Hartford Business Journal

20 Hartford Business Journal • April 13, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com OPINION & COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Transatlantic flight subsidy misguided G ov. Dannel P. Malloy just can't seem shake his penchant for handing out subsi- dies to private sector companies. His latest example: Including $5 million in his proposed budget to subsidize a transatlantic flight out of Bradley International Airport to Dublin, Ireland. News of the proposed subsidy to Aer Lingus, first reported by Hartford Business Journal Managing Editor Brad Kane, caught many by surprise, especially as the state faces billion-dollar deficits over the next two fiscal years. The money should be spent elsewhere, particularly at a time when the governor is pro- posing to make significant cuts to social service programs and raise new tax revenues from businesses. Since Malloy has taken office, Connecticut has relied much too heavily on spur- ring economic development through government aid and handouts. It's the type of strategy that will leave taxpayers vulnerable to corporate hostage takers, who think they can extract a ransom from state government by threatening to leave the state or add jobs elsewhere. At some point, the corporate greenmail must be reined in — maybe not eliminated entirely but certainly truncated from the hundreds of millions of dollars the Malloy Admin- istration has handed out to various companies and institutions since taking office in 2011. Bradley officials say a transatlantic flight could elevate the status of Connecticut's largest and busiest airport and help restore passenger counts to pre-Great Recession levels. That would be a good thing, but if there is really true demand for the flight, it shouldn't require a government subsidy. Bradley's last international flight — Delta Air Lines' nonstop to Amsterdam — lasted less than two years because it wasn't deemed economically viable. We understand that flight was spiked at the height of the Great Recession, but what assurances do we have that a flight to Dublin can be sustained after the government subsidy runs out? We haven't seen an overly convincing argument yet. Meantime, the MetroHartford Alliance and Connecticut Airport Authority have been working together to see if there is any corporate support to help fund the Dublin flight. The private sector should help foot the bill because it will put companies' skin in the game, giving them greater incentive to use the flight. Businesses will also be less will- ing to provide long-term subsidies if the flight doesn't prove to be financially viable. A transatlantic flight would provide a shot in the arm for Bradley, but market forces should dictate its takeoff and not a government subsidy. n Kudos to Geno, UConn women Greatness is hard to achieve in any sport or profession, but the UConn women's basketball program has certainly crossed the threshold. After defeating Notre Dame in last week's NCAA tournament championship game, UConn notched its 10th national title, putting coach Geno Auriemma in the upper pan- theon of great college coaches. Former UCLA legend John Wooden is the only other college basketball coach to win that many championships. Auriemma has helped build the UConn brand to national prominence, raising both the ath- letic and academic standing of the university. His influence on the school can't be understated. The UConn women offer a great lesson for businesses. Their ardent determination to never settle for anything less than a championship, even when they've tasted victory on countless other occasions, offers a playbook for how companies should always strive for continuous improvement. They've proven that resting on your laurels is never a way to get ahead. Congratulations to the Lady Huskies; they set a great example for Connecticut residents and businesses. n OTHER VOICES Winning as a metro region is the name of the game By Stewart "Chip" Beckett T he recent HBJ article concerning the UTC move to Farmington ("Hart- ford officials caught unaware by UTC move") should lead to a very important discussion: How can we as a metropolitan region "win" in retaining and attracting talent and firms and spur economic growth. We need to start with the reality that Hart- ford is only 12 percent of the metropolitan region's population and that we live, work and play in that broader region of 38 towns and 1 million people. The whole region, including Hartford at its core, needs to succeed but we need to work on issues together as well as indi- vidually as towns. We are also part of two other important regions. The met- ropolitan Hartford- Springfield region has a population of 1.8 million and we share a corridor of businesses along the Connecticut River with advanced man - ufacturing being just one of the very important elements. Last year the region exported $10.9 billion of goods. We are also part of the larger Knowledge Corridor stretching from Northampton, Mass., to New Haven that includes the tra- ditional birthplace of American preci- sion manufacturing and more than 40 institutions of higher education. The Knowledge Corridor region is the 26th largest metro region in the United States, comparable to Nashville, Tenn., and Austin, Texas. Given these realities we have a number of tasks as a metro Hartford region. First we need to celebrate and communicate the many cul- tural and social amenities spread out among our 38 towns, such as the New Britain Museum of Art and the Nathan Hale Homestead and many theatres, just to name a few. Second we need to continue to strengthen our ability to get around the region. Eighty percent of us work in different towns from where we live. Many of us shop in differ- ent towns regularly. Connecticut is largely car dependent, but our residents are ask- ing for better mobility options, whether for sidewalks or bike paths as part of complete streets. The recent opening of the first rapid transit in the state with CTfastrak is the kind of effort that the next generation finds attrac- tive to work and live near. Third, we need to improve the performance and contain the cost of public services. Using Regional Performance Incentive Grants, the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) has been leading the way for munici- palities to utilize technology to improve back- office efficiency. Fiber optic cabling will soon link all 38 towns, allowing shared programs for digital storage, electronic document man- agement, and human resources portals and other development projects. Much more is on the drawing board to move public services for- ward in towns in the region. Business climate is also important. CRCOG has 23 towns using an online permitting sys- tem that saves enormous amounts of time for home owners and small business owners. More needs to be done to streamline the regulatory structure of the area to enhance entrepreneur- ship and do more to foster a startup business culture. Startups create jobs and increase ser- vices available to all of our residents. These busi- nesses will create vitality, and allow people to follow their dreams of opportunity. Finally, prop- erty tax reform is a major issue. Practic- ing a zero sum game of property tax win- ners and losers for each development is not a prescription for long-term growth. We need to consider a variety of reme- dies including shar- ing tax revenues as part of a reform that allows development in the right places and makes for sound growth. It's regrettable to Hartford that UTC is leaving the Gold Building on Main Street, but we should vigorously set about the tasks we need for the metropolitan region as a whole to grow and prosper. n Stewart "Chip" Beckett is the chairman of Capitol Region Council of Governments and Glastonbury Town Council. HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM POLL Which coach has had a bigger impact on UConn sports? ● Jim Calhoun ● Geno Auriemma ● Randy Edsall To vote, go online to HartfordBusiness.com. Last week's poll results: Would you use a nonstop flight to Dublin out of Bradley International? 70% Yes 30% No Chip Beckett ▶ ▶ The whole region, including Hartford at its core, needs to succeed but we need to work on issues together as well as individually as towns. Send Us Your Letters The Hartford Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and guest commentaries for our opinion pages. Electronic submissions are preferred and welcome at: editor@ HartfordBusiness.com. Or you may fax submissions to Editor, Hartford Business Journal, at (860) 570-2493.

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