This is where we live on Connecticut Public.

I'm Lucy Nalpathanchil.

The gubernatorial race in Connecticut is heating up today where we live.

Governor Ned Lamont joins us Where We Live to discuss his reelection campaign and what he wants to accomplish if elected to a second term.

Lamont has led the state through two and a half years of a pandemic.

Moving forward, what are his plans to help residents in the current econom bogged down by inflation and in a state where employers are still struggling to hire workers?

The incumbent beat his challenger, Bob Stefanowski, by 40,000 votes in 2018.

This November, Lamont will have three lines on the ballot, endorsed by the Democratic working families and Griebel-Frank for Connecticut parties.

Now, what questions do you have for the governor?

We want to hear from you.

We're in our new studio, which means our conversation isn't limited to our live radio stream.

You can also watch online on Connecticut public website, Facebook page or on YouTube.

Or you can call in with your question.

Here's the number 888-720-9677.

That's 888-720 WNPR share comment on Facebook or find us on Twitter at Where We Live.

It's a pleasure to have Governor Ned Lamont in our new studio.

Welcome.

I love your new studio.

Nice digs worth coming in.

No more Zoom.

That's right.

Let's hope the last time you were here in a studio at Connecticut Public was in March when the pandemic was just beginning.

So what a roller coaster.

Two and a half years.

Ebb and flow in terms of peaks and guidance and mandates.

And so I'm wondering, when we think about this fall and this winter ahead, what are you hearing from your public health experts on what to expect?

I was there for the opening of a few of our schools the first day of school.

It was a very different feel than last year at this tim and even the year before it this time.

I think everybody felt like we were back to normal.

And I saw a lot of smiles on the kids face and the parent face, the teachers welcoming them there.

But that said, you know, we're careful.

Fall is flu season.

This is not our first rodeo.

We've been through two other falls where we did see a flare up.

So we have stocked up as necessary on vaccines and masks and tests, so we'll be ready as needed.

Do you feel like you're back to normal, Governor?

Yeah.

Was there ever not normal?

It felt pretty good.

In terms of your role when you came on and, you know, elected to this position.

You know, no one saw the pandemic coming.

So when we think about, you know, your expectations for the job and feeling like, you know, COVID was in your every day.

Yeah, that's very.

When I came to office, I thought the first thing we had to do was get our fiscal house in order.

We were just lurching from deficit to deficit and everybody was a little down on the state of Connecticut.

So that was my prime focus.

We made real progress there, getting our budget balanced consistently and then COVID hit and that just took over everything for surely that first year, yea and a half.

But I think there were some silver linings for Connecticut, too.

We.

Not only do we keep our manufacturing construction open we got our schools open faster than just about any state or certainly any state in the region.

And a lot of people noticed we had tens of thousands of families, young families moved into the state of Connecticut.

So I'd like to think that that's the new normal for Connecticut.

When we think about mandates, most of all lifted because we're not in the peak anymore and more of the population is vaccinated.

Do you anticipate that mask mandates are a thing of the past in our state?

I do.

I think unlike two years ago, we now have the ability to keep ourselves safe.

We have vaccines.

We didn't have that two years ago.

We have rapid same day tests.

We certainly didn't have that two years ago.

I think we'd have a ready supply of masks.

We didn't have that two and a half years ago.

So people have the ability to keep themselves safe.

I don't see any need for mandates.

Again.

You can join us.

888-720-9677 as we talk with incumbent Ned Lamont seeking reelection.

You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at where we live and you can add your comment or question there when we are thinking about your first term and thinking about getting the state's fiscal house in order.

You know, families are struggling now and we think about the impact of inflation.

Small businesses took a hit during the pandemic.

Some are still struggling.

And so as governor, you know, what have you done to help them and what more can you do?

Well, first of all, you know, for small business, I come out of small business champion for small business.

And during COVID, obviously, we gave a lot of support to keep those businesses going, at least to keep those people employed.

So on the back side of COVID, they could get going again.

We've provided a lot of resources to help folk start up businesses or get job training.

And as you pointed out, every business I talked to is looking for employees, trained employees, and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to lift people up.

And I'm going to make sure we don't miss that opportunity.

We lift everybody up and make sure their jobs for them.

Mm hmm.

Would you say the economy and getting people back to work, helping employers find workers.

That's one of the biggest challenges ahead, Governor.

I think it is.

We have 100,000 jobs that are unfilled right now and they're in advanced manufacturing.

They're in nursing, they're in policing.

They're across the board teaching.

So we are accelerating the program, providing tuition assistance, helping folks, if they want to change jobs, get a better job.

They're entering the workforce.

Take one of these necessary jobs.

You know, sometimes it's 18, 24 weeks or Medicaid program.

We can guarantee your job.

