As published in The New London Day

Next year's gubernatorial race will be the liveliest in years because two of the three candidates for the Democratic nomination so far are city mayors: Mayor Dannel Malloy of Stamford and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. One of them may well be the Democratic standard-bearer against Gov. M. Jodi Rell, should she decide to run as the Republican nominee.

The fact that mayors are running will assure a specific and practical debate about what works in public policy and will help voters discuss the limits of what government can and cannot do. This has not been a hallmark of gubernatorial politics here.

After all, over the last 50-plus years, only three governors of Connecticut served as municipal chief executives. The late John N. Dempsey was mayor of Putnam for 11 years and governed the state for 10. Former one-term Gov. Thomas J. Meskill served as mayor of New Britain for two years before going to Congress for three terms. Former Gov. Lowell Weicker was first selectman of Greenwich for two terms, but spent nearly 20 years in the U.S. Senate.

The paucity of city mayors as candidates for governor has paralleled the decline of the status and health of cities in Connecticut. At this point, three cities in our tiny state are among the 10 poorest urban areas in the country. The state is long overdue a forceful debate on why this is so. Having mayors in the gubernatorial race will assure such facts will get serious attention, not just lip service.

When discussing issues with either Mayor Malloy or Mayor DeStefano, one is struck by the practicality that each man brings to the table. Mayor Malloy has been a leader in streamlining city government, developing affordable housing in Stamford and attracting jobs. Mayor DeStefano has made great strides in reducing crime, smoothing out relations with city unions and helping to bring about a new era of cooperation with Yale University, its highest-profile institution. Both men have been in office for a decade or so. And both are anxious to pull the levers of government at the state level.

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Connecticut is the wealthiest state in the union, and in the last 15 years the state budget has just about doubled, from around $8 billion to more than $15 billion. The income tax, enacted in the early 1990s, has brought in billions of dollars more every year to the state coffers and the plethora of gambling in Connecticut brings in more than $600 million annually. As the state has gained ever more income, state government has grown apace. But it doesn't necessarily mean that government has grown more effective and it certainly doesn't mean that government has allocated its services more wisely.

The presence of city mayors in the race who have grappled with the practical challenges of shrinking tax bases, struggling schools and the need to pay attention to everything from filling potholes to public health will elevate the debate. Mayor Malloy and Mayor DeStefano have dozens of ideas on how to approach issues from the vantage point of a chief executive. This race will be an education.