Democratic Candidates for Governor Make Their Case Before Aug. 10 Primary

Democratic candidates for governor Dan Malloy and Ned Lamont debated on WFSB Channel 3 and WNPR Tuesday afternoon.

If you missed the debate, here's some of the major questions and where each candidate stands on the issues.

Malloy and his running mate for lieutenant governor Nancy Wyman — the Democratic endorsed candidates — face Lamont and his running mate for lieutenant governor Mary Glassman in an Aug. 10 primary.

The gubernatorial candidates' debate will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the same television and radio stations. Republican gubernatorial candidates Michael Fedele, Thomas Foley and Oz Griebel debate Wednesday on the same stations at 3 and 7 p.m.

Here's where Malloy and Lamont stand on the issues. Their quotes from the debate are in italics.

On Taxes and Jobs:

Malloy: Taxes need to be more progressive. The Middle Class is being squeezed. I will benchmark all our taxes against competing states. We need to understand why we haven't grown jobs for the last 22 years.

Malloy said the state has an over-reliance on property taxes and needs to grow jobs. He cited the job growth he brought to Stamford, including attracting the following companies to the city he served as mayor of for 14 years: RBS, UBS, NBC, Perdue, the Bank of Ireland and others.

Lamont: People are mad as heck about taxes. I've got to do a better job of convincing them their money going to Hartford is well spent.

Specifically, Lamont said people are upset about shenangians, such as some employees taking early retirements only to come back as contract workers and still collect their pensions as well as a salary.

There are more than 100,000 small businesses in the state with less than 100 employees. If I can give them the incentives to just hire one or two more people, that will represent over $1 billion in new tax revenue.

Lamont also agrees in reducing the state's over-reliance on property tax and supports an exemption on equipment for businesses so their property taxes are less, which he says will bring business back, put people back to work and expand the grand list.

On Transportation and Tolls:

Lamont:  Our location is the most strategic advantage we have, but with an older infrastructure, our transportation system is no longer an asset. We have to stop robbing from the transportation fund. Tolling could be looked at as long as it goes to the transportation infrastructure. Everything is on the table.

Malloy: I would not support tolls unless it was directed only to transportation investment in highways or mass transit. It's a bad way to raise general revenue but a good way to raise money for transportation. We rank 50th (out of 50 states) in the percentage of our money going into transportation infrastructure.

Unlike the state, Malloy said the city of Stamford was successful in securing federal dollars to enhance its transportation infrastructure, saying it collected the largest allocation to any municipality in Connecticut for transportation over the last 14 years.

If you want someone who can turn transportation around in the state of Connecticut, you might want someone who has done it in his own community.

On Investing in Cities:

Malloy: We need to unite urban areas to suburban areas to rural areas. ... I don't want to be governor of Fairfield County, I want to be governor of the state of Connecticut. We have to change how we pay for education because we are saying, 'If you live in a city, your taxes will be higher, education will be lower and you will suffer from higher crime.' We need to change that equation and I will do it; I've done it once.

Lamont: Connecticut won't be great again until our cities are great again.

Lamont stressed the need for affordable housing options next to residents' workplaces and a need for education reform to attract younger families to urban areas.

I go around the state, everyone wants to protect their open space, their suburban town or rural place. We need to do more conservation easements and reduce property taxes.

Is it possible to be too business friendly and sell out environmental and social concerns for the sake of economic growth?

Lamont: No. The environment is so important to preserving our quality of life. So speeding up the permitting process and letting small businesses know if they can expand is important.

Lamont said the state does not need more taxes, but more taxpayers. By creating incentives to attract new businesses, Lamont said the grand list will expand and tax revenue will increase.

Malloy: I don't think that's possible in Connecticut (being too business friendly). CNBC ranked all 50 states on business friendliness and Massachusetts,  a state we used to make jokes about - Taxachusetts - is now the 5th best state in business friendliness. We are ranked 35th. They have an advantage when it comes to energy costs. We pay a 76 percent premium for energy in this state. We have to tackle that issue, lower those rates. I want to lower consumption by 15 percent.

On Expanding Gambling:

Malloy: It's an important part of tourism ... but I'm frightened about making it more available.

Malloy said the state needs to increase its advertising in other states to increase tourism.

Ned talks about how much is spent but tourism produces $1.3 billion in revenue in the state and that doesn't include money from the tribes. We need to spend money promoting the state to other states.

Lamont: I don't want to renegotiate the (gambling) agreement (with the tribes.) We need to think about tourism as a $14 million-a-year industry. Upgrading transportation needs to account for tourism.

Lamont says the state can't afford all the promises Malloy is making.

I'm inheriting a $3.5 billion budget deficit so that is my top priority.

On Closing the Achievement Gap:

Lamont: Our great asset is not oil or natural gas, it has always been the quality of our work force — the best educated and most productive — so I will do everything I can to make sure we have an education system that is second to none. I can't promise you a lot of new money but I can promise you I know how to bring people together, push for real reforms and get the maximum value out of our classrooms. We have not been doing that for a long time.

Malloy: I grew up with learning disabilities; it's a reason I became committed to universal pre-kindergarten and it is why we brought it to Stamford. We have to hold people accountable. I want to benchmark each system  and look at the amount of money they pay on administration as opposed to what they pay in the classroom. We reinvented education in Stamford. I appointed a commission on closing the education gap in Stamford over eight years ago. It was a collaborative effort that allowed us to see major gains on testing. If you look at all 50 states, the only places where real reformation has taken place is when it's led by a governor. I was known as the education maker in Stamford. I would consider it a high honor to be known as the education governor.