State economic czar: ‘Cities are crucial’
NEW HAVEN — Two days after he went through a tough confirmation process, David Lehman was in New Haven comparing the city to San Francisco with its drawing power for startups and biotech companies, but at a fraction of the cost.
He sees the state forming a partnership with the cities and the private sector to keep this kind of growth increasing. He said he plans to market Connecticut along these lines, particularly around its educated workforce. “When I think of priorities from my perspective ... the cities are crucial. Having a long-term plan whether that is 20 to 25 years for our cities to grow, to make sure they are places where people want to live, work and play, is crucial,” Lehman said on week six of his tenure as head of the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
Lehman addressed representatives from area companies, including Yale New Haven Hospital, and city officials at an impromptu news conference after a whirlwind tour of The District, the co-working and startup space on James Street that is filled less than a year after it opened.
He said The District represents the future, with its amenities, range of work spaces for new and old companies, and atmosphere where ideas are shared among entrepreneurs, young and established.
“I think it is important for Connecticut to compete in these kinds of environments,” Lehman said. “This is definitely the future,” he said as the tour passed groups of people at a regularly scheduled “hackathon” at The District in a tour lead by David Salinas, its co-founder and CEO.
Lehman promised to help with infill development, including brownfield remediation and planning money for the cities. “It is incredible how vibrant New Haven is right now, but I think we want to continue to build on that,” Lehman said.
He said cities are his No. 1 priority. “Cities are economic growth engines,” the new commissioner said, mentioning Bridgeport and Hartford, as well as New Haven — a theme pushed by Gov. Ned Lamont in his run-up to the election in November.
Lehman toured New Haven neighborhoods with Mayor Toni Harp and representatives of her administration before coming to The District, where he also said he wants to see continued growth where New Haven already has a competitive advantage, such as in the life sciences.
The commissioner said he wants to make sure businesses that come out of Yale University and New Haven want to stay here and grow indefinitely, rather than leaving for New York and Boston.
One thing the businesses always mention is a more robust Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, and Lehman joined that chorus. He also referred to Lamont’s plan for Metro-North Railroad to work efficiently and effectively.
Shortly after this, the governor’s office put out a release on the loss of a major transformer Thursday night that is forcing the commuter rail line to operate at 50 percent of its normal electrical powers. The loss is expected to cause delays over an extended period of time until the made-to-order replacement equipment is in place. Lamont said the failure is emblematic of why the state needs to take steps to modernize Connecticut’s aging infrastructure. It comes as lawmakers are in the middle of discussions on tolls and transportation funds to fix its crowded roads and deteriorating bridges.
Lehman said transportation and continuing to attract talent in STEM fields is important, as is finding trainers such as the Holberton School, where software education is peer-to-peer with a job promise at the end of the course. Holberton’s first class currently is in place at The District.
Harp and her development staff were taking Lehman to Union Station to pitch their vision of development there, rather than a garage it feels will be obsolete in the not-too-distant future. The mayor said Lehman promised city officials he would arrange for a meeting between them and the new head of the state Department of Transportation on the issue.
“We hope to encourage him to view it in the way we do. ... We will sit down and we will make sure that transportation and economic development are working together,” Harp said.