As an opening comment, please refresh this page frequently to see new comments as they get posted. Now, for our first question, Bion Piepmeier asks:

Mayor Malloy recently stated that the state should move from a two-year to an eight-quarter budget as a way of preventing fiscal crises and cutting waste. Do you support this? What will you do as governor to ensure spending doesn't spiral out of control? Thank you.

Good question. On the budget - the fact is that the Legislature meets annually - and my guess is that we are going to have annual budgets. Shorts of limiting the legislature meeting once every two years I think it unrealistic to expect change. Your second question - limiting spending is perhaps more on target. What to control spending? Then deal with the largest item of expense - medicade. What to deal with growth in the state budget - deal with the fastest growing part of the state budget - corrections. Trust me - it's not out of state travel causing our budget problems.

Staying with the budgetary theme, Brauna Gorin asks,

What is your realistic time table, if any, to equalize the taxes between City and Suburb?

I don't know if the objective is to so much equalize taxes - different towns will want to provide different level of services - and thats ok. The issue is to have a tax structure that: 1) creates growth (and more taxpayers); 2) That treats people the same; and 3) That is the right mix of taxes. That said within the first twwo year budget we ought to deal with those issues and my guess is to agree on a tax structure that creates economic growth, that reduces spending where possible and that shifts from property taxes to more income based taxes.

Nick Lavorato asks:
What will you do to help manufacturing grow in CT?

First - good for acknowledging that it will grow! So: train the workforce, eliminate property taxes on business personal property, look at tax credits for investment, buy locally and help organize trade missions that sell our products out of state and internationally. Does anyone have additional thought?

Congratulations on participating in an on-line forum. I hope it works well for your message(s). I miss spell check, but typing doesn't count here, does it? You mentioned two major cost items in Connecticut..medicaid and corrections. How would you begin to tackle medicaid costs in Connecticut?

Re: HANH. Fact check first- the HANH on a tenant led HOPE VI grant did spend nearly $2 million in eligible areas. The only thing missing was strong oversight =- not the dollars. It was for that reason that our Administration came in and contacted HUD and exercised that oversight - taking HANH from troubled status to one of the best (and it is the biggest) houising authorities in the state. Do folks think housing authorities are still appropriate ways to provide affordable housing? Is there another way to do it? What do you think of bigger and bigger lot sizes in a lot of Connecitcut communities?

Your comment about training the workforce leads nicely into a question that Bruce Kalk asks:

Connecticut ranks something like 45th in the country in per capita spending for public higher education. Would you be willing to make a priority of convincing the legislature to be less stingy to professional, liberal arts, and technical programs at our state's public institutions of learning?

On medicaid costs - I will want some more time talking with providers and advocates on their ideas - what do you all think?

Regarding higher ed and CT's low rank on spending. I visited Georgia a couple years ago - every student with a B average or better gets free tuition to a state university or college. That's how you keep the best work force. Will these things cost state dollars - sure - but they will leverage a greater economic return as we grow our economy by keeping our brightest kids!

An important part of this forum isn’t just asking questions. It is about all of us sharing ideas. Here is an idea that Nathan White suggested in an email. Mayor, what do you think about this approach to transportation issues, and other ideas for addressing our transportation issues? Everyone else, what do you have for ideas?

One challenge I would like to present involves our transportation infrastructure. First, I would like to revive a plan that goes back to the 1970's. I think interstate 91 should be extended south across Long Island Sound on a 12 lane bridge connecting East Haven with Shoreham, NY. Then I-91 would continue down what is currently the Floyd Parkway all the way to Fire Island. This project would have a high price tag of up to 10 billion dollars but the economic opportunity for both states would far out weigh that cost. The other project I would like to see is a four lane bus and carpool highway (two lanes in each direction) to be stacked on to of I-95 from East Haven to Rye, NY. The stacked carpool lanes would have access ramps about every five miles so new exits would not have to be built. This project would have a similar price tag as the Long Island bridge but there seems to be no other viable solution for I-95 in southwestern CT. There are very bold and progressive ideas but I believe they cannot be lost. And simply bury our heads in the sand regarding these transportation problems will only make the problems worse.

