Not much to say about port authority changes
Proposal from Lamont generates few comments at public hearing
A proposal from Gov. Ned Lamont to make changes to the operations of the Connecticut Port Authority garnered little public comment during a hearing convened Monday by the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee.
Following a year of personnel shakeups, the release of state audits showing a lack of basic operating and financial protocols, oversight by the Lamont administration, and two marathon-long forums organized by the transportation committee, which were not open to public comment, only two state lawmakers and one member of the public, who’s long scrutinized the quasi-public agency, testified at Monday’s hearing in Hartford.
Lamont is seeking to change the structure of the organization and put in place measures to prevent past mismanagement such as mandating an independent annual audit and establishing policies for approving certain expenditures and using surplus funds.
Under House Bill 5021, the governor would have the power to appoint the chairman of the port authority’s board, instead of the board itself. It would also expand the board from 15 to 16 members to include a seat for the chief elected official of New London.
State Sen. Paul Formica, R-East
Lyme, testifying in support of the governor’s proposal, said it’s a good start, but it doesn’t go far enough. He urged the transportation committee to pass it and said he hopes there will be opportunity for additional input.
Asked what he’d add to the bill, Formica said he’d like to require all quasi-public agencies to submit any salary proposals that will exceed $200,000, or a 5% or higher salary increase, to the committee with over
sight of that agency before the salary becomes effective. This is a provision in the Senate Republican’s proposal to overhaul quasi-public agencies in the state.
Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, also testified in support of the bill, saying it “helps New London be a part of the decision making.”
State Pier in New London is the port authority’s main asset. The authority’s two main revenue sources are through State Pier and an annual appropriation from the state, which has amounted to $400,000 in recent years. The facility, now owned by the port authority, is the site of a planned $157 million redevelopment for the offshore wind industry. New London Mayor Michael Passero has long argued that the city deserved to be a part of the negotiations surrounding the State Pier redevelopment given it is the host city to the facility.
Rep. Laura Devlin, R-Fairfield, who sits on the committee, questioned whether giving the chief elected official of New London a seat on the board would present a conflict of interest, and whether that person would have to exclude himself or herself from discussions having to do with the city. She also pointed to the port authority’s role in marketing the state’s maritime economy, not just New London’s port.
Kevin Blacker, of Noank, an outspoken critic of the port authority and State Pier redevelopment plan, said he has concerns with the bill. Blacker said he believes the port authority should not exist and that its structure and operations violate antitrust laws, which protect consumers from predatory business practices. He is particularly concerned with the facility primarily being used by the offshore wind industry, closing it off from other cargos.