Governor Dannel Malloy has surrounded himself with a close group of advisors from his political career. His inner circle includes his Chief of Staff Timothy Bannon, who previously worked for former governor William O'Neill; senior aide Roy Occhiogrosso, who ran both of Malloy's gubernatorial campaigns; press secretary Colleen Flanagan, formerly an aide to Senator Chris Dodd; general counsel Andrew McDonald, who previously served with Malloy in the state legislature; and OPM Secretary Ben Barnes, who held multiple positions under Malloy when he was mayor of Stamford.