A Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce “Meet the Candidates” forum Thursday morning in Shelton attracted about 40 people — and seven of the area candidates running for state office.
The event was more of an informal discussion than a debate, if only because only one non-incumbent showed up to make a pitch to business leaders: Tony Szewczyk, a Derby Republican running against state Sen. Joe Crisco to represent the 17th District, which includes Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Woodbridge and parts of Hamden and Naugatuck.
Candidates at the forum didn’t engage in the accusatory tit-for-tat that has typified national political races, and all of those gathered agreed that the Valley needs more jobs — a lot more.
The economy and job creation were pretty much the only issues discussed during the hour-long forum, which is no surprise considering the audience.
But exactly how to go about making Connecticut more business-friendly is where some differences did emerge.
What Kind Of Economy Is Possible?
Szewczyk bemoaned the loss of the Naugatuck Valley’s manufacturing base over the past several decades — as companies like BF Goodrich and the Farrel Corporation have either left or greatly reduced their operations — and said he didn’t buy the argument that those jobs are gone for good.
“There was thousands of jobs just in the Valley that just no longer exist,” Szewczyk said. “I have no idea where this concept of ‘We are now in a service economy’ came from. Excuse the language but I think that’s crap.”
“There is more to life than a service economy,” he went on. “I’m in the service economy, but it does not work unless you have a manual economy.”
Later, Szewczyk’s opponent, Crisco, lauded the recent creation of a statewide task force on manufacturing, but conceded that won’t be a cure-all.
“That’s not the 100 percent solution, but let’s just back up and look at what has happened not only in Connecticut but the whole country,” he said. “There’s been a major shift in manufacturing.”
“In some areas, you may not be able to restore that base. I think it’s just a fact of life,” Crisco went on.
Crisco was one of two Democrats at the event, the other being Linda Gentile, a state representative who is running against Republican Mary Porter for re-election to the 104th District, which includes Ansonia and Derby.
“I’m glad my good friend Joe (Crisco) walked in because for awhile there I was the lone Democrat,” Gentile joked at the beginning of her remarks.
The Role Of Government
Gentile pointed to a jobs bill passed during a special session of the General Assembly last year with support from both parties as a starting point. She and other lawmakers also said recent investments the state has made in its community colleges that focus specifically on manufacturing training will help.
Gentile said government can be more efficient by working with several municipalities at once on initiatives.
“We have small communities right here in the Valley, and there’s no reason why we can’t be doing more projects together, combining our resources,” she said. “It would be cheaper for the cities, it would be cheaper for the state, it would be cheaper all the way around and everybody wins.”
“I agree with all of you that the permitting and processing time is abysmal, it’s unacceptable,” Gentile went on, offering to help any businesses streamline applications to state agencies.
Republicans, who time and again slammed the Democratically controlled state legislature, pointed to such regulations as symptomatic of structural problems that must be alleviated if Connecticut’s economy is to bounce back fully.
State Sen. Kevin Kelly, who is running unopposed to represent the 21st District — representing Shelton, most of Stratford and parts of Monroe and Seymour — said that there are less jobs in Connecticut than there were in 1988 and said the reasons why existed before the recent recession.
“It’s not just the current economy that’s done this,” he said. “It’s structural problems. It’s our spending habits. It’s regulatory regimes. It’s how we conduct our government that is a problem.”
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Republican State Rep. Jason Perillo, running for re-election to the 113th General Assembly District, which covers Shelton, against Democrat Elaine Matto, picked up where Kelly left off in arguing that voters should elect lawmakers who will pledge “to change government’s approach to how we work with, treat, cooperate with business owners here in Connecticut so that we can actually grow jobs.”
“It’s not a couple of mistakes in the last few years. It’s decades of poor policy,” he said, adding later: “You can’t see the largest tax increase in the history of the state of Connecticut, which we saw two years ago, and expect to create more jobs.”
“We have to focus on small business. Small business is the single greatest engine of job growth . . . If we’re going to be giving assistance to businesses in Connecticut, it’s got to be going to small business,” Perillo added.
State Rep. Themis Klarides, a Republican running against Democrat Aldon Hynes for re-election to the 114th District, comprised of Derby, Orange, and Woodbridge — agreed. She said Republicans in state government have a simple, five-point plan to get the economy churning again.
“Spend no more than you make, borrow no more than you can pay back, if it’s not broke don’t fix it, but if it is broke get rid of it, the more government does, the less it does well,” she said. “We should have all the government we need, but only the government we need.”
Len Greene Jr., a Republican whose 105th District covers Ansonia, Seymour, and Beacon Falls, also said the state has too much of a tax and regulatory burden on business.
“It all adds up to . . . one of the worst states, if not the worst state in the union to do business,” Greene, who is running against Democratic Seymour Selectman Theresa Conroy, said. “Everybody’s in favor of small business come election time. But what happens when the gavel drops in January and people start pressing those red and green buttons in Hartford?”
“Look at the records of the people who are in office right now and actually look at what people are talking about when they send out a campaign brochure saying ‘I want to do this, that or the other thing,’” Greene said. “A lot of the rhetoric that comes out is fluff.”
Crisco took issue with the Republicans’ portrayal of the state’s business environment.
“In regards to this issue of ‘We’re not job-friendly,’ I just can’t accept that,” he said. “I worked for United Technologies for 20 years, I have an extensive business background. The jobs bill, I think, is a great example of people working together.”
He pointed to issues where he said the state has been a leader, like health care, as things that will help business in the long run.
“You need a healthy work force,” he said. “You need families who don’t have the burden upon themselves because of different situations in their home.”
The event was moderated by Kelly Wade Bettuchi of AT&T, which sponsored the forum.
