A recommendation offered to Amazon

“I would have given (the UBS) building to Amazon for a dollar.”

Then-gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont

While still playing the role of gubernatorial candidate in October, Ned Lamont had harsh words about what Connecticut did wrong in its pitch to host Amazon.

“Our problem was typical of Connecticut. Danbury put out a bid. Stamford put out a bid. Hartford was going to work with West Hartford. Are you crazy? We’re a small state,” Lamont told the Hearst Connecticut Group Editorial Board.

He was right. Connecticut doesn’t really do teamwork. At best, it’s a swim team, with everyone sticking to their own lane. Scoring Amazon would require contributions and sacrifices from all of the state’s players.

Lamont also suggested some bold strategies. “I would have given (the UBS) building to Amazon for a dollar,” he suggested.

It’s not that easy, but at least Lamont recognizes the possibilities of the mostly vacant Stamford site that once billed itself as the world’s largest trading floor. It’s large enough to host an NBA franchise or a college. It just happens to be positioned next to the Stamford train station and Interstate-95.

Back in October, when Amazon was committed to its proposed headquarters in Queens, N.Y., Lamont also suggested Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks could have been transformed into “Amazon Air.”

Amazon is now waffling on Queens. So Gov. Lamont, you’re not only in the director’s chair now, but you get to rewrite Connecticut’s script.

Lamont has already tasked former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and former Webster Bank CEO Jim Smith, the new co-chairs of Connecticut Economic Resource Center, with guiding Connecticut’s approach.

Nooyi is the perfect person for the job, with a unique understanding of how a major American company crafts transformative business strategies.

But we remain the land of bad habits. So while she and Smith hatch a plan, Business Council of Fairfield County Vice President Joe McGee is working the phones to fuse Stamford and the Bronx for an innovative proposal.

McGee is a credible player, having once served as the state’s economic development commissioner. But Connecticut needs to submit a single proposal. A pitch that reminds everyone that Connecticut’s assets are formidable.

We have a highly educated workforce, and offer recruitment from major universities such as Yale, Wesleyan, Connecticut and Fairfield.

A primary campus in Stamford would allow easy access to Manhattan and could be supported by satellite offices in other communities. Stamford boasts a lot of sexy new housing, notably in Harbor Point down the street from the UBS site. Connecticut maintains the quality of life that has made it a bedroom community for much of the Manhattan workforce for more than a century. Amazon already has warehouses in Connecticut. Income taxes are lower here than in New York. Amazon may be bluffing. But even if Connecticut is unable to lure those 25,000 jobs to the state, it would benefit from crafting a more sophisticated sales pitch.

It’s also a chance to see if Gov. Lamont is ready for prime time.