Public Access to State Government Data Would be Strengthened by Proposed Law

“If we want better government, we need better data.”  That succinct observation by Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative, summed up the push for legislation that would codify in state law an “expectation of increased access to state government public data.” The proposal, House Bill 5172, supports the ongoing work of the State’s Open Data Initiative, which is currently maintained by the state Office of Policy and Management.  Riordan-Nold, in supportive testimony last week, said passage of the bill would be “an important step in institutionalizing the state’s commitment to public open data sharing.”  She noted that Connecticut has been a national leader in its commitment to open data, adding that passage of the bill was necessary to “continue the momentum.”

The Connecticut Data Collaborative works with state agency staff, nonprofit staff and community organizations.  Riordan-Nold said that “data users from all sectors across the state are hungry for unbiased, high quality public data,” pointing out that “the increased availability of public data from state agencies will not only aid many individuals, organizations and researchers in their daily work, it will also drive programming decisions, support funding opportunities and illuminate the health and well-being of our residents and municipalities.”

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo told the Government Administration Committee that “Making raw data regarding state agency performance and operations available to the public increases accountability. Access to data allows third parties in the public, including journalists and academics, to review and critique government performance, resulting in a more efficient and responsive government.”

Lembo added that passage of the bill would “affirm Connecticut’s commitment to open government. It allows existing transparency efforts to evolve and grow, providing easy access to public data while increasing government accountability and responsiveness.”  The Comptroller’s Office has a number of initiatives on its website that provide easy public access to data, and Lembo said passage of the bill would ensure that the data necessary for the sites would continue to be available to the public.

State Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz added that the bill “provides the confidence and volume of data that users require through the open access to the quality and unbiased public data that H.B. 5172 ensures.”  She said the bill “will allow for increased agency accountability and responsiveness in order to improve public knowledge of the state government and its operations, by safely providing timely data that the state makes easily accessible to the public.”

In his testimony before the committee, David Wilkinson, Commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood, said “by advancing better data systems, customer feedback mechanisms, and outcomes-driven contracting, we will get smarter and spend smarter, becoming more cost-effective as we achieve better results.”  A recent report by Connecticut Voices for Children pointed out that “integrated data would improve reporting and decision making within agencies, but public access to data is also vital.”  The report also noted that “the state needs more holistic and actionable data on health and social determinants of health in order to work towards health equity.”

The bill would codify Governor Malloy’s Executive Order 39, signed in 2014, which requires executive branch agencies to regularly publish data that is of high value to the public.

On behalf of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving,  Research and Community Indicators Director Scott Gaul testified in support of the provisions in HB 5517  that would establish the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board and encouraged the state to involve philanthropy and nonprofits on the Board. In recent testimony before the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, the Foundation asked the Commission to prioritize the development and coordinate use of high-quality research and data to ensure that limited public and private resources support best practices and policies.

Marijuana, Cellphones May Increase Pedestrian Fatalities, Federal Report Suggests; Fewer Deaths in CT as 23 States See Increase

Connecticut is one of 20 states that saw a decline in the number of pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2017, as compared with the first half of the previous year.  The trend nationally, however, is in the opposite direction, as 23 states saw pedestrian deaths increase.  Seven states were virtually unchanged.  And the trend in recent years has also been a rising death toll. The number of pedestrian fatalities increased 27 percent from 2007 to 2016, while at the same time, all other traffic deaths decreased by 14 percent. A new national study raises the possibility of a number of factors for the increase – an increase in the number of cars on the road, the increasing use of cell phones, and the use of marijuana, which has been legalized for recreational use in some states, including neighboring Massachusetts. The report suggests that it "provides an early look at potential traffic safety implications of increased access to recreational marijuana for drivers and pedestrians."

The Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) released a 38-page study this week estimating that just under 6,000 pedestrians lost their lives last year, essentially the same death toll as 2016. The projected total in both years represent the highest levels seen since 1990, Governing magazine reported.  The number of states with pedestrian fatality rates at or above 2.0 per 100,000 population has more than doubled, from seven in 2014 to 15 in 2016. From 2015 to 2016, pedestrian fatalities in the nation’s ten largest cities increased 28 percent (153 additional fatalities), according to the GHSA report.

