This Sunday our guest on Face the State is Governor Dannel Malloy, who is here to talk about his first year in office, and what he has planned for the coming year. We covered quite a bit of ground in the half hour broadcast; talking about the busway, Hartford and New Haven, Jackson Labs, UConn, restoration of an NHL team, and more.
As a former mayor of Stamford, the governor has a strong opinion on how to improve the cities of our state. For Hartford, an answer rolled off the governor’s tongue fairly quickly: housing. “We have to build thousands of units of new housing downtown. Imagine 3-4 thousand more units of housing. ”
Governor Malloy, of course lives and works in Hartford, and whose wife runs the Hartford Arts Council, has obviously noticed some of things residents have wondered about for years. Here’s what the governor said about one of the few national retailers downtown: “Starbucks isn’t open on the weekends. That is a gigantic mistake for Starbucks I don’t think they realize how many people are living there.”
Starbucks doesn’t open even if a parade is going by, or on First Night, when thousands of revelers might want a Frappucino.
Governor Malloy also said he is working on moving some state offices downtown. That was in response to a question I posed about the busway, asking who would be riding it, considering the capital city has lost several major employers to the suburbs, including my own.
As for restoring an NHL team to the state, the Governor called himself “the bigegst hockey fan,” and professed his commitment to the XL Center as he talked about its future.
I also asked Governor Malloy what he thinks about moving our presidential primary to the end of the calendar, from a prime position in early February, his predecessors Lowell Weicker, John Rowland and Jodi Rell, and much more.
Here is the interview that aired Sunday at 11 on Channel 3.
part 1: http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6642030
part 2: http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6642030
part 3: http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6642038
Also this morning: http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/malloy-done-with-with-rowland-radio-show/
and: http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/state-will-pay-for-rell-portrait/
Categories: Connecticut, Hartford
Dennis House blog 
3-4 thousand more units for young people, a full service Starbucks, and the Whalers? That’s the ticket! I’d love that for sure.
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While Starbucks may be following a wrong business plan with their operateing hours I really don’t think the Gov. should be sticking his nose into a private enity. Let the market decide, there are other coffee vendors that could move in and fill the void…perhaps the anti-business stance under this legislature and Gov. has something to doi with it.
Bus to nowhere, Being constructed at the expense of existing infratructure needs, by a Massachusett Company. That is what’s commonly refered to as a “boondoggle”, way go Gov.
3-4 thousand Housing units in Hartford, yeh, we all know the thousands of people clamoring to live in Hartford, what a joke.
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The Starbucks in the downtown Marriott *is* open on the weekends; the one on Trumbull is not. Fortunately, JoJo’s and La Paloma Sabanera are open on the weekend and have far better coffee than Starbucks.
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Kerri, I agree that Paloma and JoJo’s are better, and I am aware of the Marriott Starbucks. Still, having a closed shop on a parade route, and near a major sports and concert venue doesn’t look good.
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The Governor should impose a 1% sales tax on all businesses to pay for starbucks coffee.
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Malloy gives 22 million to a NY marketing firm to improve the brand of the state for tourism and business. He gives Cigna 70 million to hire 200 workers but they can count contractors as workers. Now Malloy thinks Starbucks should be open all the time. Does this guy know anything about improving business climate in the state? No. He’s never run a business.
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You can bet any amount of money that Starbucks has already tried 7-days and they’ve found it doesn’t pay. Starbucks franchisees are in business to make money – not cater to the socialist whims of a spendthrift governor. Does anyone think for a minute that if Malloy was the franchisee that he’s stay open on weekends? Not.
Why doesn’t this guy shut up about what private industry ought to do and stick to his knitting by pushing his Democrat legislature to cut the cost of government and cut taxes? THAT would help bring more business to the state.
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What if the election were held today?
Foley in a landslide.
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Sixty million for the “Magic Bus” line(that won’t pay its way) that could have gone towards a new arena that would bring back the NHL Whalers. This would bring back people to downtown. Then maybe Starbucks…….
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where did you get only 60 million? this thing is is close to a half BILLION…or did u mean 60 million a mile?
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Have a starbucks stay open longer and on the weekends is Malloy’s solution. WOW what a governor we have here folks
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I’m sure Starbucks has tried opening on weekends and didn’t find it worthwhile. Hartford is and always has been a commuter city and is dead after 5pm. What is going to happen with the businesses Malloy has brought to the state once their tax incentives are gone? They’ll probably all leave and go somewhere cheaper. CT is like the federal government under Obama in that is very unfriendly’and expensive to businesses and Malloy refuses to accept that. Instead he institutes the highest tax increase ever and during a recession and wonders why we can’t attract more businesses. Instead of wasting money on the busway why not give all of the taxpayers a break and cut our taxes.
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The elitist mindset! If he really wants some coffee during the time he is there; he could ALWAYS bring a thermos full from home. Makes less waste also. But then again the elitist cabal don’t care about their own footprint…. only ours.
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