In This Issue:
From Paddi's Desk
CT Agency Corner
Municipal Roundup
From Inside The Golden Dome
This Day in CT History
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Really? Come on.
With budget hearings all week and the governor leading a trade mission to Israel, and the OPM secretary out of action related to a personal illness, you’d think that would be keeping folks busy? Not.
There have been lots of recent media conferences around the revelations of wrong-doing and mismanagement of state contracts, mostly around who did what, what did others in positions of power know, when did they know, what did they do and when did they take control of the situation. It seems as if these serious shenanigans are much more complex than one might think. At first, the issue was judgement of a top leader in OPM seeking a high level state agency leader to hire a member of his immediate family. Then we learned that a high level state agency leader advocated for his own personal increase in salary to the fella' who was looking for his family member to be hired. Then it got further complicated due to the dual role of the same top guy at OPM leveraging state contracts for friends. To further complicate the matters, we learned that this top OPM leader, according to a governor- requested investigation by a well known and respected former US attorney, even actively participated in securing state business through no bid contracts for the same family member’s part time employer who was seeking work related to school contracts! I’m not making this up, I promise, and it’s not the plot of a new TV show. This is CT government at its worse.
Confusing? It sure is. The last time we saw this level of “who done-it” was when former Governor Rowland accepted a “soon to be tossed” hot tub from a family friend who also served as an appointed executive assistant while some others in his administration where gaining personally from steering state contracts to beloved contractors. After weeks of FBI investigations, a legislative panel empowered to hold hearings on the matter, front page news reports and a barrage of radio and tv news updates … folks went to jail, the governor included, and we still haven’t learned? Really?
Many of us in the lobbying world are scratching our heads… how can someone really think its okay whether they are a state employee, or a lobbyist, to go around the very clear and well publicized rules of the road. While folks talk about the fact that CT leads in setting the gold standards for ethical behavior; requires mandatory ethics education and training for state employees …. and even has a designated ethics officer in each state agency; you got to wonder - how does this stuff still happen?
I go back to one of my basic premises. Like in any industry/profession there are rule followers and rule breakers. And there’s no amount of education, training, rules, laws or even reporting that will stop a rule breaker from breaking the rules.
So what’s the solution? Common sense? A higher level of personal integrity? In the corporate world it’s called zero tolerance and significant consequences. Just think about how many CEOs get the boot after a story breaks in the media about malfeasance, financial screwups, even poor judgement in their work. It appears that once there’s a reasonable suspicion and a story, they are gone after they apologize and manage the fallout that always impacts the brand and bottom line. I’m not sure, but I don’t recall any of the high level situations of late ending with the CEO sitting at home while things get sorted out. The consequences of violating people's trust and the rules of the road are swift and certain.
A couple years ago, the legislature passed a law saying that public officials who are found guilty of corruption would come under further review by the state's attorney general for a determination on whether they should also lose their state pensions as additional “incentive “ to really think through their intended actions. I'm not aware of the same level of consequences for state employees who I’m certain have all kinds of union contract protections. I’m sure that’s why it’s always the case of implicated state employees involved in such “rule breaking” being placed on paid leave?
Really, how about with certain known evidence, place those employees on unpaid leave and if found innocent you get back pay and a kicker for the witch hunt.
That's an incentive for thinking twice and maybe following the rules. Let’s hope the legislature will do more than protest the rule breakers and maybe put some fear of real consequences into anyone in state government who chooses to break the rules.
Okay I’m done. Rant over.
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List of Legislators not Seeking Re-Election
We would like to give a huge thanks to the following legislators that will not be seeking re-election this year for all they have done for Connecticut, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
- Rep. Whitt Betts
- Rep. Bill Buckbee
- Rep. Tony D'Amelio
- Rep. David Wilson
- Rep. Joe De La Cruz
- Sen. Will Haskell
- Rep. Brandon McGee
- Sen. Kevin Witkos
- Sen. Dan Champagne
- Sen. Paul Formica
- Sen. Craig Miner
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Lamont to Israel to Market CT / Airports Duel Over New Customers
There was a large amount of economic development related news released this week so we decided to feature both stories as part of this article today.
First, Governor Lamont announced this week that he’ll be taking his DECD Commissioner David Lehman to visit companies in Israel looking to expand their presence in the U.S. and make the case why Connecticut’s cities should be on their list.
This trip is occurring on the heels of Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky located in Stratford announcing the building of the first four helicopters for Israel being estimated at $370M. It was apparently going to take place back in 2020 before the COVID-19 travel restrictions were put in place. This is not as unusual as you would think since it’s expected that a number of other state leaders will also be attending in anticipation that companies are looking to expand their operations in the U.S.