The number of miles traveled by vehicles increased nationally by 2.8 percent between 2015 and 2016 then rose another 1.2 percent the first half of last year, according to Federal Highway Administration data  The GHSA report noted that nearly 6,000 pedestrians died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 and 2017, coming after a spike in the number of pedestrian deaths in 2015. "It has been more than 25 years since the U.S. experienced this level of pedestrian fatalities. Because both 2015 and 2016 saw large increases in pedestrian fatalities, the continuation of pedestrian fatalities at virtually the same pace in 2017 raises continued concerns about the nation’s alarming pedestrian death toll," the report stated.

“We’ve plateaued at a very bad place,” Richard Retting, who authored the report, told Governing. “This should not be a new normal.”

While pedestrian deaths have increased over the past decade, other types of traffic fatalities declined. Pedestrians accounted for 16 percent of all motor-vehicle related deaths in 2016, up from 11 percent in 2007. Federal data suggests nighttime collisions are a major problem -- three quarters of fatal crashes occurred after dark.

In Connecticut, there were 31 pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2016; 20 in the first half of 2017, a decrease of 35 percent. Connecticut was one of 11 states, 2014-2016, where 20 percent or more of the pedestrian deaths were among people age 70 or older.  Connecticut's pedestrian fatality rate in 2016 was 1.73 per 100,000 population, which ranked 20th in the U.S.  In the first half of 2017, the state ranked 31st.

Retting told Governing that he suspects cellphone use by drivers and pedestrians could also be a culprit. The GHSA report stated that "Without stating a direct correlation or claiming a definitive link, more recent factors contributing to the increase in pedestrian fatalities might include the growing number of state and local governments that have decriminalized recreational use of marijuana (which can impair judgment and reaction time for all road users), and the increasing use of smart phones (which can be a significant source of distraction for both drivers and pedestrians).

The total number of multimedia messages sent has more than tripled since 2010.  The report also suggests a possible link with marijuana use.  According to the report, the seven states (Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) and  DC that legalized recreational use of marijuana between 2012 and 2016 reported a collective 16.4 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities for the first six months of 2017 versus the first six months of 2016, whereas all other states reported a collective 5.8 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities.

One example cited is Washington state, where marijuana was legalized in late 2012 and the first dispensaries opened in mid-2014.  According to data from the Traffic Safety Commission, Governing reported, Washington state saw an increase in 2015 and 2016 in fatal crashes where THC, the primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana, was present in blood tests of either the pedestrian or driver.

It was noted, however, that the totals, while higher, still remain relatively small. THC levels can be detected days or even weeks after marijuana use, and Washington state’s data also indicates that between 70 and 80 percent of drivers found to have THC also tested positive for alcohol or other drugs, according to that report.

The federal report also indicates that Connecticut DOT recently completed a statewide overhaul to replace old signage, including signs for pedestrian safety. "These are new, bright signs that are up to code," the report explained.  "The Highway Safety Office also launched an outreach and advertising campaign titled 'Watch for Me CT' which focuses primarily on pedestrian safety but also includes bicyclists."  Law enforcement training for this issue is currently being developed, the report said.

Nationally, there were 4,457 pedestrian fatalities in 2011 and 5,987 in 2016.  The data for the first half of 2017 is considered preliminary, and may rise higher as some state records are updated with additional data, the report indicated.

Hartford Region Coalition Embarks on Development of Economic Strategy

A coalition of prominent business, transportation and community development organizations in the Hartford Metropolitan Region has begun the process of taking a fresh look at its position in the global economy, with an eye toward taking advantage of economic opportunity. In announcing the initiative, the organizations noted that the region and the state have struggled to recover from the 2008 recession and that global, national, and local trends are reshaping the region’s economy. The state and many of the region’s 38 municipalities face increasingly difficult fiscal situations that hamper their ability to pursue projects that will lead to growth, officials said.

Recognizing that these trends, if left unaddressed, can dramatically impact the region, the organizations – the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG) and MetroHartford Alliance - will be working as an advisory committee to develop a new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Hartford Metropolitan Region. The most recent strategy was developed in 2012, and a previous effort took place in 2006.

