Lamont-Glassman Team Visit Farmers' Market

Democratic candidate for governor Ned Lamont and his running mate for lieutenant governor, Mary Glassman, spent an hour visiting the Westport Farmers' Market in the commuter parking lot off Imperial Avenue Thursday.

They tasted samples of the fare being offered by Connecticut farms and chatted with the merchants about operating small businesses, growing organic produce and raising chickens at home.

Eleanor Smith, owner of El's Kitchen, told Lamont she wants to begin selling her products regionally, but can't get a bank loan.

"They're still so tight with the money," said Smith, who, since 1998, has produced gluten-free snacks and cooking rubs.

Lamont suggested she contact Connecticut Innovations, which provides early-stage funding to Connecticut companies through equity and equity-related investments.

Asked how he would deal with the state's severe budget problems, Lamont said he would target modifying the health plans and pensions of state employees.

As for the State Assembly's difficulty coming to terms with the state's budget deficit, Lamont said, "You need a little bit of Weicker," referring to feisty former governor Lowell Weicker. "Here's my plan, you got a better one?"

No matter how you deal with the budget as governor, Lamont said, "You're not going to be a hero. It's going to be a tough four years."

Following 16 years as a first selectman in Simsbury, Glassman said her responsibilities as lieutenant governor would be working with the state's municipalities.

"I've already discussed this with Ned," she said, and two areas of importance would be helping towns with requests for state funding and assisting them in regionalizing services so, for example, two or more towns could combine their fire departments.

Glassman also offered as an example a town having an information technology employee facing layoff because of budget constraints. If the same person could serve two towns, she said, you could avoid the dismissal.

Lamont and Glassman face a primary Aug. 10 against former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy and his running mate for lieutenant governor, Nancy Wyman, the state's comptroller.

After the Westport visit, Lamont and Glassman were on their way to Hartford for her to file paperwork with the Elections Enforcement Commission to obtain public financing for her campaign, after having received a sufficient number of small contributions.

Lamont, a wealthy entrepreneur in the cable television industry, is self-funding his campaign.

The candidates for governor and lieutenant appear on separate lines on the ballot in Connecticut, so there is no guarantee that the winning gubernatorial candidate will end up serving with his or her announced running mate.

Lamont learned Thursday that in the latest Quinnipiac University poll he leads Malloy among likely Democratic primary voters 46 to 37 percent, with 16 percent undecided.

The poll also found Lamont and Malloy top any of the three Republican candidates for governor – Tom Foley, Oz Griebel and Michel Fedele -- by margins of 11 percentage points or more among registered voters.

Lamont leads former ambassador Foley, the front runner for the GOP nomination, the poll found, by 45 percent to 33 percent, with 5 percent preferring someone else or not planning to vote and 17 percent undecided.

The state hasn't been led by Democratic governor for 24 years, when William O'Neill held the office. The current governor, Republican M. Jodi Rell, is not seeking reelection.