(Hartford, Connecticut) — Toni Boucher gets it wrong when it comes to Connecticut’s progress under Governor Malloy’s leadership.  Since Governor Malloy assumed office, Connecticut has added over 40,000 new private sector jobs, eliminated the worst structural deficit in the nation and added nearly $200 million to the rainy day fund.  Those facts are in clear contrast to Toni Boucher’s support of the GOP’s  government shutdown that’s negatively impacting Connecticut’s economy through job losses, furloughed workers and shuttered U.S. Small Business Administration offices.

Background:

Connecticut Gained 41,200 Private Sector Jobs Between January 2011 And August 2013. [Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Retrieved 9/23/13]

Malloy Eliminated A $3.67 Billion Deficit He Inherited, One Of The Worst In The Nation, Using An Approach That Required Spending Cuts, Concessions From State Employees, and Increased Revenue. According to nonpartisan analysis from the Office of Fiscal Analysis, Governor Malloy entered office inheriting a deficit of $3.67 billion, one of the ten worst state budget deficits in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. Malloy eliminated the deficit he inherited with a budget that included spending cuts, concessions from state employees, and increased revenue. [Office Of Fiscal Analysis, Fiscal Accountability Report, 11/15/10; U.S. News & World Report,1/14/11; Public Act 11-1, Signed 7/1/11; State Comptroller, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report FY 2012, 2/8/13]

State Comptroller: Connecticut Ended FY 13 With A $398 Million Budget Surplus. According to the New Haven Register, “Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced Tuesdaythat the state’s financial status is still improving and fiscal year 2013 will end with a surplus of about $398.79 million, according to a press release from Lembo’s office. A final audited statement for fiscal year 2013 will be transmitted on Dec. 31, according to the release. In a letter to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Lembo attributed the surplus to low spending growth and revenue growth that exceeded expectations, the press release states. ‘Of the surplus total, $220.8 million has been reserved for future fiscal year activity and $178 million will be deposited into the Budget Reserve Fund – or ‘Rainy Day Fund’ – bringing the Budget Reserve Fund balance to $271.5 million,’ according to the release. Lembo noted in the press release that general fund spending for fiscal year 2013 was up $244.1 million – or 1.3 percent – over the prior fiscal year.” [New Haven Register, 9/3/13]

CT Politics: Boucher “Downplayed The Gravity Of The Shutdown.” According to Hearst Media’s CT Politics blog, ” State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, who last month filed exploratory paperwork for a potential run for governor, downplayed the gravity of the shutdown. ‘We’ve had federal shutdowns many times in the past,’ Boucher said. ‘They were very short-lived. The impacts were not as great as the alarm is. I think a lot of it could be theater to put pressure on other folks.'” [Hearst Media, CT Politics Blog,10/1/13]

# # #