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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 9 POLITICS & POLICY Permitting reform Housing, workforce shortages and education funding are also part of Lamont's economic agenda. On housing, he said he supports increasing supply but believes munic- ipalities should retain a significant role in deciding where development occurs. He described an earlier housing proposal that he vetoed as too "heavy- handed," while saying legislation subsequently approved during a special session gives towns incentives to iden- tify areas for multifamily development. He said Connecticut last year had a larger increase in new building permits than any other state. "We did it with the mayors, not over the mayors," he said. Lamont also said Connecticut needs to speed up permitting and other devel- opment reviews, including examining whether the State Historic Preservation Office's process can be improved. SHPO administers programs that identify and protect historic properties and reviews certain redevelopment projects involving state or federal funding. Developers and municipal offi- cials have criticized the agency's review process as burdensome and unpredict- able, saying it can stall projects. While defending historic preserva- tion, Lamont said developers should not have to endure prolonged waits for decisions. "If it's going to be 'no,' tell them no in six weeks, not two years," he said. On education, Lamont believes the state should play a larger role in helping municipalities manage special education costs, which can vary sharply from year to year. He suggested the state could stan- dardize services, negotiate better rates and rely more on local or regional approaches to control costs while improving student outcomes. Lamont also wants to expand apprenticeships, streamline work- force training and make it faster and less expensive to enter occupations facing shortages, including nursing, teaching and the skilled trades. Here's what else Lamont said during the HBJ interview. The Q&A was edited for length and clarity. Q: What do you say to residents and businesses who still say Connecticut is unaffordable? A: How about debt-free community college? How about universal early childhood education for everybody earning under $100,000? That could save you $1,000 to $2,000 a month. If I can bend the curve on healthcare, that could represent significant savings going forward. [Beginning in July 2027, eligible families earning up to $100,000 annually whose chil- dren are enrolled in state-funded Early Start CT spaces are expected to receive child care at no cost. The state has invested about $620 million in the Early Childhood Educa- tion Endowment to support the initiative.] Q: Business groups propose eliminating the sales tax on commercial electricity and natural gas. Do you support that? A: If you consider telling me how we pay for it. That's always the inverse of everything I do. You're not eliminating, you're shifting from somewhere to the other. Who pays a premium for that? Tell me what you would do. I haven't seen that yet. Q: Is there one decision you'd make in a third term that the state's business community might not like? A: Here's one maybe the business commu- nity doesn't like. I looked at Medicaid. I found that, let's say, 70% of the people are working full time or virtually full time for companies that make billions of dollars in profit. I believe in an employer-based system, but if that company puts its people on Medicaid, maybe you should reimburse the state a little bit for that. You don't have to if you provide decent health insurance. So I'm not sure everybody loves that idea, but it's the way I'm thinking about it, espe- cially if Trump is going to cut hundreds of millions of dollars out of Medicaid. Some- body's got to figure out what to do. Gov. Ned Lamont celebrates his Democratic primary win at Arch Street Tavern in Hartford on Aug. 11. Photo | Julia Levine/CT Mirror