Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to the nomination of Seila Mosquera, the leader of a nonprofit developer of affordable housing, as Gov. Ned Lamont’s choice to become the state housing commissioner. Mosquera leads Mutual Housing Association of South Central Connecticut, which is based in New Haven and owns or manages 24 developments with 610 apartments in Ansonia, Bridgeport, Milford, New Haven and elsewhere. After its promotion to a stand-alone agency by former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the Department of Housing has taken on the state’s chronic lack of affordable housing and disrepair at existing facilities. The nomination of Mosquera shows Lamont is ready to carry on a necessary process that is still in its early stages.

Thumbs down to the continuing run of retail closures. Retailers have announced more than 4,000 store closures in 2019, and that number is only expected to get worse after record-setting years in terms of retail square footage lost in 2017 and again in 2018. Much of retail’s decline is a result of growth in online shopping, but for many people, and many products, that’s not a realistic option. Stores come and go, but it’s a worrying sign to see such a vital sector of the economy in the midst of so much uncertainty.

Thumbs up to U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, who on Sunday urged that the report from special counsel Robert Mueller, whenever it is ready, be made available to the public. Along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Himes has been vocal about the need for people to know what the report says, whether it’s incriminating or not, so there is no sense from anyone that parts of the report were buried. It’s a difficult balance with the U.S. Justice Department controlling the release of a report that could turn out to be damaging to the current administration, and Himes and Blumenthal are right to be pushing for transparency in advance of the report’s completion.

Thumbs down to yet another breach of personal information online, this time at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. UConn Health said Friday it discovered the incident on Dec. 24, though it is not aware of any fraudulent activities resulting from the breach. Still, hackers may have had access to Social Security numbers and other personal information on patients. It’s just the latest indication that there is no way to be perfectly safe online, and everyone needs to check their credit regularly and act quickly when it appears information may have been breached.

Thumbs up to a pair of proposals from Gov. Ned Lamont aimed at taking on the opioid crisis. The plans entail spending $500,000 to develop a plan to address gaps in the state’s treatment of substance abuse, as well as $8 million over two years to expand a medication-assisted treatment programs in prison. According to state data, formerly incarcerated individuals are 8 to 11 times more likely to overdose in the first few weeks after release. It will take much more than this to stop the nation’s worst drug crisis, but every step matters, and every contribution is valuable.

Thumbs up to a great day 20 years on. On Sunday the University of Connecticut marked two decades since its men’s basketball team shocked the world and won its first national championship. Most of the 1999 team was on hand to celebrate the milestone and look back with the rest of the state on a magical season that ended in a triumph even the diehards might not have seen coming. It’s been a tough stretch lately for the Huskies, but everyone watching is hoping the team can reach those heights again soon.