For Gov. Ned Lamont, the past two and a half years have been ruled by one issue: COVID-19.
Hundreds of 黑料吃瓜网 residents are still hospitalized with the virus, but the pandemic has largely receded into the background of everyday life. Gone are daily media briefings and multi-hour waits at drive-thru testing centers.
Instead, 黑料吃瓜网 is learning to live with COVID-19. Speaking Thursday on 黑料吃瓜网 Radio鈥檚 Where We Live, Lamont said that 鈥渨e now have the ability to keep ourselves safe鈥� and that on the first day of school this year, 鈥渆verybody felt like we were back to normal.鈥�
It鈥檚 Lamont鈥檚 second time running against Republican Bob Stefanowski. In 2018, Lamont Stefanowski by 3.2 percentage points or about 40,000 votes. On Tuesday, Stefanowski appeared on Where We Live.
Here are some highlights from 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 interview with Lamont.
On the COVID-19 pandemic: 鈥業 don鈥檛 see any need for mandates鈥�
黑料吃瓜网 has seen COVID numbers rise and fall throughout the pandemic.
Since mid-July, daily hospitalization numbers have hovered around 300 people. While that鈥檚 a far cry from peaks of nearly 2,000 people, the numbers still show COVID isn鈥檛 going anywhere.
Now, with omicron boosters becoming available before an anticipated fall and winter surge, Lamont said his administration is optimistic that life is returning to normal. But 鈥渢hat said, we鈥檙e careful. Fall is flu season. This is not our first rodeo. We鈥檝e been through two other falls where we did see a flare-up. So we have stocked up as necessary on vaccines, masks and tests.鈥�
Last winter, 黑料吃瓜网 . Lamont said the requirements were no longer needed as hospitalization numbers dropped and vaccines were widely available. Since then, he has said .
鈥淯nlike two years ago, we now have the ability to keep ourselves safe. We have vaccines 鈥� we have rapid, same-day tests,鈥� Lamont said Thursday. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see any need for mandates.鈥�
On tax relief and 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 economy: 鈥業鈥檝e tried to strike the right balance鈥�
Earlier this year, Democrats and Lamont ordered more than $660 million in tax relief, which is . But about half the relief is one-time in nature.
The state also reported . Stefanowski said it should be allocated 鈥渂ack to taxpayers.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why [Lamont] won鈥檛 give some of it back to us. He should, particularly when people can鈥檛 afford to buy gas and food,鈥� Stefanowski said.
Lamont鈥檚 administration has offered pandemic bonuses to essential workers in recent weeks, but as the 黑料吃瓜网 Mirror reported, .
The governor said he has tried to 鈥渓ead by example,鈥� giving all state workers bonuses and some, like correction officers and police, additional hazard pay for working during COVID.
But Lamont said you 鈥渃an have a debate鈥� about whether more pandemic bonuses should be allocated to private-sector workers.
鈥淗ow about those workers at Electric Boat who showed up every day? And then the question is, 鈥榃ell, is that the obligation of the state to pay them a bonus for the hard work they did? Or is that an obligation of Electric Boat?鈥� Lamont said.
The governor said his administration directed relief toward essential workers at places like day care facilities, which might not be able to pay workers bonuses.
鈥淲e鈥檙e taking care of everybody who works for state government or [is] even related to state government,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to think that our major manufacturers 鈥� they step up and do the right thing as well.鈥�
Lamont said he has used the budget surplus to chip away at the state鈥檚 nearly $40 billion pool of pension debt, which Democrats believe will reduce future pension contributions and free up more money for programs or tax relief.
鈥淵ou can say, 鈥業 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,鈥欌�� Lamont said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 always a debate we鈥檝e had. I鈥檝e tried to strike the right balance.鈥�
On rising health care costs: 鈥楳ost people鈥� won鈥檛 see major increases鈥�
Lamont was criticized this week by Republicans for failing to contain health care costs in 黑料吃瓜网.
Most residents get private health insurance through their public, private or nonprofit employer. But about 200,000 residents get insurance on their own or through a small group policy, and for those individuals, rates are 鈥� on paper at least 鈥� rising by an average of 13%.
Lamont said federal subsidies should blunt the immediate impact of that cost increase for some residents.
鈥淎lmost all of those people will not see much of an increase at all,鈥� he said.
Still, state Attorney General William Tong criticized the Insurance Department, saying it acted too quickly to allow sufficient scrutiny of the proposed rate increases.
Lamont said the bigger issue in the insurance sector is that health care is just too expensive.
鈥淭o deal with rising costs 鈥� deal with the rising costs. The rising costs of health care are related to hospitalization and pharmaceutical[s],鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what my real focus is.鈥�
On affordable housing: 鈥業t鈥檚 very important that each town take the initiative鈥�
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 zoning law, known as , works to reverse decades of housing discrimination. It says 10% of a town鈥檚 housing stock should be affordable. If that鈥檚 not the case, developers may propose plans .
The law set off debate across 黑料吃瓜网, with some residents fearing that large residential developments may alter the 鈥渃haracter鈥� of communities, .