Come to Connecticut, you've got a job.

I mentioned the impact of inflation on many families in Connecticut When we think about all the costs that individuals or families have to shoulder, health insurance is one of them.

We know that costs continue to rise.

You know, it's been reported that health insurance plans on and off the health exchange will increase by 12% on average next year.

And this is after the insurance department approved a hike.

You know, what is your response?

What more can you do as governor to help control health care costs?

So that's the the list price on the exchange, which represents, I don't know, a couple hundred thousand of our citizens that went up.

It's up, you know, two or 3% average over the last three or four years.

But it is up a lot more than that this year.

The good news, Lucy, is, you know, thanks to the federal government, we got significant subsidies.

So I think almost all of those people will not see much of an increase at all in terms of what they're doing on the exchange.

And I really urge small business to take a look at the exchange.

Your out-of-pocket is capped at $8,500 or eight and a half percent, to be exact So I think small business and individuals will find significant savings on the exchange, which is so important We know that there are those who have advocated for a public option here in our state.

That's something that former comptroller Kevin Lembo felt strongly about.

You threatened to veto a bill that would provide a public option plan helping small businesses and individual to buy into the state employee health plan.

And so I'm wondering if you can explain, you know, why you did that.

And again, what more can you do to help those dealing with rising costs To deal with rising costs due with the rising costs The rising costs of health care are related to hospitalization and pharmaceutical.

That's where, you know, 90 plus percent of your costs are related.

Some of that's labor.

So we're getting more nurses into the force.

So that's what my real focus is.

We've got three years to get it right.

I'm going to work very closely with both the hospital and pharmacy sector.

I work hard with the legislature trying to limit price increases on pharmaceutical.

I didn't get it through.

Now, the federal government has taken the lead on that.

I'm talking to other states.

So together we may have a group purchasing holds down farmer prices.

The good news is on our pharmaceutical benefits for our state retirees.

We went out to bid with saving about $150 million a year there by going out and doing, you know, group purchasing.

So I think you're going to see real savings.

But the answer to your question is less about the insurance, more about deal with the underlying cost, because that's where 95% of the increase is.

We're hearing from a lot of listeners on social media.

Adam tweeted, I'll be at work and won't be able to call in.

But wanted to hear from you, Governor, about the decline of state employees.

He writes, We're down to 26,000 employees as the at the end of August payroll compared to 32,000 from January of 2015.

And so I'm wondering if you can talk about that and the many retirements and also maybe positions that have not been filled.

So like the rest, like the private sector, we're working hard to fill those positions.

We're recruiting, offering bonuses and other incentives either to stay in state government or come into state government.

It's an amazing opportunity to make a difference in life working for state government.

I think you know what public health does.

I think you know what Department of Transportation does.

Upgrading our infrastructure.

We've hired more people in the last eight months, I believe, than we ever have before.

Hiring people we need by the way, I need more people, I.T., because we're using more technology.

And that's going to make Connecticut government a lot more efficient and a lot more customer friendly coming out of the private sector.

I've got to make sure I have a government that works for people.

When we think about the few workers in some departments, then several years ago, your opponent has brought up that the state police force is down by a few hundred and there should be a certain amoun throughout our state.

And so how do you respond to helping attract more people to join the state police force?

So we have added a new class of state police, an additional class, of state police, more than we've ever done before.

Each year that I've been in office and I've really made a big emphasis not only for more state police, but a more diverse state police force.

I want a police force at the community level, as well as the state police there, reflects the amazing diversity of our state.

So we are continuing to add on state police every opportunity.

We're out there recruiting every day.

And just as importantly, I'm working really hard at the municipal level, giving them additional resources.

You know, our suburbs and small towns are doing pretty good with their municipal police forces.

But our city police forces, often they find it easier lifting going from a city to a suburb.

So there we've got to do a better job of recruiting.

Your opponent also says that residents were safer four years ago than they are today.

Do you agree with that?

Look, I don't, but there's no question about it that Lucy coming out of COVID, there was a lot of extreme behavior.

You know, we had, you know, more car accidents, we had more addiction, we had more suicides.

And there were, you know, shootings.

It's beginning to mitigate a little bit.

But let's remember the fundamental fact.

Connecticut is one of the safest states in the country.

You know, so don't badmouth the incredible work our police do in our communities do in providing alternatives for kids who maybe are taking a wrong turn.

I feel really proud about where we are as a state.

You're hearing incumbent Ned Lamont here, where we live.

You can ask your question.

888-720-9677 or find us on Facebook and Twitter at Where We Live.

And I wanted to transition to some of the scrutiny that your administration has experienced, including, you know, concerns over your budget office and school construction contracts after a grand jury subpoena, an FBI investigation around former deputy secretary in the Office of Policy and Management, Kosta Diamandis, who has since been fired.

