|
July/August— Vol. 88, No. 6
Election 2010
It’s time for change at the State Capitol
CBIA voter education campaign will focus on fiscal reform
and state’s economic competitiveness
By Bill DeRosa
This summer, CBIA will launch the most ambitious grassroots advocacy campaign in the organization’s history. The campaign is designed to educate Connecticut voters about the economic and fiscal issues facing the state and encourage General Assembly candidates to be committed to downsizing state government and growing Connecticut’s economy. CBIA will be working with the state’s chambers of commerce and a broad coalition of other business organizations and community leaders to maximize the campaign’s reach and impact.
“Much of our economic future depends on what priorities state legislators bring to the Capitol after the elections this fall,” says CBIA President and CEO John Rathgeber. “Connecticut clearly needs a change in policy direction, and that won’t happen unless we have forward-thinking lawmakers who come to the Capitol already committed to strengthening our economy, fostering business investment and job creation, and making fundamental changes to state government and the way it spends taxpayer dollars.”
To help design and propel the statewide campaign, CBIA has hired the Dewey Square Group (DSG), a national political consulting and public-affairs strategy firm. DSG specializes in organizing and building broad-based support for public-policy issues important to their clients—corporations, national trade and professional organizations, coalitions, nonprofits, and grassroots campaigns.
“The expertise and resources Dewey Square brings to this effort will allow us to have a much broader, deeper impact during this critical election period,” says Rathgeber. “CBIA is making a significant commitment to this initiative because the stakes are so high.”
Connecticut is, in fact, at a historic turning point. The state has lost 100,000 jobs and is facing annual budget deficits of nearly $4 billion in 2012 and 2013.
“State spending continues to run totally out of control,” says Peter Kent, chairman and CEO of Bicron Electronics in Canaan and chair of CBIA’s Board of Directors. “Our short- and long-term budget deficits and the $55 billion unfunded liability for state employee retirement benefits means we need to review all major spending areas and seek to improve state services at significantly lower costs. But it’s difficult to see how that’s going to happen unless the state legislators we elect this fall are committed to a change in direction.”
“Clearly,” says Rathgeber, “given our state’s fiscal situation, business-as-usual at the Capitol—and throughout state government—is no longer a viable option.”
Unfortunately, business-as-usual at the Capitol has often meant anti-business-
as-usual: Every year a host of harmful tax, labor, and other bills are raised, despite their dampening effects on jobs and the economy.
“One of the biggest issues coming out of the 2010 session,” says Joe Brennan, CBIA senior vice president of public policy, “is what has become a perennial assault on the business community by so many special interest groups and some legislators, and the fact that numerous anti-business, anti-growth bills remain alive until the gavel falls on the session. Until that changes, our business climate will suffer, and companies will be hesitant to invest and create jobs in Connecticut. It has to change, and effecting change is what our grassroots campaign is all about.”
Other voices growing louder
Because special interest groups have become extremely aggressive in promoting initiatives that are antagonistic to business and detrimental to Connecticut’s economic and fiscal health, CBIA’s statewide initiative is more critical now than ever. Consider, for example, recent efforts to establish mandatory paid time off, stop much-needed environmental regulatory reform, and increase the state’s business-taxes.
“There are many groups in Connecticut…whose agendas support excessive regulation and taxation,” says Bruce Dworak, member of CBIA’s Board of Directors and president of Hobson & Motzer Inc., a tooling and precision metal stamping company in Durham. “We need to communicate about these issues to our friends, families, and employees and do everything possible to bring balance back to our government.”
Rathgeber agrees. “The business community simply cannot let its voice be drowned out by other groups that have little understanding of or regard for the private sector’s role in creating jobs, generating tax revenue for the state, and ensuring a good quality of life for all Connecticut citizens,” he says. “The time has come to organize, build a more robust statewide network of like-minded activists, and pursue our agenda with determination and a strong sense of purpose.”
If you build it…
CBIA and DSG have designed a multifaceted advocacy campaign that centers on building a coalition of Connecticut voters and business and community leaders who share CBIA’s vision for an economically vibrant, fiscally sound state.
“We’ll be reaching out on a grassroots level to recruit individual voters who believe in private-sector growth and a less expensive government,” says Rathgeber. “Our goals are to increase voters’ awareness and understanding of economic and fiscal issues and provide them with opportunities for identifying and communicating with candidates to encourage them to be truly dedicated to creating a more competitive Connecticut.”
The campaign will also work at the “grasstops” level, developing local networks of business and community leaders who will advocate for CBIA’s priorities among the broader electorate and the candidates.
Strategies will include messaging through TV, radio, Internet, and direct mail as well as social networking and Web outreach to develop a strong base of supporters.
“We want to communicate the urgency of Connecticut’s fiscal and economic situation to voters and businesses and rally them to become much more active and influential in their local political races,” says Brennan. “The candidates must get a clear signal from their constituents: You need to get serious about making this state a more attractive place for business investment and job creation.”
next
|
