Following the disastrous implosion of his scheme to impose highway tolls, rumors of Gov. Ned Lamont’s demise may or may not have been exaggerated. But they appear to be premature, at least.
Lamont returned to the spotlight midday Wednesday for the annual legislative luncheon get-together of the Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce at Whitney Center. He appeared less shaken by the tolls debacle than stirred into action. He reminded his audience of 100 or so business people and senior citizens of the overall upward trajectory of his administration’s economic policies — and the outlook for the state’s private sector.
“I’m the first business guy that’s been governor here in many a year,” Lamont said, “and I think we need more business people up in Hartford to shake things up.”
Lamont cited a Wall Street Journal article that observed how upon assuming office in January 2019, “Lamont inherited a deep hole — but at least he stopped digging.” So that’s progress, after a fashion.
“Most important, what we need to do is not just to get our fixed costs under control, but to get this state growing again,” said Lamont. Part of the challenge, he noted, was creating and sustaining a productive employment pipeline in a state whose young people are exiting for greener pastures and many of whose workers, particularly in industries such as manufacturing, are approaching the sunset of their careers.
One of the luncheon guests was Judy Olian, president of Quinnipiac University. With regard to Connecticut’s long-running talent drain, Olian noted that 24 percent of new-student arrivals on the Mt. Carmel campus are from in-state, but 44 percent of QU graduates live in the Nutmeg State. “So we are actually a net importer of talent,” she said.
Olian is a member of the Governor’s Workforce Council, a group of major employers (including university presidents) formed by executive order last November. Its job is to provide a link between state government and the business community to align workforce-development initiatives with the needs of Connecticut employers in the 21st century.
“This is an extraordinary time in Connecticut, where we have tens of thousands of jobs that we cannot fill,” Lamont said. “Shame on us if we don’t train people for the jobs that are out there — everything from advanced manufacturing in southeastern Connecticut to life sciences in this part of the state to the digital economy down in Fairfield County to insurance in the Hartford area.”
With regard to advanced manufacturing, Lamont cited the new Hamden Engineering Careers Academy program launched last September at Hamden High School, which seeks to prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing. “So Hamden is taking a lead on this, and we’re trying to take the lead on this,” Lamont said.
“These are great jobs,” the governor added. “You can do better as a laser welder at Electric Boat than you can do with a sociology degree from Yale.”