“This strategy will take a hard look at the region and identify and prioritize the most promising opportunities for creating lasting economic growth. This region is a leader in insurance, finance, and advanced manufacturing; we need to build on these strengths to encourage the kind of growth that will lead to lasting fiscal stability,” said Jim Scannell, Senior Vice President, Administrative Services, at Travelers and co-chair of the CEDS Advisory Committee.

The effort gets underway with new leadership at the helm at a number of the organizations, which may impact the perspective along the way, if not the final results.  Led by the CRCOG, and longtime Executive Director Lyle Wray, the initiative is in partnership with the Hartford Foundation, where President Jay Williams, a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and mayor of Youngstown, OH relocated to the region last year, and the MetroHartford Alliance, which hired David Griggs, mostly recently leading economic development efforts in Minneapolis-St.Paul as its new President and CEO.  Williams joins Scannell as co-chair of the CEDS Advisory Committee.

The consulting firm of Fourth Economy Consulting has been hired to help the region complete a situational assessment and develop “game changer” initiatives to serve as the core of a new economic development strategy. Fourth Economy, based in Pittsburgh, recently worked with the 100 Resilient Cities initiative to help cities around the world become more resilient to economic changes.

The process will be led by an advisory committee comprised of representatives of businesses, governments, educational institutions and non-profits throughout the region. A smaller working group, comprised of partner organizations like the New Britain Chamber of Commerce, will work closely with the consulting team and the advisory committee to develop a regional vision and turn it into an actionable plan.

Four primary tasks have been identified for the initiative:

• Goal-Setting: Build consensus around the need for accelerating inclusive/equitable economic growth; that is raising incomes across the income distribution with particular attention to opportunities for engaging those who have often been left behind.
• Situational Analysis: Do a clear-eyed assessment of our situation: who, what, where to identify opportunities that we should be pursuing as a metropolitan region (i.e., SWOT with an emphasis on context and opportunities).
• Strategic Planning: Formulate a limited number of “game changer” strategies that will move the trajectory of inclusive economic growth in the right direction.
• Capacity-Building: Identify organizational forms and collaborations that we will need to implement and sustain the strategies over time.

During this process the Advisory Committee will also identify potential partner organizations and set up an organizational structure to implement the initiatives.  A final strategy report is due next winter.  CRCOG has set up a website that already includes key resources, and will be updated as the work proceeds during the year.

“There is only one way our region will achieve equitable and sustainable economic growth.  We must eschew the past squabbles and divisions that have kept us mired in anemic progress,” said Jay Williams, president of the Hartford Foundation and co-chair of the CEDS Advisory Committee.  “If we commit to a bold, collaborative, and pragmatic approach, we can develop a roadmap to capitalize on the enormous talent and multiple assets our region possesses.  I’ve seen the success of this approach in other parts of the country and there is absolutely no reason it can’t occur here, unless we lack the collective will to make it happen.”

Similar efforts occur throughout the state led by various economic development regions. The WestCOG Region’s first Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) was developed throughout 2017.  WestCOG includes 18 towns in the Stamford - Norwalk - Danbury region of the state.  Public comment on the draft plan was solicited last fall.

The state’s South Central Connecticut region, centered around New Haven, undertook a similar effort in 2013, which has been updated annually. The Strategic Planning Committee and sector subcommittees have been established for 2018, and are currently gathering data and input from community stakeholders, according to the website for that region’s economic strategy planning initiative. It is led by Economic Development Corporation of New Haven,  a private, non-profit organization, dedicated to business and economic development within the city of New Haven and REX Development, which was formed as the economic development entity for the fifteen towns served by the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG).

Of the Hartford region’s CEDS initiative, East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc, the Chair of the CRCOG Policy Board said “Our metropolitan region needs to competitively position itself for the future in relation to other regions in the country, as well as globally. To do that we need to take a hard look at our current situation and our opportunities.”