A clean environment fits into a strong quality of life - and states can do something about it. You may have seen in today's NYT that about 10 northeats states have agreed to lower emissions - and we can do better than what was agreed to. Calafornia (or is it Oregon) is doing a great job on residential renewable energy plants that sell back to the grid. The fact is that we can also p[latform job growth around these technologies.

Couple of Education questions:

1. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the fact that towns like Stratford get shortchanged to the tune of millions of dollars every year under the current education cost sharing (ECS) system.

2. Anything we can do to compel Yale to open a night school? It is a travesty that Yale's neighbors cannot benefit from having a world class university in their backyard.

What are your thoughts on correcting costs of health care?
Specificly for sole proprietors?

Regarding David's comment on small manufacturer's - good point - and tax credits can incentivize that kind of bahavior. Regarding Scott's comment - I congratulated all - including the Governor - on reversing the DOD decision. Also a fact check : the Governor did not attenbd the conference because of the ban on out of state travel - not surgery related issues.

Maybe Aldon can fill us in on this after 6... but what ban on out of state travel?

At this point let me apologize for spelling - I am not editing for grammar (as is probably obvious) or spelling because I want to talk with as many folks as possible. Also I will want to fact check myself and post any mistatements on our web site tommorow.

For more on the Connecticut business environment, Russ Spector writes,

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Since I moved to Connecticut in the late 70's to start my career here, CT was going to be the 2nd State to be Home to the Fortune 500 Corporations. Actually since that was stated I feel we went in the wrong direction. CT use to be a state that housed many manufacturing companies and had a strong manufacturing base. Well working in these businesses for decades I think CT is a great state to raise your children in but
CT in my opinion is not a business friendly state to have a business. The structure in CT is not working to promote a manufacturing environment or even if you attract a firm CT's retention rate is horrible. Also CT works against the employer in the respect that the employee is heavily backed right or wrong. The example here is unemployment, employees need protection from the ruthless and immoral employers that may be out their, but pay for unemployment to a exporter who decides to quit and find a better life out of state and them comes back 4 weeks latter to claim unemployment because they did not like the jobs they looked at and the employer they walked out on should pay for them to be unemployed because why? The same goes for Workers Compensation, the employee defianelty needs to be protected and ensured against physically injuries and protecting their lives, but the system is so well exploited, yo do not know what from wrong and everything is ruled in the gray which can hurt the employee and totally financially hurts the employer. There needs to be reforms that meets the times, we are no longer in the sweat shop era in CT, so lets become more sensitive to what makes a business successful in CT whil perserving the jobs and with out exploiting the employee or employer.

I think I know what sole propritors are - but please clarify before I respond.

Russ, I believe you make some good points. That said we should look at those issues - and at issues that ensure smart access to health care by all (especially preventitive), creation of flexibility in health care delivery and that promote responsibility for self by all.

Harvey Koizim wrote in to ask,

Connecticut Housing Finance Agency is painfully slow, often taking more than a year or two to approve a low income housing project. Do you have a plan to restructure CHFA to make it serve thousands of Connecticut citizens in desperate need of affordable shelter?

Aliza - got to fact check you. When CAO in 1988 =?- I chaired a City board charged with oversight of contracts entered into by other agencies. That was a contract enetered into by an agency that required Board review by the group I chaired for this purpose. As to the specific comment I don't recall it - but would like your source to check it. Send it over!

Harvey - do you think it's time to create a housing creation entity again in state governemnt? Do you think it can be CHFA? Do you have any specific thoughts?

They tell me there is no spell check. Something to aspire to!

