Malloy Adviser Calls Rowland A Hypocrite
by Christine Stuart | Jul 7, 2011 11:22am
(4) Comments | Commenting has expired
Posted to: Media Matters, State Budget
When former Gov. John G. Rowland called Gov. Dannel P. Malloy a “pathological liar” in an interview with The American Spectator, Malloy’s senior communications adviser, wasn’t about to let it slide.
“It’s kinda like Snooki calling someone cheap,” Roy Occhiogrosso said Thursday morning in a phone interview.
“I can’t believe WTIC gives him a platform,” he added referring to Rowland’s part-time job as afternoon talk show host.
Rowland, a convicted felon who left office after contracting scandals, uses his three-hour drive time radio spot to criticize Malloy and his policies. The criticism intensified after Malloy took a swipe at him for negotiating the current 20 year deal with unionized state employees that’s now “unsustainable.”
“It was the single worst agreement in state history,“ Occhiogrosso said of the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition deal Rowland inked back in 1997.
Malloy tried to change the terms of that agreement, but a minority of the SEBAC membership who voted, rejected the package.
“He’s trying to make me the scapegoat, but he actually wanted to extend that deal another five years through 2022” Rowland told The American Spectator. “He went from supporting an extension of the deal, to blaming it for all of the state’s problems. He’s all over the place.”
Malloy’s decision to extend the deal until 2022 was an attempt to get labor to agree to increasing the retirement age and other pension.
Rowland has spent the better part of the past two days on the air talking about the rejection of the labor agreement.
Occhiogrosso said he never, ever listens to the show, which lately has revolved around the rejection of the labor agreement.
(4) Comments
posted by: DumpMalloy | July 7, 2011 12:30pm
Hey Roy, CT citizens have a few choice adjectives that describe you, Mallory, Barnes, and the rest of the clowns in Hartford - unfortunately they are not printable here.
posted by: Bolder63 | July 7, 2011 12:38pm
“He’s trying to make me the scapegoat, but he actually wanted to extend that deal another five years through 2022” Rowland told The American Spectator. “He went from supporting an extension of the deal, to blaming it for all of the state’s problems. He’s all over the place.”
All that needs to be said about it right there.
posted by: SJAY | July 7, 2011 12:54pm
It’s truly a disgrace that WTIC AM has found valuable air time for a convicted felon and Rush Limbaugh wannabe (John Rowland) along with “Rush Lite” Jim Vicevich to mislead and inflame partisan passions in CT with innuendo and outright twisting of facts for nine hours each weekday.
posted by: Todd Peterson | July 7, 2011 9:37pm
For starters, the former gov. has apaologized to the current gov. The current gov. accepted the apology. The Rowland haters don’t care about this, but it happened.
John Rowland was willing to give Dannel Malloy a chance and was magnanimous towards him early on. Frankly, Mr. Malloy hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory lately.
Throughout the campaign and the early part of this year he was Gov. GAAP. GAAP here, GAAP there, GAAP everywhere. Fine, we need real standards. Unfortunately all that is left from GAAP is a vapor trail and it will be that way for two years minimum.
We had the crowing about a budget that was passed earlier than ever! Amazing, efficient, remarkable!. We didn’t have the “concession” package passed yet. Furthermore the “savings” were illusory. There was a surplus built in to cover the anticipated shortfall. This is ridiculous regardless of party affiliation.
His petulent comment about snowplow operators was sandbox diplomacy at its worst. He feels free to lecture the media about their failure to report his achievements and heroic efforts. Seems that you’ve got a well-paid corps of people to promote you already, Gov. Malloy.
I wish we had more reasons to be confident. I’m not seeing them yet.