Malloy: "We Have To Protect The Most Vulnerable Among Us"

MERIDEN -- For those state employees who are worried how Dan Malloy's plans to solve the state budget crisis will affect them, the Democratic governor-elect cautiously reminded them Wednesday night that it could be worse: Republican Tom Foley could have won the election.

Malloy, who was greeted loudly and enthusiastically at the Connecticut Working Families Party's winter awards dinner, also thanked the public- and private-sector labor groups behind the party for the crucial role they played in securing his narrow win on Election Day.

His warm reception at the labor gathering came just a day after a business group, the MetroHartford Alliance, applauded Malloy's pledge to improve the business climate in the state by balancing the budget and providing the stability needed to promote economic development.

But the governor-elect reasserted Wednesday that fixing the state's fiscal problems would not be at the expense of Connecticut's neediest and most vulnerable citizens.

"How bad would it be for the people we embrace... if we had not accomplished what we had accomplished on Election Day?" Malloy told a crowd of about 150 gathered at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center. "We in Connecticut stood up on a principled basis and said we care about our fellow human being."

Read More