CT Saves Week Focuses on Individual Finances (Not State Finances)

When the Legislative Office Building hosts a Financial Education Expo on Wednesday as part of Connecticut Saves Week, there may be more than one passerby suggesting that legislators pay particular attention, given that the state budget has been perpetually out-of-balance in recent years. The Expo, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., is open to the public.  Connecticut Saves Week, which runs through March 3, is part of America Saves Week, which began in 2007.

In addition to the expo at the State Capitol complex, there are three financial action workshops this week at American Job Centers around the state, with a focus on setting financial goals, reducing expenses and improving credit. They are being held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday in Hamden, 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Bridgeport and 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday in Hartford.

UConn Extension will also be holding a Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck workshop series at its New Haven County Extension Center from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on March 5 and March 12 (The first of three sessions was held on Feb. 26).

“These workshops are designed to help individuals and their families take charge of their educational and career goals by providing budgetary guidance that will lead to future success,” said state Labor Commissioner Scott D. Jackson. “Whether the plan is to purchase tuition and books, buy a car to get to work, or start a savings plan, the end goal is improving economic security and employment opportunities for our residents.”

According to a May 2016 report from the Federal Reserve, 46 percent of adults surveyed said they could not cover an emergency expense costing $400.  Results from the 2015 FINRA Investor Education Foundation US Financial Capability Study indicate that among Connecticut residents, 48 percent do not have emergency funds, 52 percent have not set aside money for children’s college education, and 18 percent are spending more than their income. Financial literacy is offered in some Connecticut schools, but it is not required by the state for high school graduation.

Chris Lee, president of Connecticut JumpStart, a local nonprofit that works to get financial literacy into schools, told WNPR in December 2017 that a part of the state’s budget problem might be because lawmakers aren't very financially literate, the news station reported.

"I've always said I think a lot of members of the House and Senate both need to take some financial literacy courses and get some background in it before they go in to do some budget talks just to understand how all this stuff works," Lee told WNPR. "They don't understand financial literacy and they don't understand why it's important."

A financial literacy survey of high school and college students in Fairfield and New Haven counties and surrounding areas conducted last year showed 29 percent of local young adults do not have checking accounts or regularly use only cash, highlighting the need for expanded financial literacy education.  The survey was conducted by Stamford-based Patriot Bank.

An online “pledge” is available for interested individuals that will trigger periodic information, advice, tips, and reminders sent by email or text message, designed “to help you reach your savings goal, ” according to the CT Saves website.

The Connecticut Saves campaign encourages residents to assess their savings and save automatically to achieve financial goals. It is coordinated by UConn Extension and partners that include the Connecticut Department of Banking; the Connecticut Department of Labor; Connecticut State Library; Hartford Job Corps Academy; People’s United Bank; Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc.; Connecticut Association for Human Services; the Better Business Bureau Servicing Connecticut; Chelsea Groton Bank; and Community Renewal Team.

MassMutual Tax Break Raises Questions in MA; Enfield Looks for New Tenant 4 Years After CT Celebrated Renewed Commitment

When MassMutual moves up the road from Enfield to Springfield, adding 2,200 jobs in Massachusetts over the next four years, and adding a new $240 tower to the Boston cityscape that will employ about 500, the company will see $46 million in tax breaks that has some questioning the Bay State’s return on investment. In the lead business story in Sunday’s Boston Globe, the newspaper described the package provided to MassMutual, announced earlier this month, as “huge for a state that has historically been tight-fisted with corporate subsidies.”  It is “twice as generous as the next largest award ever handed out” under the specific state program utilized, and the largest ever state subsidy in Western Massachusetts, the Globe reported.

By comparison, the report indicated that the $120 million that helped lure GE from Fairfield to Boston was an investment in real estate to seal the deal, which should remain with the state should GE decide at some future date to depart.  MassMutual, however, need only create 2,000 jobs in Massachusetts during the next few years to receive the tax break.

The move comes just under four years after MassMutual stressed its commitment to Connecticut, receiving a 10-year, $13 million tax abatement from the State of Connecticut for renovations to their Enfield location, which employed between just over 1,500 people.   (On the day of the announcement in 2014, the company indicated 1,600; the Governor’s Office indicated 1,900 employees.)

