Tom Foley, the Republican candidate for governor in Connecticut, has accused his incumbent Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy of bribing businesses to stay in the state. During a visit to Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford on Friday, Malloy rejected Foley’s accusation.
Malloy signed into law a deal with United Technologies Corporation, Sikorsky’s parent company, allowing the company to use $500 million in state tax credits to upgrade and expand its facilities in Connecticut in May.
Republican Foley is critical of the deal, and other incentives the Malloy administration has given to big businesses.
"They have to bribe employers to stay here with hundreds of millions of dollars, actually over a billion dollars of taxpayer money to get companies like UTC to stay here," said Foley, in a recent GOP debate.
“Four years ago the finance head of United Technologies on a conference call to Wall Street questioned why anyone would do business in Connecticut. And three and a half years after Nancy and I took office we have a new relationship with United Technologies that guarantees the presence of a Pratt and Whitney division in Connecticut for 20 years, ” said Malloy, vigorously defending the deal, with his Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman beside him after they toured Sikorsky’s facilities.
“To not do what we did would have been Foley, no folly.” Malloy said, ridiculing Foley for not having a plan of his own.
The first debate between Foley and Malloy is scheduled for Wednesday Aug. 27th in Norwich.
