A year in, Malloy's strong leadership evident

Taken in totality, the first year of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration has to be judged a success. While there will certainly be a need for budget adjustments in the coming short session, for the first time since the onset of the recession five years ago the talk is not about managing a budget crisis.

While this newspaper did not endorse Gov. Malloy in the 2010 election, we respect the approach this governor has taken. His has been an administration of action, not studies; willing to confront problems, not obfuscate.

Certainly some will complain about the tax-heavy approach Gov. Malloy and the Democratically controlled legislature took in wrestling the budget back into balance. But the citizens of Connecticut elected a governor who, during the campaign, was straight forward in saying a mix of tax increases and budget cuts would be necessary to address the fiscal problems.

As promised, he did not shift the state's burden to municipalities. Governors in other states have earned plaudits for balancing budgets without tax increases, while cutting municipal aid and effectively imposing property tax hikes at the local level.

And while the labor union concessions the administration achieved were relatively modest, some of the long-term savings in pension reforms will prove substantial.

Because of its ability to put the fiscal crisis behind it, the administration now finds itself in a position to address major policy challenges going forward, chief among them jobs and education.

Under Gov. Malloy's proactive leadership, the state has taken numerous steps to bolster job growth. He achieved bipartisan support in gaining approval for a jobs bill, an achievement that continues to elude Washington.

Significant strides have been made to better coordinate and expedite permits and other regulatory approvals vital to business and development. The state has become an aggressive partner with businesses, big and small. The Small Business Express Program, with $100 million in funding, provides loans and grants to help promising businesses of 50 or less people expand in a tight credit market.

On the other end of the spectrum, Jackson Laboratories will receive $291 million in state assistance towards its $1.1 billion construction project in Farmington, part of the administration's aggressive approach toward expanding the biotechnology industry in Connecticut.

Some of these approaches will prove to be money well invested, others not. But the state cannot afford inaction if it expects to compete despite Connecticut's inherent disadvantages of high energy and living costs.

On the issue of education, the state appears close to achieving the broad spectrum of support and agreement that will be necessary for real reform. Gov. Malloy received well deserved high marks for his appointment of Stefan Pryor as commissioner of education. Mr. Pryor brought experience in both urban renewal projects and innovative education programs, including as the co-founder of a successful charter school in New Haven.

The governor has said the coming session should focus on education. Given that approach, we fully expect Gov. Malloy to bring the same determination to this "education session" as he displayed during the 2011 debate over how to balance the budget and the fight to achieve labor concessions.

The ultimate test in the years to come will be whether the governor's policies spark a growing economy, critical to creating the additional tax revenues that will be necessary to provide the future pay raises promised to state workers, and meet other obligations, without demanding more tax increases.

The governor is doing it his way and as a result will either enjoy the political praise or suffer the condemnations to come. In Gov. Malloy's case, working with a legislature dominated by his own party, it's clear where the buck stops.

He has provided leadership, the one thing Connecticut most desperately needed.