Community Corner

Governor in Mystic Tuesday as Part of Jobs Tour

Malloy tours Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport.

Michael and Lynne Brolly and their two sons Hugh and Liam weren’t expecting their Tuesday trip to the to include a boat ride with the governor of Connecticut.

“What a treat,” Lynne said of the ride. “It was very special." The family from Bethlehem, Pa., was just passing through Mystic on their vacation when they stopped at the seaport and ran into the governor.

Gov. Dannel Malloy was in Mystic as part of his jobs tour, which he began in. The governor toured the in the morning and the seaport in the afternoon along with a number of local officials including state Sen. Andrew Maynard, D-18th and state Rep. Diana Urban, D-43rd.

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While many of the questions posed to the governor, Maynard and Urban focused on the state’s budget and what the , it was people like the Brollys and Rosemary Clement-Moore from Fort Worth, Texas, who also ran into the governor at the seaport, that underscored the importance of the visit.

“This is a great spot and I think ultimately Connecticut is underappreciated in part because we’ve not done a very good job of selling it,” Malloy said. “We played as big a role in the Revolutionary War as Boston did. They drew a red line down the street; we never did. Marketing is important.”

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The governor said the state will spend $13.5 million to $15 million devoted to branding and advertising as part of the July 1 state budget. The amount could decrease slightly depending on the final outcome of the state budget, he said.

“We want to have a campaign in Connecticut that will last for a number of years, that will brand the state inside the state for our citizens and outside the state for out-of-state visitors,” Malloy said.

For out-of-state visitor Clement-Moore, the seaport doesn’t need to be branded. “I always wanted to come,” Clement-Moore said. “It was on my wish list.” She added that her father had served in the Navy in Texas and that the history the seaport offered was important to her.

Clement-Moore might be in the minority though. Susan Funk, vice president of education and public programs at the Mystic Seaport, said that while initiatives such as the Mystic Pass card, which grants admission to the aquarium, seaport and offers discounts at a number of local businesses was helping, visitor numbers are about flat from this time last year.

“We’ll work on getting some people to come,” Malloy said.

At the aquarium, where Malloy visited the beluga whales including one who swum up to the visitation area holding a “We (heart) CT" sign, visitors are up from last year.

Peter Glankoff, senior vice president of marking and public affairs, said visitors were up 19 percent over the Fourth of July holiday weekend compared to last year, which he credited to a number of things including the governor.

“The visit underscores what he’s already committed to—it’s a huge change from what we’re used to,” Glankoff said. “Mystic is aligned with the governor’s vision of tourism.”

Glankoff also praised Maynard's work on tourism saying for years Maynard has played an important role in the state's tourism development.

“I’m delighted to have a governor who really gets it,” Maynard said. “He’s making a commitment in a huge way.”

As Maynard and Urban toured the seaport and aquarium with the governor they commented on how easy it is for people, especially locals, to take for granted the treasures the area offers.

Watching the Brollys and Clement-Moore it’s easy to remember how special this area is, now the state just has to convince other potential visitors of it.


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