As reporters were leaving Gov. Dannel Malloy’s Capitol office Tuesday afternoon, state Weather Advisor Doug Glowacki was headed in to give the new governor an update on the Nor’easter headed toward New England. It was Malloy’s second weather update of the day and it won’t be his last.
Malloy, who was elected mayor of Stamford the same year that city received more than 100 inches of snow — the most in 100 years — said focusing on weather related issues during his first few days in office is nothing new.
“I’m glad you didn’t tell me that before you won the election,” Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman quipped.
At the 4:30 p.m. briefing, Malloy said he wasn’t ready to declare a state of emergency or ask state employees to stay home Wednesday. He said he will issue another briefing at 9 p.m. in time for the 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
Based on the information he received from Glowacki and other members of the Department of Emergency Management, Malloy said the state could receive 15 to 25 inches of snow depending on how the storm tracks. He said he’s spoken to governor’s in the nearby states of Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. He also spoke with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is still dealing with his handling of the snowstorm in late December, a reminder that weather can make or break a politician.
Malloy said he doesn’t expect there to be any problems before 2 a.m. and is still monitoring the situation. It’s most likely the heavy snow will fall in the central portion of the state.
“If we get 20 inches of snow we have problems,” Malloy said. “I’m going to be living this storm. My staff is going to be living this storm. We’re going to keep people up to date.”
Malloy said he will rely on his experience as Stamford’s mayor to dictate how he handles this storm as governor.
