Structural Problems Seen in the Connecticut Economy

In an analysis highlighted by the Connecticut Institute for the 21^st Century, well-known economist Don Klepper-Smith, in a newsletter to clients of economic forecasting consultancy DataCore Partners, is voicing concerns about Connecticut’s economic prospects, short and long-term.  His views come as the legislature grapples with approximately a billion dollars in projected deficit, and the Institute is signaling a heightened profile in the state, with a new director visibly sharing the organization’s economic concerns. Klepper-Smith’s latest findings, headlined “Troubling Trends,” are the result of comparisons between economic activity in different parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts conducted over the last several years, the Institute website reports. Although both states share many of the same characteristics, Klepper-Smith notes the Massachusetts labor market is notably healthier than the Connecticut market and that seems to be a key factor holding back the Connecticut economy.

The job recovery rate in Connecticut since 2006 is 76.6 percent, according to DataCore, compared with the Massachusetts job recovery rate of 240.3 percent. The significantly lagging job recovery rate in Connecticut has “led to negative impacts in other parts of the Connecticut economy.” Examples cited include that the median price for single family homes in Connecticut dropped 3 percent in 2015, while it went up by 3 percent in Massachusetts during the same period.

Similarly, over the last six months, Connecticut’s unemployment rate has edged upwards, while the Massachusetts rate has dropped slightly. Technically, according to DataCore, this is a sign of a growth recession in which the local economy is not strong enough to prevent a rise in the jobless rate, the Institute indicates.

The website goes on to state that “The DataCorp findings, when combined with other recently published reports, provides continuing evidence of a fundamental shift in the basic foundations of the Connecticut economy.”

Scott Bates, a Connecticut native, has recently been named as executive director of the Connecticut Institute for the 21^st Century.  He previously served in the administration of Virginia’s Governor, for the U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security, and as president of The Center for National Policy in Washington.

In an article appearing in this week’s Hartford Business Journal, Bates describes Connecticut’s fiscal dilemma as both a spending problem and revenue problem, indicating that “our state will only return to a sustainable fiscal model when incremental changes - taken together – substantially reduce the cost of government.”

Bates adds that “the tax problem is a major issue that may take years to sort out,” suggesting that available savings be pursued immediately.  Among the suggestions, moving to embrace a policy of “aging in place,” a change in approach that could save more than $650 million over the next 20 years according to a recent report from the Institute and the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.

The Connecticut Institute for the 21st Century is a non-partisan non-profit organization of businesses and civic groups dedicated to identifying effective and efficient ways for state and local government to deliver services while reducing cost to the taxpayer and making Connecticut’s economy strong.

The organization researches best practices, publishes reports, and educates policymakers and the public on key spending and policy issues including transportation, public pensions, smart growth and social service spending.

Influx of Chinese Students in CT High Schools Reflects National Trend

When the soon-to-be-vacated UConn campus in West Hartford attracted the interest of a Chinese education company looking to establish their first international high school in the United States, some may have been surprised by the interest by the interest in having American, Asian, and other international students live and receive instruction on the suburban campus. But for those who have noticed the nearly exponential growth of Chinese high school students coming to the United States to study, the proposal submitted to the town of West Hartford and the UConn Board of Trustees was less surprising.

Chinese made up 35 percent of the 92,000 foreign secondary school students in the United States in 2015, according to the US Department of Homeland Security, by far the largest group studying here, the Boston Globe reported this week. That number has grown rapidly from only dozens a decade ago, fueled by the growing middle class in China and a desire to their children to gain an early advantage in efforts to attend college in the United States.

The number of international students across New England, with its long history and tradition of private schools, rose from 9,338 in 2010 to nearly 14,000 last year.

In Connecticut, with the second largest international student population in the region, the number has quickly climbed from 2,548 to 3.548, an increase of 39 percent in the past five years, the Globe reported, based on data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.   In Massachusetts, the number has jumped from 3,780 to 5,963 during the past five years.  Every New England state has seen the number of international students attending local high schools increase, which Chinese students spurring the growth.

The number of Chinese K-12 students rose 290% percent to 34,578 as of November 2015 from 8,857 five years previously, according to data collected by the Student Exchange and Visitor Program, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security that tracks foreigners on student visas and the schools they attend, the Wall Street Journal reported.  Chinese students make up roughly half of the 60,815 foreign pupils in U.S. high schools and the 6,074 in primary schools, according to the newspaper.