Can you respond to the those allegations that some of your top advisers were aware that this individual was violating state contracting laws?

No, I don't think there's any truth to that.

But there are allegations out there.

And look, as a governor, I've got to give people confidence in the integrity of state government.

So anytime I hear even allegations like this, fully transparent, participating in any way we can.

You know, this investigation has been going on for, what, six, eight months?

I haven't heard any more about it.

But keep looking.

I want to make people confident that we're doing the right thing here.

Do you think people are confident in your administration to handle these situations when they arise or to root out the bad?

I think they are.

You know why?

Because we acted.

I can't tell you that a municipality here or somebody over there are going to do the wrong thing.

I will tell you that 99% is good.

And, you know, I worry a lot less about corruption than I do about stupid things we do as a state over the last 30 years.

That's where the real cost is.

But I think the fact that we have acted quickly, transparently.

We're the ones, you know, diagnosing, finding and unearthing a lot of these allegations.

We're working very closely to get it right.

And they're also investigating the New London Pier and Port Authority.

Again, this individual and his role in any of those contracts.

When you talk about costs, the costs for that pier project have ballooned, I believe, to $255 million.

And so what do you want taxpayers to know about this project and how it's being handled?

Again, the quasi public Connecticut Port Authority oversees this pier project.

Exactly.

It's an independent body that oversees this, the Port Authority.

We've got the very best construction people looking at it.

It's the most important investment I think we've made in southeast Connecticut in 50 years.

It is transforming New London.

It's going to transform that region.

It's going to be one of the most important ports in the country.

So let's focus on that first and foremost.

Absolutely right, though, Lucy, there were a lot of delays.

People wanted to sue the ferry.

Guys wanted us to re-orient the pier another direction so that it wouldn't interfere with their ferry work.

All of this added, you know, tens of millions of dollars from the original, you know, very preliminary numbers we had I think we got it right.

I think it's investment work worth making, and I think it's going to be transformative for the region.

But thinking about the taxpayer money that's involved in this project and if it's been spent responsibly.

I think, look, we're in there alongside utilities.

They're contributing.

I think it's $75 million.

Not bad.

Since we own this pier, we're owning it in perpetuity.

I think that's really important.

Look, there's no question about it though Lucy inflation was tough over the last couple of years, particularly tough in the construction trades.

And there were a variety of things that impacted the cost of the pier, mainly having to reorient it slightly to accommodate the ferries.

But I want to give people confidence.

It's money well invested, and it's going to make a big difference for the state.

We're going to take some calls now.

Again, you can join us with the question for Governor Ned Lamont, 888-720-9677 or find us on Facebook and Twitter at Where We Live.

We're going to take Mary in Hartford that has a question Mary.

Go ahead.

Good morning.

Thanks so much for the Juicy Three.

I want to know how we see the climate and biodiversity crisis accelerating.

Are you planning to use nature based solutions to mitigate, to slow down and increase resiliency and community health?

Slow down the commuting culture in Connecticut and create more walkable communities, nature based, more resilient, more healthy neighborhoods.

And using nature like.

Frederick Law Olmstead, whose anniversary is being celebrated this year.

A Hartford native.

Go ahead.

A Hartford native.

I think you you asked and answered your own question.

Anytime I can get people out of an automobile able to walk or use public transportation, that that makes an enormous difference in our environment, makes enormous difference in terms of a global warming, makes an enormous difference in terms of asthma.

If we found out one thing, Mary, during COVID is that COVID struck different populations in different ways in black and brown communities living next to major highways, much more likely to suffer from asthma, much more likely to suffer complications from COVID.

If you want to, just give me one more minute, Lucy.

I'm really proud of where we are on the electric grid.

We've got about 85, 90% carbon free.

Now, once the wind power kicks in again, that's off the New London coast That's going to be transformative and that's going to also help us move our transportation sector, make that carbon free, because that's where most of the pollutants are right now.

When we talk about transportation and getting people out of vehicles, there's also another crisis that transportation advocates would say, and that the number of pedestrians, bicyclists that are being hit and killed in our state as well as across the country.

And so we think about safety of residents.

Governor Lamont, what more can you do to curb what's happening Yeah.

I alluded to the fact that coming out of COVID, there was a lot of insane behavior out there.

You know, we had maybe one third as many people driving during COVID, and we had just about the same number of fatalities.

People were driving like a bat out of hell.

And here we are, two, two and a half years later and you are still finding a some extreme speeding.

I think you do see some pedestrian, you know, deaths in bicycling and what we can do a couple of things.

A: We're issuing the warnings loud and clear.

B: We're doing more policing.

C: there have been more stops, you know, warning people what to do.

But mainly just got to talk to your friends and talk to your kids and make sure they're not just risking their lives.

