was mayor. I enjoyed the opportunity to lead the city of Stamford in the proper direction—to make it a more livable city, a safer city, a better educated city, a more prosperous city. And I sim-ply don’t dwell on the other part

of the question. I’m not the person who sits around and complains.TW: Can you think of one idea that really stood out that was in-spired by someone you spoke to during the campaign?DM: Sure, there were many ideas, whether it was better management of the state resources or additional port development, the opportuni-ties in Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London, different ways to operate Bradley International

Airport, or ways to improve public education. All of those things were ideas that I discussed and refined in those discussions with citizens of the state of Connecticut.TW: Once the votes came in, there was a slight controver-sy due to a ballot shortage in Bridgeport. How did that affect the momentum or the attitude of your campaign in those days after the election?DM: We knew that we had won

early Wednesday morning or late Tuesday night, that was never a doubt. We didn’t know how long it would take the other side to figure it out, but we knew that we had won. So it didn’t have a lot of impact except to slow the beginning of the transition from the current governor [Governor Rell] to the new administration. But other than that, we knew we had won. And the controversy in Bridgeport had probably cost maybe somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 votes, so I would have had a larger number [of votes] if they had ordered enough ballots. Hopefully, nothing like that will ever happen in the state of Con-necticut again.TW: Once you are sworn into office, what are your top three goals?DM: Straighten out the deficit sit-uation the state is in, job creation, and lowering electric rates.TW: And are you planning to make any changes in regard to education?DM: I put out a pretty extensive statement about educational ob-jectives on my website. I want a Higher Education Commissioner who’s going to implement as many of those as quickly as possible.

TW: You attended Westhill; can you describe your experience?DM: Well, I was one of the first students to enter the building when it was opened, [and I] served as my junior class president [during elev-enth grade] and the student coun-cil president my senior year, I have fond memories of having attended Westhill. When I was sworn in as mayor 15 years ago, I was sworn in at Westhill in the auditorium. I know that Westhill and my rela-tionship with it will always be part of me.TW: Would you say that Westhill adequately prepared you for your career in politics?DM: I’m not sure being student council president prepared me for being governor, but I think it was part of a continuum of experiences that ultimately led me to have a public life.TW: What advice would you give to current Westhill students?DM: Work hard, work hard and your dreams will come true.

Special RepoRt: 21

THE 2010 ELECTION SECTION

Malloy makes us “Westhill and Proud”

The midterm elections on November 2 brought many new figures into the politi-cal scene. In this Special Report, you’ll meet those who will represent you at the federal and state levels of government. Here is a break-down of their ideas, opinions, and goals as they prepare to

take office in January.

For the full interview with Gover-nor-Elect Dan Malloy, visit www.thewestwordonline.com

Political banner and election signs by Sydney Olshan / Illustrator

Photo courtesy of orangedemocrats.org

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State Senators

Governor Dannel MalloyDemocratic PartyFirst term in office