HARTFORD -- Gov. Dannel Malloy has been been sworn in for his second term as governor.
Inauguration events began at 11:30 a.m. with an inaugural parade at the Hartford Armory. At 1:30 p.m. Gov. Malloy delivered his inaugural address.
"Today marks a new chapter. A chapter in a story that began long before any of us were here, and one that will continue on long after our contributions end," Malloy said.
He also talked about education and transportation as ways to improve the state of Connecticut.
"Today I say to my fellow citizens – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike – that no one party or one policy maker holds a monopoly on good ideas. We might not always agree on the details, but we can agree that we want our children to inherit a better Connecticut than we were given."
Today's Events
At 4 p.m., Gov. Malloy delivered his State of the State address at the capitol, in which he spoke about public school education and transportation improvements.
He started off by talking about Connecticut's state history: "Connecticut drafted North America’s first written constitution. We founded our nation’s first insurance company. Our inventors gave the world the can opener, the bicycle, and the artificial heart."
He then transitioned into how he has added to that history--namely increasing minimum wage, enacting a paid sick leave law, and adding gun violence prevention laws.
Malloy also mentioned the fiscal achievements he's made, one of his opponents' key arguments against his first term. "We added more than 500 million dollars to our rainy day fund and responsibly cut our long term debt by 12 billion dollars."
He then segued into discussing the future and his upcoming second term, including talking about adding bike and pedestrian trails, as well as bus and train lines.
The State of the State address was followed by the inaugural ball at the Convention Center.
The Governor's History
Wednesday's inauguration comes after one of the closest gubernatorial elections in Connecticut history. Poll results showed Gov. Malloy and Republican Tom Foley in a near dead heat leading up to the election.
Malloy and Foley also ran against one another for governor in 2010, with Malloy winning by less than 7,000 votes.
The November 2014 election was also plagued with voting problems when several Hartford precincts did not receive their poll books on time.
Malloy's Second Term Goals
Gov. Malloy said he will be focusing on job creation during his second term by attracting companies to do business in Connecticut, developing an economic strategy that will promote job growth, and making sure we keep the jobs we already have.
During the gubernatorial debates, Gov. Malloy said he plans to hold taxes at their current level and hopes to cut some taxes as well.