Founded in 1999, the Beijing-based Weiming Education Group is the largest and leading provider of private schools in China with over 40,000 students in 42 campuses. The Group, which is looking to establish the new international high school in West Hartford, has established a long-term international education partnership with more than 20 schools and education institutions from a dozen of countries including the United States, Britain, Canada, Singapore, and South Korea.

The company’s website points out that “Internationalized education has become the strategic direction” of the Weiming Education’s operation management, noting U.S. offices in Michigan and Connecticut. To date, about a half-dozen partner high schools in the United States are in Michigan.

The Hartford Courant reported last summer that Cheshire Academy, a private school with 400 boarding and day students in grades 8 through 12, had 85 students from mainland China this past academic year among its international contingent of 164 students from 32 countries, or more than 40 percent of its total enrollment.

West Hartford has yet to make a decision regarding the disposition of the UConn property, with a number of competing proposals under consideration.  The UConn Board of Trustees is poised to move forward with a sale of the property to Weiming, but the town retains right of first refusal, and ultimately has zoning control over the property, regardless of the owner.

Connecticut Ranks 10th in U.S. in Percentage of Latinos Among Eligible Voters

Connecticut, with 10.8 percent of eligible voters of Latino heritage, ranks 10^th among the states in the percentage of eligible Latino voters.  In 16 states, more than half of the Latino population is eligible to vote, including Connecticut which ranks 13^th with 51.8 percent of the Latino population eligible to vote in the November elections. Those states include Vermont, Maine, Hawaii, New Mexico, Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and South Dakota, with percentages ranging from 61.9 percent to 51.9 percent. 

A record 27.3 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in the 2016 elections, which will include legislative and Congressional elections, United States Senator and President/Vice President.  The Hispanic population in Connecticut is the 18th largest in the nation. About 540,000 Hispanics reside in Connecticut, 1 percent of all Hispanics in the United States, according to data compiled by the Pew Hispanic Center.  In other key data:

• Connecticut’s population is 15 percent Hispanic, the 11th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
• There are 280,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Connecticut—the 15th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.9 million.
• Some 11 percent of Connecticut eligible voters are Hispanic, the 10th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
• Some 52 percent of Hispanics in Connecticut are eligible to vote, ranking Connecticut 13th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, about eight-in-ten (79 percent) of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

The states with the largest Latino population are California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia and North Carolina.  With the smallest Latino populations are two New England states – Maine and Vermont – along with North and South Dakota and West Virginia.  Another New England state, New Hampshire, is among the ten states with the smallest Latino population.

Among Connecticut’s Congressional Districts, the share of eligible voters who are Latino range from 6.4 percent in the 2^nd C.D. in Eastern Connecticut, to 12.9 percent in Western Connecticut’s 5^th Congressional District.  The percentages in the Connecticut’s other districts are 10.2% in the 3^rd C.D. (Greater New Haven), 11.8% in the 4^th C.D. (mostly Fairfield County) and 12.8% in the 1^st C.D. (Greater Hartford).

All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey.

Plans for Expanded State Civic Network Gains Support of Open Government Advocates

Advocates for government transparency are lining up in support of legislation that would establish a “state civic network” for Connecticut, similar in structure to the national C‐SPAN model. The independently financed, non-profit network would expand access to the workings of the three branches of state government by building on the present CT-N system, which has been funded directly by the General Assembly since 1999. The new network would dramatically extend televised and online coverage and “on-demand access” to all legislative hearings and debates, as well as public policy conferences, regulatory hearings, executive agency meetings, and state Supreme Court and Appellate judicial proceedings.

The result would be searchable, shareable library of state government deliberations, decisions and activities – and the tools to make it understandable and useful – available to every citizen through cable TV, online and mobile devices.

“Access to government information is the key way for the public to know what its government is doing,” according to the Connecticut Commission on Freedom of Information. Calling the proposal “pro‐ transparency and cost‐saving,” Executive Director Colleen Murphy underscored the Commission’s commitment to encouraging citizen engagement. The State Civic Network “will bring the workings of government into people’s homes...in a most productive, timely, and professional manner.”

The Board Chair of the Connecticut Public Affairs Network, which operates CT-N under contract to the state legislature, indicated that the network “was never intended to be a service OF government, but rather ABOUT government – as are the national and municipal services that welcome citizens to unbiased channels that provide access and context," said veteran Connecticut television news anchor Pat Sheehan. "Technology now allows the coverage of all government activities, archived and searchable files, and presentations that appeal not-only to government insiders, but to the general public as well.”