Larry Kaley wrote to ask,
As governor, what would you do, above and beyond any current efforts in Hartford, to encourage, guide, educate and legislate measures to make Connecticut a healthier and more environmentally friendly state to live in?

As a member of the Fairfield RTM, and chairman of both the Clean Energy Task Force and Fairfield's Earth-Day Committee, I am very concerned with health and environmental issues and their impact on our citizens. We are hoping to have a green building ordinance in place in Fairfield, and would very much appreciate a copy of any similiar legislation in place in New Haven.

David, regarding sole proprietorships - can't we offer pools for that liability? Frankly another idea that I have heard involves requiring all employees to purchase medical insurance ( as we are required to do when we drive a car). That said, products could be offered that offer low coverages (focused on prevention - with perhaps catastrophic care covered in another fashion) that employers can assist in funding.

Moses Nelson wrote in to comment,
Our current Gov. has posted very high approval ratings during her tenure. To what do you accredi that to? And what is your approach to the saying "if it aint broke, don't fix it?"

Larry. We can offer incentives to residents and business who utilize renewable, clean energy. We can assist in aggregate purchasing of low sulfur fuel. We might change school construction standards in the state to fully reimburse LEED construction - and I'm sure lots of people have lots of other ideas. The issue is whether CT wants to be defined as THE place that focuses on developing a sensible energy policy. God knows it's not going to come from the Federal government.

David, Governor Rell imposed a travel ban on all state employees preventing them from being able to travel outside the state--this has prevented economic development officers from recruiting businesses to Connecticut, it has prevented transportation officials from coordinating transportation strategy with others from the region. The ban was articulated as one of the reasons why Governor Rell did not attend the National Governors' Association conferences, which are key opportunities for all Governors to make the case for causes important to the people they represent and work and lobby together on issues affecting all states--like the Republican assault on social security and Medicaid.

re: Bruce, I agree with you on mfg. growth... I also agree that the ECS formula needs to be overhauled, but much of that will need to allign itself with real property tax reform...I agree 100% with free, or greatly reduced college education for connecticut's students and OUCH california, if typing skills in a fast paced environment like a blog count, then I'm in deep trouble as well!

Nate - good thoughts. Thanks - especially on the lot size. I can't tell you how many people tell me that they believe that their children will never be able to buy a house in the town that they are growing up in.

To Moses regarding the Governor's high approval rating. Moses - my guess is that her rating result from the race for governor that she is running - and it's against John Rowland. She has been applying band aids to his mistakes. The real campaign begins whenb we talk about the things that important to CT voters - as you all are now.

TO RJL on school performance inequalities. Next week NH will have 1,500 out of district kids coming from 21 different school districts - voting with their feet to attend our schools. You can make a difference! Want to make a change - let's lower class size in grades k-2 in low performing districts and extend the school day. Let's do more Charters, let's do summer and week end academies.

To David. We did object to the Bridgeport facility. What we got was some lanquage in the bill for their funding that we "explore" coordination, cooperation, etc. The rest is history.

Dear Mayor--

I'd like to see a more active and inclusive Democratic Party in New Haven.

The sad reality is that most New Haven Ward Committees never meet. In fact, many of the Committees are never formally constituted. (Meaning the co-chairs don't put together a committee, and committee lists don't get filed with the Town Clerk as they are supposed to.)

Would you commit to a grassroots program to develop and insist on strong precinct-level organization and participation? I know in my neighborhood there are many of us who want to be active as CT Democrats. Yet we are left out of the equation. (and many of us feel we are left out on purpose!)

How are we going to win the Governorship without getting every last vote from CT's cities? I mean if New Haven turned out 30,000 Democratic votes for Kerry in 2004, I'd like to see 40,000 voters for the Dem nominee in 2006.

Is the Dem Party as strong in New Haven as it should be? What reforms do you propose?

Christina writes:
1) We need to say what Dems. stand for.

2) You need to find ways to reassure the business community that you are not hostile.