They're risking the lives of people around them We're going to take another call before I do that, though, when we think about enforcement is not the only answer.

It also is important for planners in the cities and towns, even the state, thinking about how to make the roadways safer for all users, not just motorists.

I think what I love is the fact we've got more pedestrian ways in our cities.

I think a big part of our future is our cities.

You never get a great state unless you have great cities.

We need more housing desperately.

That's in the cities.

And that means you don't necessarily need a car.

And I think that's part of the big plus.

I like more of Pratt Streets in in Hartford or we just don't have cars there at all.

That's ultimately some of the places we got to go That said, you know, when it comes to wrong way driving, for example, we're putting up, you know, lights and other warnings so they don't get on I-84 driving in the wrong direction.

There's only so much you can do with technology and enforcement, though.

Our number, 8887209677.

Pat is calling in from Wallingford.

Pat, what's your question for the governor?

Yes.

Good morning.

So I'm calling about the how the Department of Labor has been handling the overcharge overpayments during COVID.

So during COVID, the you know, the whole world shut down.

Department of Labor had a bunch of different policies, many of which were followed.

And now they're aggressively chasing citizens for, you know, what they're calling fraud, which may potentially have been an error.

So, you know, it was is is a terrible time and the money was there to help people.

And now you guys are.

You know, like treating everyone like criminals.

Well, Pat, I hope I hope that's not true.

But you're right, there was a heck of a lot of federal money pouring out and the unemploymen plan is probably necessary during the worst of COVID.

And here we are two years later.

A lot of people are, you know, double applying for the unemployment.

A lot of that was inadvertent to your point, Pat.

So my what I've as doubt over Department of Labor is, look, if it's inadvertent, see if we can find a remedy, if it's fraud, we got to go after it and we've got to go after that .

Seriously, there we root it out fraud pretty well compared to some of my neighboring states.

I'll tell you, though, Pat, right now we're getting slammed with fraud.

I would say half those claims coming into Department of Labor are fraudulent.

It's, you know, ID theft and people pretending to be from companies so often fake companies.

We got a new technology platform, I think that's catching almost all of that.

But we're on that really hard.

We need to take a short break.

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This is where we live on Connecticut Public.

I'm Lucy Nalpathanchil.

This summer, a morning consult poll found incumbent Governor Ned Lamont had the highest approval rating among Democratic governors.

More than half of registered voters approve of his performance.

But can he translate that popularity into a reelection win this November?

There's a lot of money being spent in this rematch between Lamont and Republican opponent Bob Stefanowski.

The Connecticut Mirror reports.

In early August, total spending on Connecticut's gubernatorial race was at least 14.6 million, spli evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

But you've probably noted all of the campaign ads being shown since Labor Day.

There are at least four super PACs spending cash.

Three of them support his opponent.

Now, what questions do you have for Governor Lamont as he seeks reelection?

Live on the radio online at Connecticut Public Website, Facebook page or on YouTube.

Add your questions in the comment field or better yet, call in with your question at 888-720-9677.

That's 888-720-WNPR.

Or find us on Facebook and Twitter at where we live.

I wanted to start and take more calls from our listeners.

Ron in Hebron has a question about housing.

Ron, you're on the show.

Yes.

Good morning, Governor.

Hey, Ron.

I'm calling from the town of Hebron, which is a wonderful suburban community, a high opportunity community for people to move to and work.

But we're finding that half the teachers in our in our high school can't afford to buy houses here And we're in desperate need of affordable housing in not just the cities, but smaller towns like ours could really benefit from greater housing resources.

And wondering what the administration's plans are in the next term.

Yeah.

Ron, I could not agree more.

We are desperately short of housing across the board for affordable housing.

Housing?

So our teachers, firemen, cops can afford to live in the town where they serve.

When businesses think about the state of Connecticut, they say, is there housing for you've got great housing, maybe for 35 year olds with 2.1 kids .

But how about for single folks?

Because I need studio apartments for them.

That's why, a, I really believe in developing our downtowns, making them vibrant.

But your point, Ron, we also need that in our towns like Hebron as well.

Here's my philosophy on that.

I want Hebron to do this themselves.

I want them to come up to say 10% affordable housing over a period of time.

I want them to tell us how they're going to get that done.

But I think it's very important that each town take the initiative to do this for the reasons you just said.

Governor, we've talked about affordable housing on this show before several times.

Some listeners and we know some residents in our state would be frustrated with your answer.

It's up to towns to come up with affordable housing plans because that's not happening.

We know that there are certain communities that have exclusionary zoning.

It is an issue.

They don't want to see multifamily units move in to their town.

And so as governor, what more can you do other than to say that it's it's about the local towns and cities coming up with the plan.

That?

