“I’m not a layer of bureaucracy,” asserts Rob Simmons, the former Congressman who is expected to be confirmed shortly as the state’s first business advocate.
Bureaucracy is what the business community complains about in dealing with Connecticut’s government, and it’s also what others have suggested Simmons became when Gov. M. Jodi Rell nominated him for the position.
His job description is to serve as an ombudsman for small businesses and provide a clearinghouse of helpful information. But before Simmons even started he was tagged by newspaper columnists as irrelevant. The post, technically part of the Office of Budget and Management, has been pegged as cushy and a waste of time.
But besides lengthy political connections built during 16 years as an elected representative at both the state and federal levels, Simmons believes he offers a combination of assets no other official can provide to small business owners: easy accessibility and a direct line to the Governor’s office.
People across the state have seen Simmons’s face on television commercials in past years, which he believes will encourage people to ask him for help.
“They’ve seen my face. They know something about me, so they’re willing to give me a call,” he said.
Having publicly offered his Blackberry number at a Capitol business event, he has already received about 100 calls, and about 20 formal appeals for help, registered on forms he fashioned on his home computer.
And he has already begun trying to solve problems. After a Norwich scrap dealer stopped receiving scrap rail shipments from Amtrak, the former member of the House Transportation Committee (who supported increased Amtrak funding) made a call to the railroad that he hopes will satisfy both sides.
“What better use of my political contacts then to try to enhance the economy here in Connecticut, which means jobs, which means a favorable business climate?” he said.
Simmons joins an economic development community in a period of unrest, with James F. Abromaitis gone from DECD for the Capital City Economic Development Authority and Frank A. Dinucci departing Connecticut Innovations after only five months on the job.
Even when its leaders have been productive, the state has received mixed reviews in being able to offer businesses clear opportunities to communicate and negotiate with the state. Heeding those complaints, Rell proposed consolidation of those agencies, an effort to reduce the state’s “alphabet soup” problem.
Simmons said he too sees a disconnect between economic development entities, comparing the lack of cohesion to that of federal intelligence agencies before the 9-11 attacks.
“There are a lot of talented people. But the bureaucratic system that they are caught in is not as good as it could be,” he said.
“Here in Connecticut we’ve got a lot of organizations doing good things, but I don’t see a lot of lateral communication.”
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He will earn $95,000 annually (although initially news accounts incorrectly said it was lower) out of a budget of $535,000, which he controls and for which he will file his own annual report. Much of the money, he said, will be used to create an online clearinghouse through which businesses can submit forms and ask questions. His office, where he’s been for two weeks, is located at the moment in DECD, a location he hopes will be made permanent but requires a legislative change.
No matter where his desk is, he will likely spend a lot of time fielding complaints from business owners. Is that really what he wants?
“Are you kidding me? I come from Congress. I did that all the time.”
