Gov. Dannel Malloy made attempts Wednesday to defuse what he called a “dust-up” surrounding his recent veto of an Oxford jobs bill.
Malloy made the remarks while speaking at the Perkin Elmer manufacturing plant in Shelton as part of his state-wide job creation tour. He was hosted by the Valley Chamber of Commerce, and spoke before an audience of primarily business owners and politicians.
The vetoed bill, which would have granted tax breaks to lure businesses and spur economic development around the airport, had bi-partisan support in the state legislature.
Malloy said he vetoed the popular bill was because he wanted to consolidate all tax incentives regarding Connecticut’s airports under the Department of Economic and Community Development, as well as the newly minted Connecticut Airport Authority. See the video for Malloy’s statement Wednesday in Shelton.
“What we need is a concerted economic development policy [for airports] … If we’re going to set up these zones, we should have a discussion about setting them up everywhere,” Malloy said.
When asked about the juxtaposition of his veto of a tax incentive plan for Oxford coming just days before a $50 million incentive plan for Cigna, Malloy said that there weren’t any imminent investment or relocation plans around the Oxford airport.
State Sen. Robert Kane, R‑Watertown, who represents Oxford, said that the fact of imminent investment was “putting the cart before the horse.”
“Why wait? It doesn’t make any sense,” Kane said, referring to unemployment and concerns about a stagnant economy.
“We don’t have the ability like he does with his pulpit as governor to work with a Cigna, or these companies,” Kane said.
“We want to create the economic development zone, promote the economic development zone, and then businesses will come.”
Kane also said that the vetoed bill already called for the involvement and management of the DECD.
Herman Schuler, Oxford’s Economic Development Director, referred questions to First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers.
Drayton-Rogers, a Democrat, interpreted the Democratic governor’s statement as showing the economic development zone will become a reality one day.
“I never felt that he had closed the door completely on the Oxford Enterprise Zone,” she said.
She has invited Malloy (who has accepted) to come to the Oxford airport later this month along with representatives of local industry to discuss plans for the airport.
Dave Ladasky, 55, of Oxford, has worked at the PerkinElmer plant for 25 years, and took a moment to observe preparations for the Governor’s appearance.
“I don’t think vetoing it was the best of ideas. Keeping them out is the opposite of what you’re trying to do,” he said, referring to the veto of his hometown’s airport bill.