Well, first of all, remember, we built more affordable housing the last four years than ever before, and there's more private housing going in than ever before.

You know, and frankly, there are a lot of people who want to move to the state of Connecticut.

That hasn't happened in a long time.

But your broader point, yeah, the housing is not widely distributed.

We've got towns that are NIMBY, not in my backyard.

We have towns that are YIMBY.

Yes, in my backyard.

I want a vibrant downtown.

So what we've done is we said, look, I want you towns to show us how you plan to get to 10%.

You show us your plan to get to 10%.

You show us where you allow some multifamily housing or how you develop your downtown, which is the way I would do it.

I wouldn't be breaking zoning and having a lot of suburban sprawl.

Then, you know, your relieve from your develope pressure will give you relaxed relaxation on that.

You, I'm sure, are aware that the town of Woodbridge is being sued by housing advocates that accuse the town of violating the state's Fair Housing Act.

Woodbridge has restricted the number of multifamily houses that can be built.

And so is that going to be the solution, that litigation will compel these towns to provide different types of housing for people?

No, but Woodbridge, tell us where you would like to have some housing that your teachers environment and cops like Ron was just describing can live.

And if you were to show us this is a place where we allow our downtown to grow and expand a little bit then you don't have to sit around subdividing, you know, one acre lots or something.

I don't think that's the future.

Again, you can join us.

8887209677.

If you have a question for Governor Ned Lamont, who's seeking reelectio and I wanted to talk a little bit about education because, you know, we started talking about the pandemic and what a rollercoaster it's been.

And, you know, the impact on on children, their mental health.

It's a crisis nationwide.

The surgeon general, Dr. Murthy, will be in town later today.

And I'm wondering if you can talk more about, you know, steps to address, you know, children's mental health, not only in schools but in communities so that they're not left their families to go to ERs waiting for care when it's at a crisis.

Yeah.

I thought long COVID was respiratorie, bu I'm also being made more aware every hour the impact it had on our kids.

You know, we call it quarantine or something.

For them, it was isolation.

You know, back in 2020 when we, you know, kids were coming back that summer, I thought it was going to be a learning experience and stem and learning loss and catch up.

We found out they needed a shoulder to lean on and that's why we did those summer learning camps.

And we found now, with the strong support from the legislature on both sides of the aisle, biggest commitment that mental health we've ever made.

Lucy and it more broadly that's in our schools and that's having clinics where schools want to have them there.

I'll tell you something funny.

I think it was Enfield High.

I'm not positive where I said, look, if you kids if you had $20,000, where would you want that invested?

What would you want to change here in this school?

How would you want to spend it?

And I thought, I know I want to go to Foxwoods for my senior year or something You know, they said, I want confidential counseling.

You know, these are 17 year old boys that just really reminded me that we still have some work to do there.

You mentioned clinics and schools that want them.

The town of Killingly, the school board voting against having a student mental health center at their like believe their high school, even though the community sees the need, even though young people in those schools say they need help, you know, what's your response to that?

Again, you know, local control as a school board has, you know, the ability to vote certain programs in or out.

But, you know, it's it's it's just very conflicting when you think about, you know, the issues that young people are facing, that they can't have that kind of support within a school.

I think it's tragic.

I really do.

I mean, listen to the kids.

They're the ones saying, please, I want this in my school.

Listen to the the teachers and the coaches.

They're saying this is something that that helps learning and helps my kids stay on track I need this in my school.

Listen to some of the police who say, look, I want to deal with this before they get out on the street, help them while they're, you know, young still, you know, in the classroom and at school.

So I think they're making a mistake there.

I'd like to think the board of Ed's going to reach out to the parents and try and better explain what they're doing, why it's on behalf of the kids.

And the state department of education also looking into parents complaints and killingly.

They are absolutely.

Do you know what more will be coming out of that?

I don't, but.

Look, there is a public health component.

So I believe that State Department of Education has taken a look at that and hopefully be able to work with the board of that up in Killingly.

There's also a teacher shortage is the schools that are starting the school year not having enough teachers Teachers are leaving the profession or they're burnt out or they hear from politicians and people in their community accusing them of teaching certain things.

That is not part of the curricula.

How would you respond to that?

Because that is something that your opponent has also brought up.

Well, first of all, we respect our teachers.

We have the best teachers in the world.

That means we have one of the best school systems in the country.

So I don't like people, you know, badmouthing our teachers or pitting teachers against parents.

They've got to work together closely.

So I think respect is number one.

Let let your teacher know you love them and thank you for what you're doing.

But we do need more teachers, and I've tried to address that a couple of ways.

One, during COVID and we've continued this, we have more apprentice teachers.

Maybe your third year, you're not in the teacher college somewhere, but you're spending more time in the classroom.

