One thing Ned Lamont made clear is that he wants “an honestly balanced budget.”

Last Wednesday Lamont, the Democratic nominee for governor, held an impromptu news conference after emerging from a lunch he had at a Hartford eatery with most of the other candidates chosen by the state Democratic Party convention to run for statewide offices.

A week earlier, appearing on WPLR-99.1 FM’s Chaz & AJ radio show, Lamont had responded “yes” when asked for a yes or no answer as to whether tax increases would be part of his solution to restoring fiscal balance.

Reporters, who had camped outside the restaurant while Lamont dined with state Rep. William Tong, nominee for attorney general; Shawn Wooden, nominee for treasurer; Secretary of the State Denise Merrill; and Susan Bysiewicz, his choice for lieutenant governor, wanted to know more.

That’s when Lamont began his “honest budget” mantra, repeating it several times. Repeat it enough and folks start accepting it. Sort of like pledging to make America great again.

“The most important thing for this state is to have an honestly balanced budget. And I’m going to get that done,” Lamont said.

So how exactly … ?

“I’m going to get an honestly balanced budget done on time, that’s my pledge.”

And how about getting the state’s economy moving again?

“You can’t do it if you don’t start with an honestly balanced budget.”

So you’re ready to make some tough choices?

“I’m not going to be Mr. Popular, but we are going to have an honestly balanced budget to get this state moving again.”

You get the picture.

The problem is that, so far, Lamont is not taking an honest approach to the difficult situation the state faces.

According to the Office of Fiscal Analysis, Connecticut confronts a $2 billion deficit in the 2019-20 fiscal year, which rises to $2.6 billion in 2020-21. Most of the costs driving those deficits are fixed, such as the need to close the gap on the state’s grossly underfunded pension plan, contractual labor obligations, and paying for a debt that per capita is among the highest in the nation.

Lamont has assured the state labor unions he won’t balance the budget on their backs. In fact, the assurances he offered labor led to him winning a straw poll at the state AFL-CIO convention and helped propel him to the party nomination.

Lamont has so far offered no ideas on reducing state spending. At the recent press conference he offered that traditional, empty cliché; he will “streamline services.”

Even on taxes, Lamont provided thin gruel.

He would collect more sales taxes on online purchases. Yeah, that’s the ticket. The thing is, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his administration have done about all that can be done to collect state taxes on online sales. Even if Lamont could find a way to squeeze out more dollars, you’re talking millions, not the billions necessary to fund an “honestly balanced budget.”

Granted, Lamont and the other candidates have time to develop some genuine solutions to our state’s fiscal problems. He faces a likely primary challenge from Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim. Three of his fellow dining partners — Tong, Wooden and Bysiewicz — also have primary opponents.

And it is not as if Republicans are providing details on how they would fix the budget while promising various tax cuts. The Republican gubernatorial nominee, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who confronts several primary opponents, says he will phase out the income tax. Wow!

“I don’t know how they are going to balance the budget,” Lamont said of the Republican candidates.

And he said it without a hint of irony. Honestly.

Paul Choiniere is the editorial page editor.