For Enfield, the news isn’t great, but many of the people who live in town won’t have to relocate their families when their business address crosses the state line.

“Those people will still be part of the local economy,” Enfield town Manager Bryan Chodlowski told the Globe, adding that “maybe this facility represents a corporate headquarters for a new user.”

MassMutual has been the town’s largest taxpayer, and the largest major corporate presence since the departure a few years ago of Hallmark, which moved operations to the mid-west. Hallmark, which was the fifth largest taxpayer, decided to close its 1-million-square-foot Enfield distribution center in 2015 and eliminate 570 jobs, ending 63 years of operation in the town.  The Kansas City-based company said in announcing the closure that about 40 percent of Hallmark products had shipped out of Enfield.  Hallmark’s departure announcement came one year –almost to the day - after the MassMutual tax break and renovation announcement.

In 2014, MassMutual led the announcement of its Connecticut facility renovations by “Underscoring its commitment to the insurance and financial services sector in Connecticut,” as it “unveiled the more than $38 million renovation of its Bright Meadow campus, the primary location for the company’s retirement services and workplace insurance businesses.:”

Company Chairman, President and CEO, Roger Crandall said: “We now have a world-class facility to accommodate the excellent growth potential of this business, and we look forward to delivering an outstanding service experience for our customers here for many years to come.”

Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy added: “Most importantly, MassMutual's long-term commitment to expand in Connecticut keeps 1,900 good paying jobs with good benefits here and will have a lasting impact on the state and local economies for years to come."

The tax abatement was to come through the Urban and Industrial Sites Reinvestment Tax Credit (URA) program. Administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the tax credit program allows for a dollar-for-dollar corporate tax credit for an investment up to a maximum of $100 million in a project, according to an announcement by the Governor’s Office in 2014.

MassMutual, founded in Springfield in 1851, plans to bring in employees now located not only in Enfield, but in North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.  The company anticipate

s a workforce of 4,500 in Springfield, somewhat larger than the 3,150 currently at company offices in the city, the Globe reported. The company expects to retain offices in Amherst, Mass., New York City and Phoenix, AZ, which provide access to specific talent pools and business solutions, a company news release pointed out.

Company facilities in Springfield and Enfield were each about 60 percent occupied, a company spokesman indicated, explaining the logic behind the move. In total, MassMutual Plans to invest nearly $300 million into the Commonwealth and increase its workforce in the state by approximately 70 percent by the end of 2021, the company said earlier this month.

Was an expansion in Connecticut ever considered?  “It’s not clear,” the Globe reported, indicating that a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community development declined to comment on whether state officials had been involved in any negotiations with MassMutual this year.

MassMutual is ranked number 77 on the Fortune 500 list with $675 billion in assets under management.

Transportation Officials Announce "Stunning" Findings in I-95 Congestion Study

“For years, the accepted thinking was that the only way to relieve congestion on I-95 was to add a lane in each direction from border to border. After a detailed study of alternatives, we have determined that strategic, directional widening on I-95 between New Haven and New York can significantly reduce congestion and can be built within existing right of way.” Those comments, from Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker , accompanied the release of a study on the impact of widening and improving both the western and eastern portions of Interstate 95 in Connecticut, and which also outlined “the consequences of failing to act.” The report indicated that “limited,  directional and strategic widening yields major benefits.”

Redeker added that “Similar strategic, localized investments can also reduce congestion between New Haven and Rhode Island. These findings indicate that we can achieve congestion relief through strategic and much less costly investments far sooner than previously thought. In addition, the return on these investments would far exceed the cost of the projects.”

Currently, peak morning and evening congestion on the highway accounts for 54 million hours of delay and costs $1.2 billion in lost time annually. Key areas studied were Fairfield to Bridgeport Northbound (6.3 miles), Stamford to New York Southbound (9.3 miles) and Stamford to Fairfield Northbound (11.1 miles).  The report noted that safety, as well as travel time, was a key element in the recommendations.  For example, from Branford to the Rhode Island border, it was indicated that there were 3,380 crashes during 2014-2016, including 997 injuries and 23 fatalities.