The next big splash announcement this week came from a tale of two airports now locked into a battle the state has never seen before over who will be the lead airport for expansion. Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, which has been the only marquee airport for years, is now in an unanticipated competition with Tweed Airport in New Haven and its incredible growth. The expansion at Tweed includes Avelo Airlines offering six flights to Florida, and as of this week, the airport is announcing four new direct flights to Savannah, Nashville, Charleston and Myrtle Beach. This is seen as direct competition since before this week, Bradley has not be able to offer direct flights to these destinations (other than Myrtle Beach). But this week, announced Breeze Airlines announced that they would be making Bradley the hub for their new flights which will include more than 200 new jobs, adding eight new nonstop destinations for a total of 12 cities served from Hartford.
The competition for these flights seems to be intensifying way more quickly than anticipated and will only become more competitive even after Tweed’s intention to expand their footprint in the next three years with a brand new parking garage and expansion of their runway to accommodate Jet Blue and other larger airlines joining the mix.
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Legislation Affecting Municipalities
There will be plenty of debate on changes to laws impacting municipalities this year. One hot topic carrying over from last year is the debate about affordable housing. A new group, encompassing 20 separate nonprofit organizations known as “Growing Together Connecticut,” initiated a goal over the next 10 years to create 300,000 new affordable housing units. They are modeling this effort after a program passed in New Jersey that apportioned affordable housing percentages across the state, assigning requirements for each individual municipality. Last year's bill in the Connecticut legislature did not pass. This year they will try to push forward again. Another term for this policy is known as “fair share” zoning and it has and will receive a tremendous amount of pushback from smaller communities who argue that it would be extremely difficult to comply due to restrictions on existing infrastructure and private property rights among other objections.
In New Haven, the new partner to the Tweed Airport announced this week as weather continues to be blistery here in CT, that they will fly to four new (and warmer) cities. Those include Nashville, Savannah, Myrtle Beach and Charleston. This expansion of routes comes on the heels of the successful rollout of several Florida destinations late in 2021.
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Mental Health Support
Budgetary adjustment season, for appropriations wonks everywhere, is as welcome as a springtime warmth. PowerPoint presentations, budget testimony and the overheating of printers everywhere pave the road into one of the shortest legislative sessions in history. Discussions about what should and should not get funded by the legislature and stakeholders throughout the state are well underway.
The focus for many of our legislative leaders in Hartford is behavioral and mental health, and rightfully so. Today, members of the Connecticut General Assembly unveiled a bipartisan children's mental health bill. This comes on the heels of the Governor’s budget, which he has allocated significant funding levels via the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds (CSFRF) for programs to support mental health initiatives. Youth mental health systems have been strained to the breaking point as the pandemic has pushed both children and adults to be on the lookout for these important services. One of the more interesting pieces of the Governor’s budget is the $15 million to develop infant and early childhood mental health services by building capacity for specialized mental health. In any legislative session, coming to a consensus is hard but both parties are on the lookout to prioritize investment in support for mental health services this year, and rightfully so. Next week, we focus on retirements, not mine of course!
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February 18: The Wiffle Ball Hits It Out of the Park
One summer evening in 1953, David N. Mullany, a father, former college baseball player, and recently laid off salesman, was watching his son attempt to play baseball with his friends in the backyard of their Fairfield, Connecticut home when a curious idea came to him. The boys were playing with a broomstick and perforated golf ball, fearing that a regular baseball would be more likely to fly out of the modestly sized backyard and damage a neighbor’s window or car. Mullany began thinking of the ideal ball for pickup games played in a typical suburban backyard: something resilient and lightweight (in case the ball flew over the fence), but still aerodynamic enough to mimic the motions of a real baseball.
Mullany began experimenting with round, plastic cases used by a local company to package perfumes. He soon discovered that punching holes in one side of the light, plastic spheres made them more aerodynamic. This gave the pitcher the ability to throw curveballs and spinners easily based on his or her grip. As a result, the invention we now know as the WIFFLE® Ball was born on August 17, 1953.
Mullany offered a number of these new perforated, plastic “baseballs” for sale at a nearby diner. After they quickly sold out, he took out a loan to produce them on a larger scale. Half a year later, on February 18, 1954, Mullany filed a patent for his innovative “game ball.” He later renamed it the “Wiffle Ball” in reference to how easy it was for pitchers to control their throws in ways that would make batters “whiff” – that is, swing at and miss – their pitches.
It didn’t take long for the Wiffle Ball’s popularity to soar among the Baby Boomer generation, and as Mullany’s company expanded, he moved production to nearby Shelton, Connecticut, where more than 60 million Wiffle Balls have been manufactured since. Today, the iconic toy that forever redefined backyard sports is as popular as ever with children of all ages — and plenty of adults — playing in organized Wiffle Ball leagues and tournaments. The Wiffle Ball, Inc. is still headquartered in Shelton and managed by Mullany’s descendants, who have bucked the late 20th-century trend of outsourcing plastic manufacturing and are proud to point out that every Wiffle Ball ever made has been manufactured in Connecticut. An all-American icon and beloved childhood toy scored a home run for millions, starting today in Connecticut history.
The original article from the CT Humanities Council can be found here.
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Sullivan & LeShane, Inc.
www.ctlobby.com | (860) 560-0000
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