This sprawling development pattern places more demand on the roads we rely upon to move people, goods, and services. More restaurants mean more deliveries, more schools mean more busses, more homes mean more cars in more driveways.

Sprawling development can also mean more congestion - something I witness first hand everyday as I cross the state meeting with the people of Connecticut. Highway congestion, especially in New Haven and Fairfield counties and parts of the I-84 corridor, restrains economic activity costing us jobs, increases pollution, and diminishes our quality life. High usage areas also require more consistent repair, which in itself causes congestion. As Governor, I will be committed to pursuing strategies that reduce congestion and that provide attractive mass transportation options.

In Stamford, I did just that. Commuter rail service in Stamford grew 200% under my leadership. We completed major improvements, including the addition of 1,100 parking spaces, to our train station, the 2nd busiest stop on the Metro-North Line after Grand Central Station. And, toward the end of my tenure, we secured millions of federal dollars for the 1-mile Stamford Urban Transitway, which will vastly improve access to rail service, including access to high-speed rail.

Connecticut needs a Governor with this kind of commitment to transportation. As people have moved from cities to suburbs, our transportation infrastructure has become increasingly strained. Connecticut's infrastructure is aging, and to a large degree behind the times. Many of our highways are in need of constant repair, especially in high usage areas like Fairfield and New Haven Counties. The high-speed rail service between Boston and Washington has to slow down in Connecticut because of aging infrastructure. Newer commuter and light rail systems in other states have made them more competitive by being more attractive to employers and young high-skilled workers.

Over the past few years, the legislature approved a number of key projects. Funding them has been a different story. The administration has expressed a concern about debt financing during recessionary times. I, too, share this concern.

However, leadership also requires the right choices. One result of this budget is that we have borrowed over $1 billion just to pay bills - the worst kind of debt-financing. Connecticut should have instead prioritized debt-financing for purposes with the greatest stimulus to the local economy. Connecticut projects like new rail stations, or connecting new commuter lines from New Haven to Springfield, Danbury to Milford, or New London to Worcester, have the potential to stimulate job growth and should receive priority.

The Governor had the authority to initiate funding for projects that could stimulate the economy at a time when we needed it most. The Administration chose budget gimmickry instead. Connecticut was poised to use strategic infrastructure investment as a way to create both short-term and long-term economic stimulus. This is an opportunity that can't again be lost.

More recently, Connecticut was shut out - completely - in a competition for $1.5 billion in federal transportation grants. Shut out, as in zero dollars.

Here's a promise I'll make, and be held accountable for: that will not happen when I'm Governor.