The public’s expectation of coverage has changed over the past seventeen years,” said Paul Giguere, the founder of the network and CEO of the independent non‐profit Connecticut Public Affairs Network (CPAN). “Technological innovations have changed how and when citizens access information, and a state civic network will use emerging technologies to allow greater public engagement with the development of policies and legislation that affect us all.”

Giguere pointed out that “there are 10 hearing rooms, but CT¬N’s physical plant limits us to covering only two events concurrently. That means up to 80% of the Legislative committee process at any given time goes unseen. Our capacity to cover the Executive and Judicial Branches is even more limited.”

The Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) have endorsed the proposed legislation to expand coverage throughout state government, as have advocacy groups such as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), CT Community Non‐Profit Alliance, the League of Women Voters, the Connecticut Education Association, Common Cause, and the Connecticut Citizens Action Group (CCAG).

The proposed State Civic Network is now being considered by the legislature’s Joint Committee on Government Administration and Elections. Under the plan, management and operational funding would be provided through a process that already exists for local community access stations, regulated by PURA, the state’s Public Utility Regulatory Authority. PURA has an extensive history of selecting non‐profit managers for government‐use channels that provide local public, educational, and government programs within cable television franchise areas. These channels are likewise supported through programming fees charged by cable companies, rather than by taxpayer funds, CT-N officials pointed out.

The plan drew opposition from AT&T, with the cable provider warning in legislative testimony that it would "have a real impact on consumers’ ability and willingness to continue to buy video service."   CT-N "should be required to annually justify its budget to the General Assembly like any other proposed expenditure,"AT&T said in a prepared statement.

CFOG, the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, noted dramatic changes in the way citizens access news, with increased reliance on social media and mobile devices. Funded by a subscriber fee similar to how C‐SPAN and community access stations are currently funded, CFOG notes, “the new entity would be monitored and accountable to the public, but independent from government itself.”

The State’s Office of Consumer Counsel, created in 1975 by the legislature to act as the advocate for consumer interests in all matters and “fight for the most reasonable rates,” endorsed the State Civic Network proposal after “carefully analyzing” a monthly fee of less than $0.50 per subscriber. Consumer Counsel Elin Katz said “a thriving democracy requires citizen access to information relating to their government, access that is ideally broad and unfettered.”

“Best of all,” she added, “this proposal will create a permanent and searchable online library of public documents and visual recordings of state government events that would be of great use both to the public and to the elected officials who serve them.”

CPAN launched the CT-N network for the Connecticut General Assembly in 1999 as a 24‐hour media service providing gavel‐to‐gavel coverage of state government and public policy on both television and internet platforms. In the intervening years, CPAN has extended the scope of its CT-N programming, adding coverage of electoral politics, news conferences, and a weekly review program, Capitol Report.

CT Residents Believe Economy, Business Conditions Have Improved, But Uncertain About Future

Connecticut residents are somewhat more upbeat about the state of the state’s economy, but less than convinced that good economic news will keep coming, according to the results of the Connecticut Consumer Confidence Survey for the fourth quarter of 2015, released this week.  The quarterly survey,  by InformCT, a public-private partnership that provides independent, non-partisan research, analysis, and public outreach to help create fact-based dialogue and action in Connecticut, is designed to generate an ongoing measure of consumer confidence in the Connecticut economy. When asked to think about overall business conditions in Connecticut versus 6 months ago, respondents – for the first time in three quarters – said conditions are better now than 6 months ago.  The margin was narrow - with 27 percent saying “better” and 25 percent saying “worse”, but that’s a reversal from the past two quarters, when more people were of the view that business conditions has worsened (22%-24% and 24%-28% in the two previous quarters).

The percentage of respondents who feel that the Connecticut economy is improving increased from 23 percent in the 3^rd quarter to 27 percent in the most recent survey, and the percentage expressing concern that their job, or their spouses’ job, is in jeopardy, has declined in each of the four quarterly surveys, from 38 percent in the first quarter of 2015, to 36 percent, 35 percent and now 33 percent.

