Chris Donovan's tenure as speaker of the Connecticut house got off to a rocky start, just as he attempts to help get the state out of it's financial mess.   Donovan, a liberal democrat, and longtime labor organizer, took the speakers' gavel from outgoing speaker Jim Amann - the polarizing, conservative democrat who's staging a run for Governor.

In his first high profile act as speaker, Donovan attempted to hire Amann as a high-paid advisor - an idea that met with substantial public opposition before the idea was dropped.

Today, Where We Live, speaker Chris Donovan joins us to talk about the controversy - but also about the billion-dollar deficit the state faces this year - and the tough negotiations on a two year budget, which could be millions more in the red.   

Join the conversation!  Add your questions, suggestions and comments below.