The I-95 widening projects were included in the $4.3 billion in projects canceled or suspended by the CTDOT last month because of what the Governor’s office described as “long-term failure to adequately fund the Special Transportation Fund.”  The Governor’s revenue proposal – which includes a seven-cent increase in the gas tax over four years and the implementation of electronic tolling – would allow for these investments to go forward, the Office said.

“CTDOT is excited to announce that after a detailed study of options for relieving congestion on I-95, we are able to report a stunning set of findings,” Commissioner Redeker said in releasing the report.

Among other findings, the report notes that just one of the projects proposed – adding one northbound lane between exits 19 and 28 – would reduce travel time from the New York border to Bridgeport from 63 minutes – if no improvements are made – to 41 minutes during weekday afternoon peak times. .Short-term, mid-range and long-range options were presented for I-95, including exists 54 to 55, 88 to 90, 80-74 80-82A, and the I-95/Route 32 interchange.  Long-range improvements from exit 54 to 69 “requires further study” the report said.  It also called for “strategic improvement” Northbound from Exit 19 to 28 to “remove bottleneck.”

In announcing the report’s findings, Governor Malloy warned that without legislative action this session to shore up the Special Transportation Fund (STF), this type of investment will be impossible.

“These improvements shouldn’t be seen as optional,” Malloy said. “But without new revenue to stabilize the Special Transportation Fund, critical projects like the I-95 widening will not be possible. I put forward a reasonable proposal last month, and I look forward to working with the legislature this year to find real, long-term transportation solutions.”

“Connecticut deserves this rational, sensible and cost-effective investment to support our economic growth,” Redeker added. The DOT first announced a study of the I-95 corridor in October 2016.

100 Best Companies to Work From Home? CT Has Four, Led by Aetna

Working from home – for a major company – isn’t the aberration it once was.  And a handful of Connecticut companies have made the national list of the Top 100 Work From Home companies. Aetna, now planning to stay in Connecticut, was the top-ranked Connecticut business, at number 17.  For those thinking about the proposed merger ahead, Rhode island based CVS Health also made the top 100, ranked number 93.

Stamford-based Xerox was number 31 on the list, dropping from number 14 in 2017, and The Hartford came in at number 69, a similar ranking to last year’s number 69.  Cigna was number 90, falling from number 74 last year. 

The list was featured recently in Forbes magazine, and was developed by the website Flexjobs.

“With mobile devices and videoconferencing technology becoming more widespread, telecommuting jobs are also becoming more common,” the publication pointed out.

The top sectors offering such work are health care, computer/IT, education/training, sales, customer service, finance and travel/hospitality of the 19 industries represented on the list.

Five of the fastest-growing remote career categories are therapy, virtual administration, client services, tutoring, and state and local government, the analysis of the list indicated. The 20 most common telecommuting job titles include teacher, writer, developer, analyst, sales representative, nurse, accountant and program manager.

Five companies are fully remote, and 30 are newcomers to the list.  Xerox – along with Kaplan and UnitedHealth Group - are among the 29 companies who have made the list every year since 2014.

Each year for the past five years, Flexjobs listed the 100 companies that posted the most remote-friendly job openings throughout the last year. Remote-friendly means the openings must offer some level of telecommuting (the levels on the Flexjobs site are 100 percent, mostly, some, or optional telecommuting).

Last fall, Working Mother magazine reported that Aetna was offering "working-mom-friendly perks, like a work-from-home program that more than 43% of its employees participate in."  According to Aetna’s career website, Working Mother pointed out at the time, the company had openings for 222 jobs that can be done remotely from home. "The jobs are based across the country and are available in a range of fields, including marketing, management, information technology and more."

Report Reflects Good News, Continuing Challenges for Women, Girls in Eastern CT

Women and girls in Eastern Connecticut are progressing in many ways, but gender equity is elusive in many others, according to a new report.  The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut commissioned DataHaven to develop a report on the Status of Women and Girls in Eastern Connecticut, and the findings provide an insightful snapshot of disparities that persist, and challenges that remain and may increase, as well as diminish, in the years ahead. The purpose of the 26-page report, explains the Community Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer Maryam Elahi, is “to help inform and guide thoughtful conversations and inspire local ideas for social and policy advancements and investments.”   It is designed to be a “platform for action” to increase opportunity, access and equity for women and girls in Eastern Connecticut, officials indicated.  It is the first time that such a report was developed.

Among the key findings:

• Young women are achieving in school, but greater educational attainment has yet to translate to economic equality.
• Positive educational outcomes and economic equality are further out of reach for women of color.
• Many occupations remain segregated by gender, and women make up a majority of part-time workers.
• Women are at greater risk of financial insecurity, with single mothers at the greatest risk. 25% of all children in Eastern Connecticut live with a single mother, and 90% of single-parent households are headed by a mother.
• Women in Eastern Connecticut are healthy, with a life expectancy of about 82 years—slightly above the national average, but below the state average.

The report also found that:

• The opioid epidemic continues to ravage our communities, with deaths of women in 2016 more than double those of 2012.
• Young women are at heightened risk for many mental health conditions. 35% of female students reported feeling hopeless or depressed vs. 19% of male students, and women are three times more likely to attempt suicide than men.
• Violence against women continues to be a major public health problem. Almost 5,000 women in Windham and New London counties received services from domestic violence shelters.

The report defines Eastern Connecticut as the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut service area:  42 towns that include 453,000 people, 227,000 women.  The population of the region is 80% white, 9% Latina, 4% Black and 4% Asian.  Approximately 33,700 residents, or 7 percent, are foreign born.  Looking ahead, the report noted that the population of women ages 65 and up is projected to grow significantly over the next decade; estimated to increase 44 percent by 2025.

Continuing racial disparities are highlighted by the finding that among 90 percent of girls in the region’s class of 2016 graduated high school within four years, yet nearly 20 percent of women in New London and Windham/Willimantic lack a high school diploma.

The report noted that “a persistent gap” exists for women with degrees in STEM fields. Overall, 51 percent of men vs. 30 percent of women majored in science and engineering fields. Encouragingly, of 25-39 year-old women with degrees, 37 percent majored in the sciences. This is higher than previous generations.

Although women comprise 76 percent of educators, only 11 out of 41 superintendents in the region are women.  The report also found that 25 percent of businesses are women-owned.

“Women’s equality,” Elahi said, “is not just a women’s issue. It affects the wellbeing and prosperity of every family and community.”

The Community Foundation has organized public forums to discuss the report findings.  The first was held last week in Hampton, the next is February 15 in New London.

New Haven-based DataHaven’s mission is to improve quality of life by collecting, sharing, and interpreting public data for effective decision-making. The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut serves 42 towns and is comprised of over 490 charitable funds, putting “philanthropy into action to address the needs, rights and interests of the region.”

Hurricanes v. Whalers: Words and Numbers Tell Different Stories

In the midst of the war of words between unrelenting fans of the former Hartford Whalers (joined by Governor Malloy) and the Raleigh News & Observer, which has aimed a cease and desist order at Hartford, it may be worthwhile to delve into the data. It prove to be a distinction without a difference, however. Gov. Malloy’s February 8 letter to Thomas Dundon, a Dallas businessman and new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, urged that the team return to the Nutmeg State for a regular season game at Rentschler Field or the XL Center so the team could be “embraced by a grateful fan base.”  Doing so, Malloy pointed out, “would make clear that Hartford is a far more viable long-term home for the team than Raleigh.”

When asked days ago by The Sporting News about the 'Canes future in Raleigh, Dundon said: “As long as I’m involved, this is where we’re going to be. One of the best things about this is the people. They’re just nice people here. They care. There’s no reason to be anywhere else.”

In an editorial, the Raleigh newspaper added that if a game were to be played in Hartford, it would be preseason, not regular season, and only because it would be “a chance to hoover some money out of the pockets of long-suffering Whalers fans desperate to see NHL hockey again…  But that’s not going to happen.”

Last season, the Hurricanes had the league’s lowest attendance, averaging 11,776 per home game.  It was their second consecutive season at the bottom of the league in attendance.  In the 2015-16 season, average attendance was 12,203. Midway through this season, after 27 home games, the Hurricanes are averaging 13,039, 29th out of 31 teams in the league.

