Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 7, 2023 13 ON THE RECORD | Q&A Hartford increasingly attractive to employers — especially manufac- turers — in need of workers. Coleman said he's running for office because he's witnessed Hartford's decline over the decades, from the loss of the Hartford Whalers and a strong retail sector to a less engaged corporate community. He said he's hopeful the city can see a resurgence of insurance and financial services jobs, but he also thinks Hartford should build on its arts and entertainment base as a key future growth industry. Marketing the city A champion of poor and under- served residents, Coleman said more investment, including in afford- able housing, needs to be made in Hartford's neighborhoods, and not just downtown. He said he's open to the idea of the city becoming a landlord — actually owning affordable apartments to better ensure Hartford residents don't get charged exorbitant rents, or live in dilapidated housing, a problem precipitated by some out-of-state property owners. "To the extent that we can supply more units of housing so that the tenant community has more choices, I think the price of those units will go down," he said. "I do see some benefit in Hartford becoming … a landlord." Coleman said he's also lukewarm to business incentives and tax abatements, even though the city has relied on them to spur private investment, particularly in real estate development. Such incentives have been seen as key to overcoming the high costs of doing business in the city, which has the highest property tax rate (68.95 mills) in the state. "As much as I might like to, I don't think you can entirely rule out the possibility of tax abatements or some sort of tax incentives and subsidies," he said. "But, I do think that those definitely have to be managed." He'd also like to launch a marketing campaign that would highlight the Hartford's workforce and vibrant higher-ed community; arts, culture, restaurant and sports/ entertainment scene; central location between Boston and New York City; public transportation assets; and municipal electric program, if it gets off the ground. Here's what else Coleman had to say. The Q&A was edited for length and clarity. Q. How do you get more workers to return to the office and more companies to move to Hartford? A. I think employees of downtown companies need to have a reason to come downtown, whether those reasons are entertainment-based, arts-based, or retail-based. If there's no reason to leave your house in order to perform your job, why leave your house? Maybe if you have to do some sort of shopping, and shopping is avail- able in close proximity to your job, you are more likely to go to the office. Or, you know, even if there's a yoga class or some other kinds of activity that you might be interested in, that you can do after you put in your eight-plus hours of work. Those kinds of things have to be taken into consideration. Q. What should the city do with all of its empty office space? A. The city should undertake efforts to attract businesses to Hartford to fill empty office space. Many of these office spaces could be turned into art and culture centers, restaurants and even places to play various sporting activities. We don't always need to focus on ground-level locations. When you visit other major cities, you often have to take an elevator to reach various hot spots. Why not utilize rooftops for gardens? We need to be creative in how we approach these vacant spots. Q. Should the city incentivize the conversion of empty office space to apartments? A. I don't think it's a sustainable way forward. The best thing that I see with the utilization of luxury apartment units is the affordable (units) that are set aside. But overall, I think a lot of atten- tion has been paid to development in the downtown area of Hartford, almost to the neglect and detriment of the neighborhoods. I think much more attention needs to be paid to the neighborhoods in order for the economy of Hartford to work for everyone. Q. Besides affordable housing, what other types of investments need to be made in the city's neigh- borhoods, beyond downtown? A. I think the people who reside in each neighborhood have to have access to at least three things. One is a bank, the other is a supermarket, and the other is a pharmacy. To the extent that we can provide investment to create those kinds of services in the neighborhoods, I think we should. Q. How do you improve workforce development for city residents? A. I think what really needs to occur is a workforce development initiative whereby we can make sure that people coming out of high school who don't have an interest in going into the military, or attending college, or vocational schools, can be assisted in becoming job-ready. And perhaps, they start off in some entry-level position, maybe in customer service or even bartending or waitressing, just to get themselves initiated into the world of work. And then we can build from there. I think there may be some remedial education that needs to take place, and even some work ethic considerations. Q. Mayor Bronin has pushed for the closure of Brainard Airport to open 201 acres for future development. Should the airport be closed? A. Every study previous to the one currently being worked on concluded that Brainard Airport should continue to operate as an airport, and I tend to agree with that conclusion. I think what is probably important is to make an effort to enhance the operations of Brainard Airport, with the emphasis on the training oppor- tunities that exist, including the jet engine mechanic and pilot training. I think there still is a need for hotel and motel space there. I think it can offer more flight excur- sions to hard-to-reach places, like Martha's Vineyard or Cape Cod. No one seems to be taking into consideration the cost of remedi- ating the grounds that would permit housing development or any kind of retail development, should the airport close. Q. What role should the cannabis industry play in Hartford? A. I think that remains to be seen. I'm not necessarily opposed to the move- ment toward legalization. It definitely needs to be regulated. One of the bigger concerns is, we missed the boat if the whole effort at legalization is to permit already wealthy people to take advantage of the cannabis industry, without providing sufficient opportunities for people who are not wealthy to gain some foothold in the industry. I have very mixed feelings about people who may have some criminal record being prevented from being involved in the cannabis industry. You really want to end black market activity, and there's already networks in place for the growing and distribu- tion of marijuana. Maybe we can lure some of the people who have been involved in that activity to the right side of the law, now that it's legal to do it. Former state Senator and Judge Eric Coleman sits down with the Hartford Business Journal. HBJ PHOTO | GREG BORDONARO

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