Malloy won’t run for re-election as governor

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy hugs his wife Cathy after announcing Thursday, April 13, 2017, at the Capitol in Hartford, Conn., that he will not seek a third term in 2018. Applauding are their son Dannel, left, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, right. less Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy hugs his wife Cathy after announcing Thursday, April 13, 2017, at the Capitol in Hartford, Conn., that he will not seek a third term in 2018. Applauding are their son Dannel, ... more Photo: Susan Haigh, AP Photo: Susan Haigh, AP Image 1 of / 59 Caption Close Malloy won’t run for re-election as governor 1 / 59 Back to Gallery

HARTFORD — In a roomful of supporters and agency heads, tears broke the governor’s businesslike facade.

Dannel P. Malloy said his rejection of a third term, a decision he announced Thursday afternoon, frees him from partisan politics so he can better steer the sharply divided General Assembly through its current budget crisis.

In January 2019, Malloy will begin the next act of a life that began as a dyslectic child in Stamford, led to law school, a stint as a criminal prosecutor, mayor of his hometown and nearly seven years in the Governor’s Residence.

“I’m overwhelmed at how happy I am,” Malloy said, flanked by his wife, Cathy, eldest son Dannel and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, as he made a brief statement, then answered questions from reporters.

Malloy said that he first thought of leaving last August, then again in September and finally “a couple of times” over the last few weeks.

“I look forward to the next 20 months and then I look forward to the next 20 years,” he said.

Much left to take on

More Information Dannel P. Malloy career timeline xxxPlease explain a littile more here to fill in some space and add some flavor xxx NOVEMBER 1995 — Dannel P. Malloy, a former New York City prosecutor, wins the Stamford mayor’s seat. SEPTEMBER 2006 — A 14-year mayor of Stamford, Malloy loses the Democratic gubernatorial primary to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., who then gets crushed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell in the general election. NOVEMBER 2010 — Malloy wins the gubernatorial election over Greenwich millionaire Tom Foley by 6,404 votes, days after bags of Bridgeport votes are finally counted after local polling officials failed to order enough ballots. JANUARY 2011 — Malloy takes the oath to become the state’s 88th governor, the first Democrat since Gov. William A. O’Neill left office 20 years earlier. JULY 2011 — After a months-long negotiation and two controversial votes by unionized state employees, Malloy finally persuades them to accept major changes to contractual health and retirement benefits. Earlier in the year, he and Democratic state lawmakers approve the largest tax hike in state history. APRIL 2012 — Malloy signs law repealing the death penalty. DECEMBER 2012 — Minutes after a lone gunman murders 20 first-graders and six adults in Sandy Hook Elementary School, Malloy arrives on the scene in Newtown. Hours later, when public safety workers are slow with information, he tells anxious families that their children and loved ones are dead. APRIL 2013 — Malloy signs new laws prohibiting the sale of military-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines, making Connecticut’s gun laws among the toughest in the nation. NOVEMBER 2014 — In a rematch of their 2010 campaign, Malloy wins re-election over Foley by 28,000 votes. JUNE 2015 — Despite a campaign pledge against raising taxes, he officiates over a two-year, $1.3 billion hike in taxes. NOVEMBER 2015 — After then-Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana rebuffs a family of Syrian refugees, Malloy, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, welcomes them to New Haven. Six months later, Malloy receives the 2016 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, which cites his acceptance of immigrants. APRIL 2016 — In response to discriminatory legislation over LGBT rights, Malloy who occasional displays the gay-feriendly rainbow flag in front of the Governor’s Residence, orders a state employee travel ban to North Carolina. JUNE 2016 — Quinnipiac University Poll finds Malloy with a 24 percent popularity rating. FEBRUARY 2017 — Malloy offers a budget with a major shift in the way public schools are funded, earning the emnity of Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike as the General Assembly grapples with a $1.7 billion deficit projected for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Malloy said the three-day holiday weekend would allow for some general decompression before he heads back to work Monday on state budget negotiations.

“Listen, I’m going to be governor until January of 2019, and every single day I expect that myself and my staff will be working very hard to continue the process of finishing the work that we began literally on the first day I was sworn in,” Malloy said. “I think we’ve done a damn good job, quite frankly and that was why we were re-elected.”

With low popularity ratings, a $1.7 billion budget deficit and recent GOP gains in the Legislature, it was less likely that Malloy, the first Democratic governor since 1991, could hold on for another four years.

He said he doesn’t expect to change tactics during his remaining time in office, even amid bipartisan criticism of his proposal to drastically change the way public schools are funded in the state, shifting the burden to wealthier towns and forcing all communities to pay for a share of their teacher retirements.

“We will not push off debt that should be responsibly paid now,” Malloy said. “And we will not borrow to save ourselves from difficult but necessary reductions in spending.”

Challenging times

Asked about talks with unions on benefit concessions, Malloy sighed audibly, then indicated he is prepared to follow through on layoffs of as many as 4,200 state workers.

The engineer of the two largest tax hikes in state history, Malloy has also made a national reputation for promoting gun safety after the December 2012 school massacre in Newtown. he also welcomed refugees to the state, a position for which he won the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2016.

Crime has dropped sharply during Malloy’s tenure, and prison populations have reached record lows.

“Throughout our work, we have tried to play the long game for Connecticut,” Malloy said, fighting back tears. “Not doing what is politically expedient, but rather what we believe in is in the best interests of the state that we all love and the people of Connecticut that I serve. We must continue to focus on the long game.”

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said he expects no change in the governor’s style.

“Dan Malloy has worked very hard for the state of Connecticut,” Duff said. “Nobody has worked harder for really long-term benefits, even in the face of making decisions that aren’t always popular. I know Connecticut will be better off, long-term, for his hard work and for his vision.”

Malloy’s departure from the potential field of party candidates for governor creates openings for Comptroller Kevin Lembo or others, including Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, whom the governor described as “the best lieutenant governor in the United States.”

But potential Democratic successors will be hard-pressed to emulate Malloy’s proven tenacity on the campaign trail, or his frenetic daily schedule, let alone a fundraising target of $250,000 to enter the state’s public-financing program.

“I’m sure I will continue to play a role in politics in Connecticut for not just the next 20 months, but for years beyond that,” Malloy said.

“Governor Malloy assumed the office during some of the most challenging times in our state’s history,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. “His work on the 2011 bipartisan jobs legislation and embrace of raising the minimum wage and creating a state earned income tax credit has enabled countless families to find a job and improve their lives. The Governor’s leadership in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy — one of the darkest days and periods in our nation’s history — will be long remembered for the strength and comfort he brought to the afflicted families and to the entire state.”

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said that he and the governor don’t always agree, but he appreciates Malloy’s effort and sincerity.

“Governor Malloy has led our state during some of its most difficult times and enormous economic challenges,” Fasano said in a statement. “He has governed when our communities had to rebuild following devastating storms and when we all had to heal following unspeakable tragedy.”

kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT