Governor Ned Lamont said his goal of making Connecticut more affordable will require long-term solutions to fix long-standing problems.

Still, he also hopes to find short-term relief for families struggling to make ends meet.

“You want to bring down the price of electricity,” Lamont said during a one-on-one interview with NBC Connecticut. “You need more supply, you want to bring down the price of housing, you need supply.”

Lamont’s State of the State address focused on the price of many essentials, including electricity, housing and prescription drugs.

He admitted the state can do little to help with groceries, though.

” I don’t want to over promise,” he said. “There’s not much I can do about eggs.”

Lamont did make energy prices a major focus, noting the frustration customers had after surging electricity bills during the summer.

Lamont reiterated Thursday that the state needs to focus on increasing supply – something that could take years.

He defended purchasing more expensive green energy to boost supply in the short-term. Lamont also said he’s trying to get hydropower from Canada.

“That’s something that worries because I don’t have control over it,” he said. “I’m talking to the energy generators, I’m talking to the Trump administration. I’ll be seeing what we can do to get more energy here.”

He also defended the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and Chairman Marissa Gillette, who has been the target of criticism from energy suppliers and Republicans who feel she’s been too heavy-handed.

“Marissa’s really good,” Lamont said. “She holds Eversource accountable. They don’t like that.”

He also said the state needs to boost its housing supply.

He’s made funding for housing – including grants for construction and help for first-time buyers – a priority, but now, he’s pushing lawmakers to speed up local permitting processes.

Lamont said that’s not an invitation to mandate zoning reform.

As Lamont crafts his budget proposal for lawmakers, he’s watching what happens down in Washington, D.C. 

The governor’s proposal is due in February, but the current federal spending plan expires in March.

Lamont and lawmakers are worried the Republican-held Congress and President-Elect Donald Trump will cut funding for Medicaid, education and other federal aid.

While he waits, Lamont will receive pressure from Democrats to relax the state’s fiscal guardrails. The governor said he’ll listen, but doesn’t think the state is ready to make major changes.

“Look, we’ll see,” he said. “We’ve paid down by the end of this year, say, $10 billion of pension. We’ve gone from the worst-funded pension system in the country to below average. Below average is not good enough to me.”

Lamont said he plans to work with the Trump administration but vows not to budge on certain policies, including immigration.

America First Legal, founded by Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Steve Miller, recently sent a letter to Lamont pressuring him to comply with Trump’s deportation plan.

The letter said the group had identified Connecticut as a “sanctuary jurisdiction,” something that “subjects you [Lamont] and your subordinates to significant risk to criminal or civil liability.”

Lamont said he doesn’t want to see changes to Connecticut’s immigration policy. The Trust Act states Connecticut agencies do not cooperate with federal deportation efforts except for undocumented immigrants who are charged with Class A or B felonies.

“If you want to get that 16-year-old dreamer out of Guilford High School, go look somewhere else,” Lamont said.

Lamont also wants to see changes at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, focused on attracting more students.

For now, that’s a task for Chancellor Terrence Cheng, who was the subject of an audit last month questioning his spending and expenses.

Lamont said he will talk with Board of Regents Chairman Martin Guay before deciding whether to reappoint Cheng.

“I’m going to let him make the call, making sure we’re making the changes at Connecticut State we need to keep it on the right path,” he said.

Lamont is halfway through his second term in office. He said Thursday he’ll make a decision after the session about running for a third term.

“I don’t want to get pushed around politically either,” he said. “So I’m going make up my mind after the session, see how people think we’re doing.”

Happy Birthday Connecticut!

As one of the original 13 colonies, Connecticut has an interesting founding story, from being the first state to write a constitution to being the fifth state to join the United States.

In fact, Connecticut became a state on Jan. 9, 1788 – 237 years ago today. However, the state’s history extends back much before that. To celebrate the state’s official birthday, here’s a look back at Connecticut’s history, from its very first settlements up until its statehood.

Connecticut history timeline

The journey to Connecticut becoming a state dates back thousands of years, as various Indigenous tribes have lived on the land for over 12,000 years. In fact, the name Connecticut comes from its first Indigenous inhabitants, who called the area “Quinatucquet,” an Algonquian word meaning “beside the long tidal river.”

Europeans first arrived in Connecticut in the early 1600s, with Dutch explorer Adriaen Block credited as the first European to explore the area in 1614. In the 1630s, the Dutch established a settlement near Hartford, while English settlements popped up in the modern-day towns of Windsor, Wethersfield and Saybrook.

In 1636, prominent Puritan minister Thomas Hooker traveled from the Boston area to Connecticut, officially founding Hartford. The towns of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield soon joined together to create the Connecticut River Colony.

Despite the well-established trade networks with Native Americans, in 1637, the Connecticut Colony officially declared war on the Pequot. The conflict, known as the Pequot War, ended in 1638 with the Treaty of Hartford, which forcefully disbanded the Pequot tribe, whose people dispersed among the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes.

Why is Connecticut nicknamed the Constitution State?

In 1639, Connecticut Colony wrote and adopted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a set of laws establishing Connecticut as its own colony separate from Massachusetts. This document is believed to be the first written constitution of a democratic government, which is why Connecticut is nicknamed “the Constitution state.” The Fundamental Orders governed Connecticut Colony until 1662, when England officially granted the colony a royal charter.

Connecticut went on to play an important part in the Revolutionary War, producing soldiers in the Connecticut Militia, leaders in the country’s founding documents and famous patriots like Nathan Hale. After the war, Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the fifth state on Jan. 9, 1788 – 237 years ago today.

Who was Connecticut founded by?

While early Connecticut had various towns founded by different people, the establishment of Connecticut is credited to Thomas Hooker, the Puritan minister who founded Hartford.

Known as “the father of Connecticut,” Hooker was a leading figure of the Connecticut Colony and the official minister of Hartford. In 1638, Hooker preached a sermon about the right to choose one’s own government, laying down the groundwork for the Fundamental Orders.

Azzi Fudd had 18 of her 23 points in the first half as No. 7 UConn rolled to an 81-27 win over Xavier on Wednesday night.

Sarah Strong added 15 points — all in the first half — with seven rebounds and five steals for UConn (14-2, 5-0 Big East). UConn played without leading scorer Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s win over Villanova. There is no timetable for her return, but UConn coach Geno Auriemma thought there was a chance Bueckers could return next week.

Allie Ziebell had 15 of her 17 points in the second half for the Huskies.

Irune Orio led Xavier (5-10, 0-4) with 10 points.

The Musketeers, who didn’t score their 10th point until 26 seconds were left in the first half, lost their 45th straight Big East game. Xavier trailed 43-10 at that point.

Takeaways

Xavier: The Musketeers falls to 0-9 against UConn. In the eight Big East matchups against UConn, the Musketeers have lost by at least 36 points seven times.

UConn: Fudd had her season-high in points in the first game without Bueckers. Fudd’s previous season-high was 18 points in wins over ranked Ole Miss and Louisville teams.

Key moment

UConn was already in command with a nine-point lead before Strong had eight points and Fudd five during a 15-0 run to put the Huskies up 30-6.

Key stat

UConn outscored Xavier 36-4 in points off the turnovers through the first three quarters. The Huskies had more steals than Xavier had points in the first half.

Up next

The Musketeers play at home against St. John’s on Saturday.

UConn plays at Georgetown on Saturday.