Lamont said local towns should take the lead on this issue and focus on developing downtowns. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be breaking zoning and having a lot of suburban sprawl,鈥� he said.
But he acknowledged that 黑料吃瓜网 is 鈥渄esperately short of housing across the board,鈥� saying, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 very important that each town take the initiative鈥� to reach 10% affordable housing.
But critics say not all towns are. Woodbridge faces a civil lawsuit, with housing advocates arguing the town is deepening racial divides .
Lamont said he doesn鈥檛 think litigation is the path to getting more affordable housing built.
鈥淲oodbridge, tell us where you would like to have some housing that your teachers, and firefighters and cops 鈥� can live,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淚f you show us this is a place where we鈥檒l allow our downtown to grow and expand a little bit 鈥� then you don鈥檛 have to sit around subdividing one-acre lots. I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 the future.鈥�
Stefanowski said residents shouldn鈥檛 have to move out of cities to get access to affordable housing. But where affordable units go, he said, should be a matter for local leaders to decide.
On education and the classroom: 鈥業 don鈥檛 like people badmouthing our teachers.鈥�
As students return to school, .
鈥淲e do need more teachers,鈥� Lamont said, noting the state has worked to nurture more apprentice teachers who can earn money while learning the profession in the classroom.
Meanwhile, statewide school mask mandates , but Stefanowski said government is 鈥�getting in the way鈥� of parents and their children.
Earlier this week, Stefanowski鈥檚 campaign released a 鈥減arental bill of rights,鈥� which called for reevaluating how sex education is taught to young children. He said parents should have more control over decisions like vaccines and masking in schools, but he did not go into specifics.
鈥淩espect our teachers,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like people badmouthing our teachers or pitting teachers against parents 鈥� they鈥檝e got to work together closely.鈥�
Stefanowski said his positions on education are 鈥渘ot about arguing with teachers.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 working with teachers,鈥� Stefanowski said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about working collaboratively with parents to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. And that鈥檚 what our schools need to get back to.鈥�
Lamont said: 鈥淚 want parental involvement 100%. Teaching only works if we work together.鈥�
But he said teachers know best what belongs in the classroom.
鈥淎re you overemphasizing the Holocaust? Are you overemphasizing slavery when you teach that as part of your history program? I think it鈥檚 called history. And I think our teachers have the right judgment 鈥� what鈥檚 age-appropriate 鈥� and, I don鈥檛 think our kids are snowflakes. I think they can learn from history just like all of us can.鈥�
On crime in 黑料吃瓜网: 鈥楥oming out of COVID, there was a lot of extreme behavior鈥�
On Tuesday, Stefanowski cited low numbers of state troopers and said Lamont 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 want to talk about crime鈥� in 黑料吃瓜网.
Lamont acknowledged the low numbers and said his administration is working to recruit more state troopers and diversify the ranks of people who become state troopers.
鈥淛ust as importantly, I鈥檓 working really hard at the municipal level, giving them additional resources,鈥� Lamont said, noting difficulties cities can have in retaining police officers. 鈥淭here we鈥檝e got to do a better job of recruiting.鈥�
Stefanowski has also claimed residents in 黑料吃瓜网 were safer four years ago than they are today.
Lamont disagreed with that, but said 鈥渃oming out of COVID, there was a lot of extreme behavior. We had more car accidents, we had more addiction, we had more suicides, and there were shootings.鈥�
鈥淏ut let鈥檚 remember the fundamental fact 鈥� 黑料吃瓜网 is one of the safest states in the country,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 badmouth the incredible work our police do and our communities do.鈥�
In 2021, FBI statistics showed 黑料吃瓜网 had the fourth-lowest violent crime rate in the nation, but it had a property crime rate that was higher than 14 states, .
Across America, violent crime today when compared to federal data from the 1980s and 1990s. But recent years brought spikes in homicides and gun violence to some communities.
On allegations of 鈥榗orruption鈥� in 黑料吃瓜网
Stefanowski has repeatedly criticized the Lamont administration, saying it鈥檚 subjecting 黑料吃瓜网 residents to a so-called 鈥�.鈥�
Underlying that, Stefanowski claims, is , which is over budget and .
Lamont said the State Pier will serve as a hub for the offshore wind industry. He said 鈥渋t鈥檚 the most important investment鈥� made in southeast 黑料吃瓜网 in 50 years. But he said inflation and work reorienting the pier to accommodate ferries added tens of millions of dollars to costs.
鈥淚nflation was tough over the last couple of years, particularly tough in the construction trades,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淏ut I want to give people confidence. It鈥檚 money well invested and it鈥檚 going to make a big difference for this state.鈥�
Lamont that many of the management issues at State Pier predate his administration and that he worked to appoint new leaders at the quasi-public agency.
As the , federal law enforcement is also investigating school construction grants that were spearheaded by Konstantinos 鈥淜osta鈥� Diamantis. The Lamont administration eventually fired Diamantis from his budget post.
鈥淲e acted,鈥� Lamont said. 鈥淚 worry a lot less about corruption than I do about stupid things we do as a state over the last 30 years. That鈥檚 where the real cost is.鈥�
Watch the full interview with Governor Ned Lamont
This story contains information from the Associated Press.