You're earning while you're learning.

And we've got hundreds of young people there to help our teachers.

And I was just talking to Jonathan in the green room, you know, there in Southern where he's a professor.

We have an accelerated teacher program, so it's easier to become a teacher and easier to become a nurse faster with less cost.

Your opponent was here earlier this week talking about kitchen table conversations should stay at the kitchen table.

Later on, unveiling a parental bill of rights that, again, tha would mandate or say that, you know, parents shouldn't need to have their kids hearing about racism or sexual education or the even the idea that certain students should not be able to compete based on their identity.

I'm wondering if you think that a parental bill of rights is necessary.

I don't know.

I think we've got parent teacher associations.

We got teachers working closely with parents.

I want parental involvement 100%.

Teaching only works if we work together.

But I don't I don't understand.

I don't even know what CRT really means.

I mean, are you're overemphasizing the Holocaust or are you overemphasizing slavery when you teach that as part of your history program I think it's called history.

And I think our teachers have the right judgment what's age appropriate.

And I don't think our kids are snowflakes.

I think they can learn from history just like all of us can.

You're hearing incumbent Ned Lamont here where we live.

We're going to take some calls now.

Adams calling in from Waterbury.

Adam, go ahead with your question.

We're short on time so quickly.

I would just like to know that you do anything about me or people like me who have felonies and who haven't been in trouble in over 32 years or 40 years.

And why should you have to go through so much to get a felony off your record Well, we certainly accelerated that.

We have a clean slate legislation that passed, I think, on a bipartisan basis in the legislature over the last couple of years.

It relates to what the felony was, certainly.

But look.

When you make a mistake early on, it's not a life sentence and people have a chance to get their lives back and get going.

We're working on that.

I got to tell you, in our correctional facilities, much more emphasis upon vocational.

Much more emphasis in helping people when they gather to get a job, get housing and get their life back together.

You mentioned the Department of Correction.

Kenyatta tweeted that she wants to hear why you've not come up with a plan to slow the spread of COVID 19 in state jails and prisons.

We know COVID is still out there, a governor.

And she highlights that congregate care settings are incubators for the virus.

And over 90% of people in the Department of Correction have tested positive since 2020 It is a congregate settings.

So we were very concerned about that.

Just like nursing homes and other congregate.

I'd say a couple of things.

I think State Angel Queiroz did really well.

We really prioritized the settings like correctional facilities in terms of getting the vaccines out there, making sure they had masking and make sure they had testing .

We did not have nearly the outbreaks, severe outbreaks you saw in many other states, and we had to get the right balance.

I mean, a lot of the most medically vulnerable people that were in prison and maybe served 20 years of a 25 year sentence, we thought it was safe.

We got them out, just decongest or less crowding We're not out of the woods, but I think we're managing it relatively well.

When we think about essential workers, people still needed to go to inside the Department of Correction, the correctional officers.

There are people still working in nursing homes, of course, in our hospitals.

This last session, you and the General Assembly signed into a program that would provide pandemic bonuses for essential workers.

But so many people have applied or eligible, I think, over 255,000 people.

Yet the money allotted was 30 million.

Was that a mistake?

Should you have accrued allocated more to, you know, give a bonus to these people who risked so much in those early days of the pandemic?

All right.

Well, let's unpack that.

You know, for state employees, we gave all of our state employees a $2500 bonus that was, you know, hundreds of millions of dollars plus a thousand if they stayed on thereafter.

On top of that, Lucy, for our state employees, we also have hazard pay that we're finalizing now.

That's going to be for folks like you said, who showed up like corrections workers, like state police, those who showed up every day, they couldn't go remote, couldn't go zoom.

Now you're talking about how about broader, you know, the private sector, essential workers.

How about those workers of electric boat who showed up every day?

And then the question is, well, is that the obligation of the state to pay them a bonu for the hard work they did?

Or is that an obligation of electric boat?

I tried to lead by example.

But you're absolutely right.

We did set aside, you know, $30 million, at least for those folks who were sort of related to state government, let's say caregivers at daycare facilities, you know, most of metro, which is paid for.

So we could at least take care of those people in a way that I couldn't expect the daycare to be able to do by themselves.

So that group that you've mentioned, the 30 million, again, if there's more people applying for those thousand dollar bonuses, those grants are going to be again made less And so, you know, how do you remedy this?

Because some of the people in your Democratic Party, in the General Assembly are also critical of how this was passed.

Again, I we're leading by example.

We're taking care of everybody who works for state government or even related the state government.

And I'd like to think that our major manufacturers and profitable other entities, they step up and do the right thing as well.

You know, but we can have a debate.

You can say, I think the taxpayers ought to pay for this.

I think we should pay down less of the state pension and pay out more money now.

That's always the debate we've had.

