Nancy Wyman was sworn in as the state's lieutenant governor during a brief ceremony in the Senate chamber this morning.
Wyman, a veteran politician who has served four terms as state comptroller and before that was a state representative, nevertheless appeared excited and a bit nervous as Governor-elect Dannel Malloy administered the oath of office.
"Let me get my breath first,'' she said. "I didn't think I'd ever be standing up here."
Wyman responded with a laugh when Malloy punctuated the swearing-in process with the comment "may God help you.''
The chamber erupted in applause several times during Wyman's short speech, a measure of how well-liked she is among lawmakers.
"We need to be leaders that will listen to the people and respond to the people,'' she said. "We have to be committed to getting our fiscal house in order, we have to be committed to reforming our health care system, to putting people to work, to helping small businesses, to lowering energy costs and upgrading our infrastructure."
"From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe if we all work together, Democrat and Republican, House, Senate, executive branch and legislative branch, we can make this state a better place to live for us, our children and our grandchildren."
Wyman said she is honored to be standing with Malloy as his partner.
"To the people of Connecticut...I thank you,'' Wyman said. "I promise you that I will spend every day for the next four years working to make life better for all of you.''