Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Malloy offers plan to tackle CT’s urban unemployment

  • Money
  • by Keith M. Phaneuf
  • September 8, 2014
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveils urban jobs initiatives outside Faith Congregational Church in Hartford. (Civic and municipal leaders in background)

CT Mirror

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy unveils urban jobs initiatives outside Faith Congregational Church in Hartford. Civic and municipal leaders are the background.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a series of initiatives Monday to expand job training and small business assistance, particularly in the state’s cities, a key part of the governor’s political base.

Among the proposals Malloy unveiled during a late morning press conference in Hartford’s North End were: tax credits for expanding businesses; grants and low-interest loans; more state investments in affordable housing and a new state-funded public works program.

Most of the programs the governor announced Monday traditionally are paid for through borrowing — a tool Malloy’s critics argue he already relies upon too heavily. And Malloy offered no details on how he would pay for the one big item that would come out of the annual budget, $20 million per year in new tax relief for small businesses.

The governor, who took office in January 2011 as Connecticut struggled to emerge from what economists have dubbed “The Great Recession,” has tried to put the best face on a recovery that has lagged the region and the nation.

Malloy said Connecticut has regained about 60,000 private-sector jobs since he took office and enjoys its lowest unemployment rate in six years. This past spring he signed a bill that will lift the state’s $8.70-per-hour minimum wage to $10.10 by January 2017.

“Just because we’ve made progress doesn’t mean that we’ve accomplished the mission, or that that progress has been shared evenly throughout the state of Connecticut,” Malloy said while surrounded by municipal and civic leaders outside the Faith Congregational Church on Main Street. “Until every Connecticut worker that wants a job has one, with good pay and benefits that they can use to support their families, our work will not be done.”

The Democratic governor, who is facing Greenwich Republican Tom Foley this year in a rematch of the 2010 contest, narrowly won’ four years ago due largely to an overwhelming advantage in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport.

But these urban centers also struggle with some of Connecticut’s highest unemployment levels.

To attack that problem, Malloy said Monday he would expand the Small Business Express Program he and the legislature created in late 2011.

Since then state officials have dedicated about $150 million to small companies that want to expand, and Malloy said he would look to add another $100 million over the next two years, with top priority for the new funds going to businesses owned by women or by minorities.

The governor also wants to increase state tax credits for small businesses that expand by about $20 million in each of the next two years, with an emphasis on jobs created for urban residents, veterans and the disabled.

Though most of the initiatives would be paid for with long-term financing, the tax credits could be particularly problematic, since the lost revenue would come out of  the state budget.

Nonpartisan legislative fiscal analysts are projecting a $1.4 billion shortfall – more than 7 percent of annual expenses – in the first new budget after the election. And that projection already assumes over $360 million in tax revenue growth tied to an improving economy.

Still, Malloy has downplayed that deficit, arguing that the recovery has been underestimated and that he can balance the books and even finance some tax relief by limiting spending – though he hasn’t detailed specific cuts.

Malloy has said repeatedly he won’t raise taxes, if re-elected, and when asked Monday whether he would boost taxes if that were the only way to pay for his new economic development initiatives, the governor was noncommittal.

“I don’t think that will be necessary, to tell you the truth,” Malloy said of the prospect of tax hikes. The governor added that some of the new spending he is proposed would be “reallocation of other assets, so it’s not necessarily all new spending.”

Malloy said Monday’s proposal is the first of several policy initiatives his campaign will unveil in the coming weeks, and suggested voters contrast that with a Foley campaign that has declined to provide details behind most of the GOP candidate’s budget and economic development positions.

“This is a real plan with real targets,” Malloy said. “It is not a series of talking points. … It’s a shame the way he (Foley) has been running his campaign.”

“This is just more of the same,” said Foley spokesman Mark McNulty. “Apparently 1 percent growth, one of the worst job recovery rates in the country, and higher taxes are good enough for Dan Malloy. It’s not good enough for Tom Foley, we can and will do better with a new direction for Connecticut.”

Other initiatives the governor announced Monday include:

  • Creating a new $5 million trust to provide low-interest loans and grants to landlords to help make affordable housing units building-code compliant.
  • Creating a $5 million “rapid rehousing” fund to help move families from homeless shelters to affordable housing.
  • Dedicating $10 million to expand job training in urban centers with a focus on finding work for the physically disabled, mentally ill and recently released prison inmates.
  • Allowing the state Department of Economic and Community Development to guarantee up to $20 million in loans for minority-owned contractors working on public projects in Hartford, New Haven, New London or Bridgeport.
  • Launching the ConnectiCorps program, which would dedicate $15 million over the next two years to hire an estimated 1,500 urban unemployed to work on infrastructure construction, public service projects, and for private-nonprofit community groups.

Malloy also reminded reporters that, under his administration, the state has committed up to $300 million to expand affordable housing over the next eight years.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith M. Phaneuf A winner of numerous journalism awards, Keith Phaneuf has been CT Mirror’s state finances reporter since it launched in 2010. The former State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Keith has spent most of 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. A former contributing writer to The New York Times, Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Rep. Patricia Billie Miller wins vacant Senate seat
by Mark Pazniokas

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, won a special election to the state Senate.

CT hasn’t started collecting new payroll tax from state workers
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut established a new payroll tax surcharge on Jan. 1 but still isn't deducting it from state workers' paychecks.

Lamont’s budget offers another round of tax amnesty
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposal waives penalties and caps interest at 3% over each of the next two fiscal years.

Final passage of ‘Crown Act’ comes on unanimous vote
by Mark Pazniokas

With a unanimous vote, Connecticut became the latest state to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.

Senate sends data center incentives and town aid pledge bills to Lamont’s desk
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Senate endorsed an omnibus fiscal bill that lays the groundwork for a major boost in PILOT aid to many municipalities.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion How do we show that we value teachers? By listening to them.
by Sana Shaikh

When I was graduating college, my friends’ futures were brimming with impressive labels: Google, Facebook, McKinsey, Bain, PhD, MD, Fulbrights – the list of professional excellence was seemingly never-ending. When I said that I was becoming a teacher, I got puzzled looks – “Why would you be a teacher?” “If you can’t do, teach,” I heard. The nonchalance about my professional trajectory was unsettling. What’s more? Nothing has changed in the last ten years.

Opinion Sports betting in Connecticut: Can’t all the brands just get along?
by Bill Field

When it comes to legalized sports betting in Connecticut, it’s time that all of the parties gathered in a room and hammered out an agreement that works for everyone. The adage of everyone benefiting from a rising tide hasn’t resonated in the past two and half years. 

Opinion COVID-19 will push nursing home design forward
by Myles R. Brown

Over 40 percent of American deaths attributed to COVID-19 have been nursing home residents. Outdated nursing home designs contributed to the scale of this tragedy in Connecticut. Many design changes that could have prevented the spread of COVID-19 were already needed to improve the well-being of nursing home residents. The pandemic has made these issues impossible to ignore.

Opinion Let gig economy workers pursue options
by Nicole Petruzzi

In response to your February 22 story, “In an evolving economy, lawmakers take roles once played by unions:” Like many Connecticut workers, I struggle to make ends meet for my family, even when working full time. This last year has been a particularly hard time. I started looking for a part-time job to supplement my income, but I was worried that even something part-time would take away precious and needed time with my family.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO