The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Turning 70, Gov. Lamont stresses supporting Conn.’s young people
HARTFORD — On his 70th birthday, Gov. Ned Lamont was thinking about the next generation.
Sharing a small stage with a teen focus group Wednesday afternoon at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, the governor accepted a blue-frosted cupcake, followed by an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday” from about 100 people gathered for a luncheon program on community collaboration. Then, he harkened back to the dark days of the COVID pandemic.
“We went through a lot the last five years,” Lamont said to an audience that included Jim Clark, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. “During those early days of COVID, I used to listen to some of the phone calls coming in. First it was ‘are we going to survive?’ during COVID. Then it was ‘where’s my unemployment check?’ Then it was young people just calling, saying ‘I never felt so alone and so isolated in my life. I need someone to talk to.’ We got other young people to answer the phones, just to get some connections going.”
He said that the pre-COVID focus on year-round STEM learning — science, technology, engineering and math — was overshadowed in the growing isolation of the state’s children in the pandemic. “Sometimes they just needed a shoulder to lean on,” Lamont said.
“Somebody to talk to. Somebody to be with, who knew them and understood them and
could share with them,” he said. “And I think that’s a lot of what the Boys & Girls Club does. I think you provide community and space, where people love you, look out for you, have a little bit of fun, make a little bit of trouble and be with each other. And in these complicated times I think we need the Boys & Girls Club more than ever.”
Hartford’s recently elected Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, who had just participated in a 250th anniversary commemoration
of the Hartford Public Library, noted that the nation’s first Boys & Girls Club opened in Hartford. He said that the challenges now facing the nation are unlike any others, but the Boys & Girls Clubs have helped 190,000 youngsters.
“We are all committed to the young people and we understand and acknowledge that either we can reach out now and rebuild,” Arulampalam said, “reach out to our young people and provide pathways to opportunity, reach out to our young people, invest in the vast potential that our young people have, or we can pay for the consequences of broken adults for generations to come.”
Later, Lamont told reporters that he was looking forward to relaxing in the Governor’s Residence Wednesday night and watching UConn basketball on TV. Asked about getting older, Lamont pointed to the 81-yearold president of the United States. “That’s what we love about Joe Biden,” Lamont quipped. “We all feel like kids.”
The governor dodged direct questions about whether he would seek reelection in 2026. “I get to hang out with really smart young people every day,” he said. “It keeps you young. I love the job.”
Asked about possible initiatives for youth in the upcoming session of the General Assembly, Lamont said that last year, the legislature embarked on the expansion of school-based health clinics. “We’re just getting started on this,” he said. “We’ve had a few years of the free summer programs. We’re trying to keep that going the best we can.” The State Bond Commission, which Lamont controls, has allocated millions of dollars to help the Boys & Girls Clubs for building projects around the state.
Lamont said that having a birthday near major holidays such as New Year’s or Christmas, means missing out a little.
“Here’s the deal,” Lamont said. “When your birthday’s Jan. 3, you don’t get anything. You generally get a lot of ‘Merry Christmas Happy Birthday’ socks, all in one bag.”