Governor of Connecticut
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The current Connecticut Constitution, ratified in 1965, establishes a four-year term for the governor, commencing on the Wednesday after the first Monday in the January following an election.
The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor, for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket; this provision was added in 1962. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Before the adoption of the 1965 constitution, the lieutenant governor only served as acting governor.
As of December 2012, Connecticut is one of 12 Democratic state government trifectas.
Current officeholder
The 88th and current governor of Connecticut is Democrat Dan Malloy. He was first elected in November 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. He will come up for re-election in 2014 and his current term will end on January 7, 2015.
Malloy, before becoming governor, was mayor of Stamford, CT from 1995 to 2009 and, prior to that, a member of the town's Boards of Finance and Education. Before entering politics, he was a prosecutor in Brooklyn, NY, where he served for four years as an assistant district attorney. Malloy is a former trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a former president of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities, and a former member of the Stamford Cultural Development Organization. He and his wife, Cathy, have three sons.[1]
Authority
The state constitution establishes the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5
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The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor. |
Qualifications
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All gubernatorial candidates must be at least 30 years old and a registered voter and resident of Connecticut on the day of the election (§ 5).
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 5
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The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor. No person who is not an elector of the state, and who has not arrived at the age of thirty years, shall be eligible. |
Elections
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of governors
Connecticut elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Connecticut, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Wednesday following the first Monday in the January following an election. Thus, January 5, 2011 and January 7, 2015 are inaugural days.
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
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A general election for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of the state, treasurer and comptroller shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1966, and quadrennially thereafter. |
Connecticut Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
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Such officers shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding their election until the Wednesday following the first Monday of the fifth January succeeding their election and until their successors are duly qualified.' |
Term limits
- See also: States with gubernatorial term limits
Connecticut governors do not face any term limits.
Vacancies
- See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
The vacancy procedure for the office of governor Article IV, Sections 18, 19, and 21.
Under any circumstances where the elected governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, the elected lieutenant governor shall, as soon as he takes the oath of office, become the governor and hold the office until the next regularly scheduled election.
Duties
The Governor of Connecticut is responsible for upholding the constitution and faithfully executing all laws (Article 5, § 12), is the head of Connecticut's military forces at all times other than when those forces have been called into national service (§ 8). Under § 11, he must periodically address the joint session of the legislature, with details of the current state of Connecticut's affairs and his suggestions for policy.
§ 13 gives the governor the prerogative to grant reprieves after conviction. However, Connecticut stands out for other states in that governor does not have the ability to grant pardons. Additionally, his right to grant reprieves does not extend to cases of impeachment.
Under § 15 and § 16, the governor has a veto on all bills, including appropriations, subject to a supermajority override by the legislature.
Other duties and privileges of the office include:
- adjourning the legislature when the body cannot agree on a time to adjourn itself, until a date he deems proper (§ 10)
- requiring written reports from any and all officers of the Executive branch on any aspect of that officer's job (§ 9)
- authorizing and signing all commissions given by the state of Connecticut (§ 14)
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
In 2012, the Connecticut Governor was paid an estimated $150,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
The governor's salary is set by law. If it is raised or decreased, that change must be passed into law and does not take effect until the first election held after the law's passage.
Contact information
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Tel: 860-566-4840
Toll-Free: 800-406-1527
TDD: 860-524-7397
See also
External links
References
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