Best-selling author David Osborne has been invited to share budget options with Connecticut’s Executive and Legislative leaderson Monday morning.  CERC invites you to join him on Monday afternoon at Northeast Utilities from 2-4 p.m. to discuss how private sector and institutional leadership should play a role in Connecticut’s fiscal and economic future.

To secure your spot – RSVP to Natalie Rosenbaum by Friday, January 30, at nrosenbaum@cerc.com or 860.571.7136.

We do, of course have to link the environment and economic development if we are to continue sustainable development in Connecticut.  But, too often we revert back to our more comfortable positions of being either pro-environment or pro-development and assuming that sustainability is not possible.

The subtitle of this year’s summit was: The need to make sustainability the cornerstone of our economic renewal, yet I sensed some discomfort as our panel began and the emphasis was on development and growth – I surmise this is not typically the theme of most LCV meetings.

One of my major thrusts was to suggest that we all need to look at issues through the sustainability screen, not the environmental or development screen.  This means recognizing that some development may have to occur in environmentally sensitive areas and some preservation may need to occur in what might seem to be the perfect place for development. In other words we need to balance environmental and development considerations.

Because we do not have a strong responsible growth plan for that state that ensures sustainability yet, we find it hard to yield our more traditional positions.  I used the example of Tweed Airport – an existing transportation asset that was built 80 years ago in tidal wetlands.   I happen to believe that we need a second commercial airport that complements service at Bradley serving the southern part of Connecticut. But, in the absence of a process to determine whether development of Tweed, in the context of other strategic transportation development in the state and environmental impacts makes sense, the default decision is based on the environmental regulations not sustainability.

If we had a strong smart growth plan and established goals that balanced the need for transportation infrastructure with environmental considerations, then it might be easier to agree on a plan for Tweed development in the broader context as well as other developments that main aid Connecticut’s economic growth in the future.

Bob Santy
President and CEO

In case you missed the conference, feel free to view the conference, courtesy of CTN.   In addition, the accompanying materials and photos are from the conference.

•  Baseline scenarios and fiscal implications presented by Jeff Blodgett, VP of Research, CERC (powerpoint)
• Transforming government: Survival in the age of permanent fiscal crisis presented by David Osborne, Public Strategies Group (powerpoint)
• Policy Briefs

Stay tuned for our final report (due in January) exploring the outcomes of the facilitated discussions at the conference and policy recommendations to steer Connecticut out of a fiscal crisis!

So what lies ahead for Connecticut, for our nation?  Change is inevitable – we are all looking to our new president and new legislative leaders to make some touch decisions in the next few months.  It won’t be easy and without challenges, but perhaps our sense of being in this boat all together will bring about a chance for some positive collaboration, a boost in morale and some general cheer.  We desperately need something encouraging to pull us out of this slump – and I don’t mean the financial one as much as the physical and mental crisis we’ve also been experiencing.

Did you see the pre-election poll by the Associate Press and Yahoo News showing that people’s anxiety about the slumping economy was on the rise, as was a drop in personal happiness?  Or the recent article in the Hartford Courant describing stress levels about the economy?  This itself is a crisis that could impact job productivity, stunt innovative thinking and have other widespread effects.

The article mentioned “resilience and willingess to… communicate” – a strategy that is low-cost and a key part of collaboration.  CERC’s door is always open for communication.  And the next time you get a chance to attend a meeting with groups like CERC or HABE – see it as an opportunity to speak your opinions, give your ideas and share an optimistic desire for inevitable change with others in the same boat.

Kristi Sullivan
Director of Marketing

This is not meant to be an ad for CERC, so what’s my point? Discussions at these events can and do take many forms, but without exception, the topic of best practices in the field of economic development is always addressed. For me personally, this elicits feelings of great pride and satisfaction when it is confirmed that on-line programs and platforms hosted by CERC meet or exceed accepted industry standards. Two of these are the CERC SiteFinder® and the Economic Development Data and Information database (E.D.D.I.®). Unfortunately I usually come back from these events personally frustrated as well; this is derived from the fact that we have made investments to develop these programs and yet many municipalities and regions don’t take advantage of them.

There is no cost (beyond staff time) to list important local economic development data in the E.D.D.I. database, and we offer training and assistance. Yet, since its inception three years ago, there are only 44 of 169 cities and towns that are contributing information and promoting E.D.D.I.

The annual fee for a municipal SiteFinder membership that includes all benefits is only $550 (reduced rate), and this includes training and assistance from CERC staff as well. Yet, after 12 years, there are only 43 of 169 municipalities listing properties and receiving SiteFinder benefits.

We all know that in today’s highly competitive environment, site selection consultants, corporate real estate executives, and end users alike, require extensive information at their fingertips. Everyone uses the Internet to gather the information they need, and direct contact now takes place in phase two of the search process instead of serving as the starting point.

My friends – for those who are engaged, keep up the good work (and of course, keep your data up to date). For those that have not yet engaged, you simply cannot win the game if you are not in it. Call us – we can help!

Stephen MacKenzie
Senior Vice President

This book, released in 2006, is one of the most thought-provoking pieces on educational reform that I have read.  The basic premise is that the k-12 public educational system is broken and cannot be fixed.  This report suggests a complete overhaul of the system, basically an educational revolution.  Such a revolution, it argues, is necessary in order for America to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy, one in which our worker skills are increasingly uncompetitive compared to most other developed countries—a condition that will not fix itself.   

The current economic crisis marks a fundamental turning point in the American economy.  It is quite likely that we will not see a recovery of lost market and housing equity in the foreseeable future and, as a result we must reassess our approach to economic issues.

http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf

Jeff Blodgett
VP of Research

This is the time of year when a variety of advocacy groups plan their legislative strategy for the next session. In the last two weeks, I have been part of discussions around smart growth, early childhood, economic development and community development issues.

The critical defining factor this year is current economic conditions and their impact on state revenues and expenditures. There are both cyclical and structural issues here that drive state revenues. We are facing at least two years of lower state spending – particularly if there is no appetite for revenue enhancements. CERC will be looking in more depth at this issue at our research and policy conference in November.

Recognizing these fiscal issues, it seems that many advocates are looking at “low growth, no growth” options for maintaining state priorities in key policy areas. From a competitiveness standpoint, this may be a time to concentrate on regulatory changes that will make it easier to invest and develop here, rather than to look to the state for capital investments.

I wonder and would be interested in hearing if others are seeing the same approaches to the next two years or whether my emphasis on fiscal constraints is overstated.

Bob Santy
President and CEO