I've tried to strike the right balance.

We've made the biggest investment in mental health, biggest investment day care, biggest investment in schools, and by the way, for all those same essential workers in the private sector.

I've eliminated the income tax for everybody earning up to about $50,000.

We got a child tax rebate of, say, 1500 dollar depending on the number of kids you add.

That's money they got over the last couple of weeks.

So there are a lot of ways that we're helping people out without simply sending them more taxpayer funded checks.

Last question.

I'll paraphrase.

Carolina wants to know property taxes.

Your opponent says he'll lower them.

What more can you do to help with property tax burden in our state, governor?

Well, last time around, he was going to eliminate the income tax.

Let me tell you, that would not have lowered property tax, that would have decimated education and jacked up property tax big time.

What I have done on property tax, because it's an incredibly regressive tax, is a we had a $100 million to reduce car taxes, not for everybody, but reduce car taxes, especially for, you know, middle class communities and others.

And secondly, we expanded the property tax credit, you know, really for everybody was very narrow.

So that's an extra 100 or $300.

Not everybody's going to feel that some towns, their houses went up in value a lot, but at least we provided a couple hundred million additional in property tax relief for people.

Governor Ned Lamont, thank you for your time We hope you come back before Election Day.

Hey, Lucy, it's great to see you.

And my prayers go out to Queen Elizabeth, who I hear is in pretty tough shape right now.

Thank you, Governor, for your time.

This is where we live on Connecticut Public.

After the break, we get some analysis from political science professor Dr. Jonathan Wharton from Southern Connecticut State University.

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I'm Lucy Nalpathanchil.

We just heard from Governor Ned Lamont, who's seeking reelection against Republican opponent Bob Stefanowski.

For some perspective on the gubernatorial race.

Joining us now is Dr. Jonathan Wharton, who is professor of political science at Southern Connecticut State University and associate dean at the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Welcome back.

Good morning.

Thank you.

Good to be in the studio.

So your response to Governor Lamont?

Oh, a lot of issues that you covered.

You know, especially on housing, clearly, that is an ongoing issue that just won't go away.

And I'm glad you pressed him on that.

The new London issue also as well.

So great questions that he followed up and certainly his responses were interesting.

You know, it's interesting when you're an incumbent, you've got a record to run on.

But there's also a lot more criticism about the strategy that you had or some of the decisions you made.

So when you think about the issues that residents and registered voters are interested in, do you think Governor Lamon is heading the right issues out there?

Well, he has to, because this is at least, you know, determining voters decisions on not only some sort of his candidacy again, but also even just the party just down the line.

So that's going to be critical for this election for him.

What would you say are his weakest areas?

Well, you heard him say it.

I mean, this housing issue is not going to go away.

And I think it's important that, you know, his administration stresses the need to work and partner with municipalities most importantly, vocational housing.

I mean, he got a little bit more specific on affordable housing.

And so it'd be interesting to see what kind of models the state government will come up with to work with the cities and certainly the towns.

You know, I mentioned at the beginning of the show that Governor Lamont will have three lines on the ballot.

He's been endorsed by the Democratic Party, the Working Families Party, and also the agreeable frank for Connecticut party.

Is that unprecedented and what does that mean for his opponent?

It's unusual.

And so obviously Bob's have announced he's trying to sort things out with the lawsuit that's going on with the Independent Party.

So obviously, that's an issue that probably won't go away.

Voters in Connecticut seem to find interest in seeing maybe a name appearing more than once.

And I don't know how much of a difference that will be in this election, but having a name up there three times certainly doesn't hurt.

Certainly, the campaigns are looking for those cross endorsements.

You alluded to the Independent Party, a candidate endorsed candidate, Rob Hotaling, again in court today.

His party against Stefanowski's a campaign who's suing to remove the independent endorsed candidate from the ballot.

So it is interesting to see how this is coming out so close to the election.

What is your take on how that will impact the Stefanowski campaign?

It's so unusual, right, because it was a split vote and obviously the chairman, you know, got in the middle of that between 1779 and someone else has come out saying, well, I'm going with this lawsuit just to push ahead in light of the 78 supporters who were with me.

This is almost unprecedented.

So it's going to be interesting to see how this fleshes out after the courts.

Does it hurt him that he's suing to remove the endorsed candidate for the Independent Party?

I would say it hurts.

I think it just gets more attention on the issue.

And so certainly the reality I think many people in Connecticut forget that there's confusion about the differences between unaffiliated versus independent because many people probably haven't had long association when they're two separate things, especially when the majority of voters in Connecticut are unaffiliated voters.

And honestly, independents.

I spoke to that.

The campaigns want these cross endorsements because the race for governor is close, I think 2018, those three percentage points.

And so they need every vote, right?

