By DAN IVERS

TORRINGTON — Various Democratic officials from across the area gathered in Torrington Wednesday to pledge their support for gubernatorial hopeful Dan Malloy.

Democratic Town Committee Chair Jack Dillon, Litchfield Committee Chairman Bill Conti and State Central Committeewoman Audrey Blondin were among around 30 party members who gathered at Blondin’s Prospect Street office. They welcomed the former Stamford mayor and expressed confidence that he could end the state’s recent economic slide.

“The Republicans would have you believe that government can’t do anything right,” said Conti. “We pick a governor to lead, and that’s what’s been sorely lacking.”

Job creation and helping to close the state’s deficit, which is expected to exceed $500 million later this year, have emerged as the top issues for both Democrats and Republicans looking to take over for M. Jodi Rell in January. While Republican candidates have touted their experience in the private sector as the way to solve the state’s fiscal problems, Malloy cited his success during his 14-year run as Stamford mayor. He left the post last year in order to focus on his campaign.

“Things that people want to see state government do, I’ve actually done,” he said.

Malloy said he wants to explore ways to lower electricity rates in the state and lessen paperwork loads for small businesses, which he hopes will lead to the state gaining in net job growth for the first time since 1989. He cited the biomedical and biotechology fields as two that may be primed for expansion.

“There are people out there who say they want to run government like a business — I disagree. I want to run government like a good government,” he said...