In the Whalers’ final season in Hartford, 1996-97, attendance at the Hartford Civic Center had grown to 87 percent of capacity, with an average attendance of 13,680 per game.  Published reports suggest that the average attendance was, in reality, higher than 14,000 per game by 1996-97, but Whalers ownership did not count the skyboxes and coliseum club seating because the revenue streams went to the state, rather than the team.

Attendance increased for four consecutive years before management moved the team from Hartford. (To 10,407 in 1993-94, 11,835 in 1994-95, 11,983 in 1995-96 and 13,680 in 1996-97.)  During the team’s tenure in Hartford, average attendance exceeded 14,000 twice – in 1987-88 and 1986-87, when the team ranked 13th in the league in attendance in both seasons.

During the 15 years prior to the past two seasons at the bottom, Carolina has been among the league’s bottom-third in  average attendance eight times, and the bottom-half every season but one.

The Sporting News has reported that Dundon purchased a 61 percent stake in the franchise last month, with Peter Karmanos, who relocated the Whalers to North Carolina in 1997, retaining a 39 percent minority stake. Dundon reportedly has an option to purchase the remainder in three years. He is a New York native, and lived in New Jersey and Houston before Dallas.

The arena's lease in Raleigh expires in 2024.  The team's current playoff drought is the longest of any team in the NHL - nearly a decade.

In the interview, Dundon pointed out “We have a really passionate, loyal season ticket base. The number is just smaller than you’d like it to be, but you have one. Every year that’ll grow. So the only challenge is just the amount of people that you have to touch. It’s inevitable that we’re going to touch them all and we’re going to get them.”

SeeClickFix is Only CT Business to Reach GovTech 100

New Haven-based SeeClickFix is the only Connecticut business to make the 2018 GovTech 100, an annual compendium of 100 companies focused on, making a difference in, and selling to state and local government agencies across the United States. SeeClickFix was launched ten years ago this month, according to co-founder Ben Berkowitz: “It began as a ‘nights and weekends’ project between friends with a goal of fixing some small problems locally and a big problem globally. SeeClickFix has become something much bigger than I could have ever imagined.”

Described as “a service to make communities stronger,” the key benchmarks the company points to include: a full time job for 33 employees, a platform that has helped facilitate the resolution of 4 million issues, a space for aspirations in tens of thousands of communities, and the official digital channel for service request resolution for hundreds of governments and tens of millions of their residents.

The annual list, compiled and published by Government Technology,  highlights leaders in the government technology sector – a marketplace that the publication says has ”brought bigger deals, more investment, new companies and many fresh new innovations that moved the needle in the public sector.”

Overall, 32 of the 100 companies are based in California, seven are based in New York, and six are headquartered in Massachusetts.  Rhode Island placed one company, Providence-based software company Utilidata.  There were no other companies based in New England.

“State and local governments have become more willing to try implementing new systems using agile methodologies that fit better with the modern tech world,” the publication pointed out. “They are striking up pilot projects and demonstration agreements that let them try out new ideas before taking the kind of big-dollar risks that government is not amenable to taking.”

“It is no secret that SeeClickFix was built from a place of distrust in the existing bureaucratic process that existed in 2007 for handling citizen concerns,” Berkowitz noted. “The three hundred governments and the thousands of officials that leverage SeeClickFix daily to engage in transparent and responsive communication has more than reversed our distrust.”

SeeClickFix is proving effective in small towns as well as big cities.  The town of Wilton in Southern Connecticut went live with SeeClickFix this past fall and used it at a Winter Carnival and Ice Festival in town this week.

The SeeClickFix blog highlighted the town, explaining that “They are a model town — they have done everything right! They have sustainable marketing, well-crafted goals and benchmarks, a responsive set of municipal departments, a champion in town leadership, and the flexibility necessary to add in request categories when citizens underscore a need.”

SeeClickFix co-founders include Miles Lasater, Kam Lasater, Jeff Blasius.  The company holds an annual User Summit every fall in New Haven, drawing local government customers from throughout the country to share best practices.

https://youtu.be/NYKo5koU_jI