By Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland
January 31, 2011

Just days into his tenure as the 88th Governor of Connecticut, former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy addressed The United States Conference of Mayors 79th Annual Winter Meeting attendees at Thursday's plenary lunch. Conference of Mayors President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz recognized Malloy's understanding of local government, stating, "He has been a fierce advocate for cities… and will continue to be a friend to us."

Malloy opened by thanking mayors for their leadership in the aftermath of the Tucson shooting that attempted to assassinate Representative Gabrielle Giffords, also resulting in six deaths and the wounding of 12 others. He continued to emphasize his gratitude towards mayors and the people of Stamford for allowing him to serve as mayor for 14 years. He told the crowd that he is still adjusting to his new title, and having been deeply involved in the Conference of Mayors throughout his tenure, it was nice to be home among his fellow municipal leaders. His following remarks focused on promoting a harmonious interaction between local, state, and federal government.

His hope is to champion a discussion between governors and mayors that allow both sides to explain how their level of government works so they can better team together to get things done efficiently. Malloy noted the importance of direct federal funding to cities, explaining, "They really need to put more money in the hands of local government to distribute money in a timely fashion." His sentiment, which is one that he expressed through his own tenure as mayor, echoed the sentiment mayors expressed throughout the meeting regarding the allocation of federal funds straight to cities.

Malloy continued to highlight the key issues confronted by mayors: education, infrastructure, jobs, and transportation, all of which are issues that confront mayors and governors alike. He explained, "This idea that we can simply continue the process of pushing difficulties at the federal level to the state government, and our difficulties on the state government side to the local government is something that… I want you to know as governor, I reject." This type of support as expressed by Malloy is refreshing to local government.

As Malloy emphasized, The United States Conference of Mayors strives to help mayors help their cities, and that state and federal officials should look to the Conference of Mayors as an organization to work with and not against. Given his remarks, the Governor made it very clear that all mayors have a friend in the Connecticut Governor's office.