Editorial: Surprise! He Can Govern

He may have mightily misplayed the tolls issue, but Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont appears to have gotten some other things right in the midst of that debacle, which are now proving pivotal. 

He’s received little criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and his administration gives every appearance of working in sync and efficiently, even though major staff leadership changes made just prior to the current crisis had barely taken hold.

No doubt there are many challenges ahead and bumps in the road remain a distinct possibility, but in public pronouncements, executive orders, discussions with business and municipal leaders, and more, the first-term Governor has surprised many with a steady, decisive hand in navigating uncharted, roiling waters.

In recent days, Lamont, working in close coordination with the Governors of New York and New Jersey, made a series of decisions regarding business closures that although life-changing for hundreds of thousands, were generally received as perfectly logical and understandable.

They were apparently the first group of Governors of adjoining states in the nation to take such coordinated action.  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this past week that recent efforts to coordinate marijuana legalization plans across states in the region have helped to facilitate responses to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Governors of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, indicating that together their states represent 16% of the nation’s economy, called on Congress and the President to provide at least $100 billion in direct aid to the four states to prevent drastic cuts in education, transportation and other essential services in their states. “We have acted collectively to take the most aggressive approach possible to mitigate the spread of the virus,” they explained.

Some may have chuckled when Lamont went fishing with Cuomo last summer in Maine, where they discussed a range of policy issues, including marijuana, and established a relationship, as Lamont described it at the time.  But one thing led to another, and when the crisis hit, the lines of communication were in place.

It was more than a week ago when Lamont said succinctly to residents of Connecticut, “Anybody who’s feeling sick and feels like they shouldn’t be at work — I don’t want any excuses. Go home, be safe.”  Eight days and a series of increasingly more restrictive Executive Orders later, he announced a comprehensive “Stay Safe, Stay Home” initiative, ordering that non-essential workers, public and private, stay home to promote social distancing and slow the spread of the coronavirus.  The order was developed in conjunction with New York State and announced the same day.

Lamont was also steadfast from the moment he took office that he was opposed to dipping into the state’s growing Budget Reserve Fund, better known as the Rainy Day Fund, even as some legislators suggested it be used for much-needed transportation initiatives or other state priorities.

While the Governor changed his mind on various issues – most notably instituting roadway tolls – and was widely criticized for doing so, his resolve on the state’s reserves didn’t waver.

“There’s a tendency to want to spend [the reserves] and defer the tough choices we know we have to make,” Lamont said just two weeks after winning the gubernatorial election in 2018. “But you know how volatile our income taxes can be. If the bottom falls out … we ought to be ready.”

That fund now stands at $2.5 billion, and may prove essential as the state embarks on an economic recovery plan to help small businesses get back on their feet after being shuttered for weeks, and absorbs an avalanche of unemployment compensation claims that were more than 20 times the usual number during just the past week, showing little sign of slowing any time soon.

In February, prior to the coronavirus advance across America, Lamont was elected to serve as chairman of the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, which includes the chief executives of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. He met months ago with the Governors of neighboring Massachusetts and Rhode Island to talk policy, which may also turn out to be helpful. “I’ve long believed, particularly among the smaller states, that regional cooperation works best when implementing policies that work best for our residents,” Lamont said last month.

His first 15 months in office have seen an array of missteps, policy reversals, and questions raised about his deftness in dealing with the machinations of the legislative process at the State Capitol.  Yet, his thus-far steady hand in the midst of the fast-paced coronavirus advance has not gone unnoticed.  His actions have been cited by national media, and he hasn’t hesitated to share credit with his colleagues from neighboring states as well as criticism of leadership at the federal level, while espousing the imperative for level-headed, forward-focused action.

In times of crisis, Americans have historically tended to rally behind their elected leader, whatever their views prior to. That may be what’s happening now, and the feeling may fade. But how a crisis is handled often shapes perception, and that can endure. Four decades ago in Connecticut, another Governor dealt with a deadly, state-stopping blizzard memorably, which some suggest recast Ella Grasso’s image with her constituents.

An unabashed cheerleader for Connecticut, as was plainly evident in his session-opening address to legislators just seven weeks ago, Lamont’s soft sincerity and common sense approach appears to be serving him – and Connecticut – well in these tumultuous and unsettling times. Whether that continues as he traverses the current storm, and beyond, is as uncertain as the pandemic itself.

The early anecdotal returns assessing his response to the coronavirus threat shows surprising strength for a state leader whose polling numbers had been anemic and for whom accolades had been hard to come by.

Decades ago on the baseball diamond, a well-traveled manager famously observed that “nice guys finish last.”  Maybe not.