Former Gov. John G. Rowland has apologized to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for calling him "a pathological liar'' regarding his policies on business.
The issue started with a blog in The American Spectator in which Rowland talked about Malloy's repeated statements on helping businesses and then his actions on supporting policies that are opposed by the business community.
"On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Malloy is pro-business,'' Rowland was quoted as saying. "And then on Tuesday and Thursday, he's signing new government mandates like the sick-day compensation bill that will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year. As governor, your first priority in handling the economy should be to eliminate the fear of the unknown. With Malloy, you never know what he's going to do next.''
Rowland also complained that companies have bolted from Connecticut during Malloy's first six months in office.
"We're now losing business to places we've never lost to before - like Cambridge, Massachusetts and White Plains, New York,'' Rowland was quoted as saying. "And with Malloy in office, we're going to keep losing to nearby areas. He has devastated the economic morale of the state.''
Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's senior adviser, told The Courant's Rick Green that he needed to respond.
"Obviously, this guy has no shame,'' Occhiogrosso said. "He robbed the state blind, got thrown in jail, and now he peddles himself as some sort of a born-again Christian? He's a fraud. Usually, I ignore him. When he calls my boss a pathological liar, I have to respond."
"What's gotten under (Rowland's) skin is that the governor continues to point out correctly that Rowland saddled the state with a 20-year labor deal."
In the blog, Rowland brought up the point about the unions with a deal that was scheduled to expire in 2017.
"He's trying to make me the scapegoat, but he actually wanted to extend that deal another five years through 2022,'' Rowland was quoted as saying. "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.''