There are arguably few people better qualified to discuss the evolution of the Connecticut General Assembly than Nelson Brown.
For 50 years, Brown has been a fixture at the state Capitol, starting with a stint as a legislator that included time as the speaker of the house. In the past decade, he was a lobbyist for the Connecticut Broadcasters Association and the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information.
But when the 2008 session commences in February, Brown’s familiar face will not be present each morning.
“I kind of grew up there, but I’m 85 years old now, about to turn 86,” he said. “Those are some long, hard days’ and I think it’s time for me to relax a little bit.”
If anyone deserves some time to sit back and put their feet up, it is Brown. That doesn’t mean his thoughts won’t wander from his new home in Groton back to Hartford.
“I’m going to miss the people up there,” he said. “It’s almost like home for me up there. I also enjoyed the issues, and I’m going to miss that too.”
Brown is a member of the generation dubbed by many historians as its greatest. He served five years in World War II, got a start in broadcasting in 1947 with WNLC in New London and was initially elected to the state House of Representatives in 1952.
It was in 1956, following his third election, that he rose to speaker.
Same, But Different
The lobbying atmosphere of today, compared with 50 years ago, has completely changed, but is strikingly familiar, Nelson said. The most obvious change is the number of lobbyists who populate the Capitol, as the lobbying legions have grown by leaps and bounds.
“Lobbying in those times, in my opinion, was not a great big issue,” said Brown. “There were people there pushing issues, but it wasn’t the same number that there is now.”
As speaker, Brown asserted that the greatest push came from transportation lobbyists, specifically from the railroad and trucking industry, as well as construction companies that were looking to get into the building of highways.
“Most everybody that had a state problem with transportation would come and talk to me, whether they were pro or against,” he said. “Transportation was something that was talked about a whole lot.”
While the number of lobbyists has increased tremendously, the exact opposite is true for the number of legislators.
“When I was speaker, the chamber had 290 members,” said Brown. “Now, there are only 151 of them.”
In reflection, the larger chamber, combined with its lack of technology, resulted in one of Brown’s peeves of his days as speaker.
“Well, there was no automatic roll call like there is now,” he said. “It would take 45 to 50 minutes to call off every name.”
There also is the little matter of money. As speaker, Brown was paid a grand total of $600 for two years of public service. Suffice to say, the pay has jumped in 50 years.
“I don’t know exactly what their salaries are today, but it’s not necessary to work two jobs,” he said. “It was okay, though. We knew exactly what the pay was before we got elected. We knew what we were getting into.”
Money also figures into another change — some would say im-provement in the last half-century as the lobbyists in Hartford have become more formalized.
“In those days, lobbyists didn’t have to say what they made,” said Brown. “Now, you have to report every nickel made. I think it’s certainly a good thing for everyone to know, and it’s the way it should be.”
Though he won’t miss the night sessions that could last well into the next day, Brown will always have a soft spot for what he took part in.
“I always enjoyed the atmosphere and I have great respect for everyone,” he said. “You’ve always had to have that same intensity, today and back then, to be there and tackle the issues.”
Sean O’Leary is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
