Dannel Malloy is the incumbent Governor of Connecticut who took the office on January 5, 2011 as the successor of Jodi Rell. Previously, Malloy served as Mayor of Stamford (1995 – 2009). He is also a law graduate Boston College.
Early Life and Education
Dannel Malloy was born on 21 July 1955 in Stamford, Connecticut as one of the eight children of nurse mother, Agnes Veronica, and father William Francis. Raised with a learning disability, Malloy was later found to have an extraordinary memory. Hence, he didn’t face many problems while going through high school.
After graduating from the high school, Malloy joined Boston College and graduated with a law degree.
Personal Life
While at Boston College, Dannel Malloy met his future wife Cathy Malloy. The couple is married for around 34 years now and has three children: Ben, Dannel and Sam. Wife Cathy serves as the CEO of Greater Hartford Arts Council.
Career
Prior to entering fully into the Connecticut politics, Malloy started working as Asst. District Attorney General for Brooklyn. Four years later, he left the advocacy career to partner with a Stamford-based law firm called Abate & Fox. Malloy remained in the firm until 1995, when he was elected to the seat of Mayor of Stamford. Malloy was also a board member at the Stamford Board of Finances.
Starting in the Mayor’s office on December 1, 1995 as the successor of Michael Pavia, Malloy got consecutively re-elected in 1997, 2001, and 2005. During this period at the office, he strictly focused on crime reductions and has since managed to make Stamford one of the safest cities to live in the US. Besides, Malloy’s tenure also saw a significant decrease in homicides, increase in jobs, and thriving consumer welfare.
In 2006, Malloy made a bid for the seat of Governor. Despite managing to receive Democratic Party’s endorsement, Malloy lost the nomination against John DeStefano, Jr. Hence, in 2009, he left the office of Mayor of Stamford and fully focussed on running for 2010 gubernatorial election. This time as well, he managed to receive a strong endorsement from the Democratic Party and win party nomination on November 2, 2010. In the final election, Malloy faced Republican opponent Thomas Foley, who had held significant posts in the former Bush administration. Anyway, Malloy always remained ahead in the polls – while Foley hovered around 45%, Malloy had 48% supporters. On November 3, Malloy won the election despite speculations that the elections were rigged. In 2014, he sought for a second term and won the re-election with 51.1% votes in favor.
As soon as Malloy took the office on January 5, 2011, he proposed tax rises in various sectors, including sales, gas, estate and income. To Malloy’s disappointment, many of these taxes had unintended effects on consumers. Likewise, he legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana for medical use and has frequently spoken in favor of transgender or LGBT rights. Malloy also held a strong stance against capital punishment throughout his career and even signed an order to repeal such punishments.
To uplift education sector, Dannel Malloy formulated an educational reform which would significantly increase funding for childhood education, kindergarten and teacher training. Similarly, Mayor Malloy took voter’s rights to another level by allowing same-day registration and helped state safety by imposing strict gun laws. Unlike many other leaders, Malloy is very much considerate about the welfare of illegal immigrants – he allowed them to apply for driver’s license, although such identifications couldn’t be used in an airport or during election time.
Despite such efforts, Malloy hasn’t been able to make a significant impact on Connecticut residents. He is arguably the worst Governor Connecticut had ever had with just about 29% approval rating.
Donald Trump and Dannel Malloy
US President Donald Trump and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy do not agree on many of their stands. While Malloy is lenient on illegal immigrants, Trump has frequently gestured towards mass deportations. Likewise, Malloy has imposed strict gun laws, but Trump believes it’s people’s right to care for their own safety. Despite all these differences, Governor Malloy reportedly attended Trump’s Inaugural on January 20.
