We Need to Get Out of Your Way’

If it’s Monday, it must be Stamford. Or Greenwich. Or Bridgeport. As the concessions deal with state employee unions collapsed, Gov. Dannel Malloy kicked off his summer-long tour of Connecticut’s businesses.
The tour represents something of an extended warm-up for the Governor’s proposed special session of the General Assembly this fall–the “emergency” jobs session.
Accompanied by Catherine Smith, the Department of Economic and Community Development commissioner, Gov. Malloy made three stops: in Stamford to address a local business organization; Greenwich, visiting the studios of an animation company; and then up I-95 to Bridgeport and the Beardsley Zoo.
“We may be down, we may have had a bad number of years, we might even have a bad couple of months to get through,” Gov. Malloy told business people in Stamford.
“But there is no obstacle that we cannot overcome, there is no lesson we cannot learn except if we refused to learn, and there’s nothing happening in any other state that we can’t duplicate.
“We need to get out of your way, understand what regulations are impeding your decision making, slowing down the process, preventing you from creating jobs here, preventing you from maintaining jobs here.”
The Governor’s tour continues Wednesday, with visits to businesses and business groups in Ellington, Niantic, Waterford, Groton, and Storrs.
The Governor’s comments Monday echoed his January appearance at CBIA’s 2011 Economic Summit & Outlook in Hartford, prior to his inauguration.
“As of today, the governor’s office is open for business and Connecticut is open for business,” he told some 600 business leaders attending the summit.
A month later, he delivered a powerful budget address before both chambers of the legislature.
“From this day forth, state government will exist to help create jobs, not just to perpetuate itself,” he told lawmakers as he outlined his priorities for addressing the state’s fiscal and economic issues.
Since then, the legislature passed a near $2 billion tax hike (singling out small and midsize businesses); increased state spending; made Connecticut the first state to mandate paid sick leave; and failed to address job creation and job growth.
And this Thursday, lawmakers will return to Hartford for a one-day special session to resolve the $1.6 billion budget gap that the deal with the state employee unions was supposed to close.
There’s a lot to address, both this week and in the fall.
CBIA members look forward to speaking with the Governor and lawmakers over the summer, and working to shape an agenda that will fulfill the promise that Connecticut is open for business.