Oh, it does matter.

Absolutely.

It could splinter, especially if you have another candidate running in the fray.

We saw that in God's gravel back in 2018, not to mention all the division internally within both parties, both major parties.

Traditionally, when we think about a gubernatorial rac in Connecticut, the issues that people want to hear versus what we heard from the Republican candidate earlier this this week about his parental bill of rights.

Does that surprise you that that kind of issue is coming into this race?

No, it doesn't, because it's been an issue, let's say, within the Republican Party here at the state level in some localities.

It's been a concern in terms of voter excuse me, parent parental involvement, engagement.

So this is at least a pathway to make the issue known and put it on, you know, the gubernatorial candidate radar.

But is this something that you think will.

Help Stefan Koski win.

Well, let's see.

Look, you never know what approach a candidate is going to take up and this is something that's just come out now.

And so it could help.

It could hurt.

We'll have to see how that plays out, especially with polling.

Polling.

That's a good one, because where are the polls?

We brought this up the other day.

Are you surprised that I think their last poll was done in May No, I'm not.

In fact, I think we're going to see this take place more by probably the end of next month.

That's typical.

We're going to get more attention for the gubernatorial race and the other races, too, especially the congressional races.

Can we talk about the money being spent?

I mentioned, I think, four super PACs helping with advertising.

And of course, you've got two candidates who are self-funding Absolutely.

And it's going to go away.

If anything, we're to see more ads so connect voters that'd be ready for it.

This is only the beginning of it and remember only the beginning of September.

So I imagine it'll be like in about three or four more weeks.

We know that Stefanski, the Republican candidate, released three years of his federal tax returns.

The governor had released some tax returns information back in April.

Christine Stewart from CTV News Junkie expects some more will be released by the release by the campaign.

Does that matter to residents that how much money these two candidates are making?

There was an issue back in 2018, right, Lucy, because we had millionaires running for, you know, for governor.

And actually, I don't want to forget also even for Congress.

So for some of these, you know, federal and even statewide positions, it does require a lot of their own money.

One thing to note, too, is that it's interesting to see was even asked it was a joint return, whereas for the governor, it was certainly separate from his wife.

So that's an interesting kind of stand out.

And talk about more about that because of what Annie Lamont.

Does.

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, you know, it's well known that she's certainly connected to the, you know, pharmaceutical and health care industry.

And so there's a lot of investment there.

And so she's been successful with that, no doubt.

And there is scrutiny that we don't yet know how Bob's a financed he is making his money.

Rather, he's a consultant.

We don't know, you know, who's paying him.

He mentions non disclosure, keeps him from putting that out there, you know.

What's your response?

Well, he's also using his own money, right I mean, $10 million being funded directly towards his campaign, which is not which was not the case the last time around.

So he's certainly made more of a profit this time around, but he has to to at least try to run again.

Mm hmm.

The opponent, Stefanowski, bringing up a lot of issues about working families and what people are dealing wit with inflation.

Do you think that Governor Lamont is doing enough to talk about, you know, what he and the General Assembly have passed to help the middle class?

Yeah, no.

You know, I was hopeful hearing a little bit more about that.

For example, something like recreational marijuana.

Right.

We know that's going to be some additional money coming into the coffers of the state of Connecticut.

And yet, how long did that issue really take place there in the assembly and debate and discussion, how much profit really take place?

You know, last summer that was a big issue and yet that didn't come out.

So there are some areas where we know that some profit come in.

And I'd like to hear more about that, especially as it relates to the finances of the state.

And also investigations into the Lamont administration related to former deputy secretary of OPM.

Mm hmm.

Will that have an impact, do you think?

I think, again, you know, it's an issue that won't go away.

And I don't forget what's going on in London.

And certainly we can't afford what's going on.

A tweet now that we know the estimates are going to come in double as well for expanding out the airport.

So, yeah, these issues are almost typical in any administration, no matter what level of government and how much scrutiny is going to come from the voters, not to mention the media from people like you.

Two months to go before Election Day.

What will you be watching for, Jonathan?

Oh, you know, my my issue is going to always be remaining towards, you know, economic development.

How do we make sure that we have a strong economy here in the state and how we're going to be successful, especially in our urban areas?

You know, it's an issue that just won't go away in Connecticut because we need to find a pathway of keeping people here in Connecticut.

And I want to hear from the candidates, what does this mean for the future?

And the key to that sounds like it's going to be housing, too, that's going to move the state forward to have places for workers to live.

One issue among many.

Right.

And we can't forget education being another issue.

And and, you know, there's so many different things that we know Connecticut's struggling through right now.

Dr. Jonathan Wharton, thank you so much for your perspective here on the show.

Thanks for having me on.

Appreciate it.

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I'm Lucy Nalpathanchil.

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