Administered for InformCT by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. and Smith & Company, the analysis is based on the responses of residents across Connecticut and addresses key economic issues.  The most recent consumer confidence survey also saw an uptick in key indicators, as the percentage who believe:

• there are “plenty of jobs for anyone who wants to work (as compared with 6 months ago)” increased from 10 percent to 13 percent
• the employment situation will be better still in 6 months increased from 15 percent in the 3^rd quarter to 17 percent in the 4^th quarter
• their personal financial situation is better now than 6 months ago increased from 63 percent in the third quarter to 65 percent in the 4^th quarter survey.

Even though Connecticut residents feel conditions are improved, they are increasingly divided when asked if they expect that will continue.

When asked to look ahead six months, respondents have consistently believed business conditions will improve, but by a narrowing margin in each of the past four quarters.  In the beginning of the year, 30 percent thought business conditions would improve, as compared with 19 percent who thought conditions would worsen – an 11 point differential.  In the following three quarters, that differential narrowed to 9 points, then 5, and now 4.

There were other positive outcomes in the final quarterly survey of 2015, as the percentage who anticipate:

• making a major consumer expenditure for furniture or some other product in the next 6 months jumped from 26 percent to 34 percent, reversing a slide from 36 percent in the year’s first quarterly survey.
• buying a new car also increased, from 22 percent in Q3 to 25 percent in Q4, the highest percentage of any of the quarterly surveys on that question.
• taking a vacation outside Connecticut in the next 6 months also rebounded, from 51 percent to 56 percent, reversing a diminishing percentage in each of the past two quarters.

There remain some troubling signs amidst the generally upbeat news.

The percentage who agree that Connecticut is a good place to live and raise a family and dropped slightly, and is under 50 percent for the first time in the quarterly surveys, at 47 percent.   The percentage of respondents who say they are likely to move out of the state in the next five years has increased in three consecutive quarters, from 32 percent to 34 percent to 37 percent, but remains lower than in the first quarterly survey, when it stood at 39 percent.

InformCT is a public-private partnership that currently includes staff from the Connecticut Economic Resource Center and the Connecticut Data Collaborative.  More information about subscribing can be found at informct.org.  Based in Rocky Hill, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation and public-private partnership that provides economic development services consistent with state strategies, leveraging Connecticut’s unique advantages as a premier business location.  Smith & Company LLC, is a Shelton, Connecticut-based market research firm.

Confidence in State Government Plummets in CT; Third Lowest in USA

In 2013, a majority of Connecticut residents expressed confidence in their state government.  Two years later, 6 in 10 residents, when asked if they had confidence in their state’s government, said no. In a survey of states nationwide, Illinois was at the bottom of the list, with only one in four Illinois residents indicating confidence in their state government, the lowest among the 50 states by a significant margin. Rhode Island (33%) and Connecticut (39%) join Illinois as states with less than 40 percent government confidence, according to data compiled by Gallup. North Dakota residents are the most trusting; 81 percent say they are confident in their state government.

Connecticut is joined among the states where residents expressed the least confidence in their government by New Jersey, Louisiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and New York.  Along with residents of North Dakota, people living in Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota, Utah and Minnesota expressed the most confidence in their state government.

In the Gallup survey in Connecticut, 39 percent of residents expressed confidence in state government, while 60 percent said they did not have confidence in state government.  The "no confidence" percentage has increased by 14 percentage points in two years.  The Gallup analysis noted that there is a strong relationship between residents' ratings of their state's economy and their confidence in state government. In addition to Illinois, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Kansas all rank among the states in which residents are the least positive about their state's economy.

The results are based on Gallup's 50-state poll, conducted March through December 2015. Gallup asked respondents whether they do or do not have confidence in their state's "government in general."

A similar poll by Gallup in 2013 brought very different results for Connecticut.  In that survey, a majority (52%) expressed a great deal or fair amount of confidence in state government.  That year, 46 percent expressed not very much confidence or none at all.

Connecticut’s Presidential Primary Ballot to Take Shape for April 26

In the roller-coaster that is the presidential nomination process, with its progress of caucuses and primaries in states across the country, Connecticut’s card does not come up until late-April.  Who will reach the Connecticut ballot, and the order in which they will be listed, will be determined in the coming weeks by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, in accordance with criteria outlined in state law. That process begins this Tuesday, February 16,  with the announcement of presidential candidates who have qualified for the Connecticut primary ballot.  The order in which candidates will appear on the ballot for the Republican and Democratic parties will not be known until March 22, when Secretary Merrill will “determine the order of all candidates by lot in a public ceremony.”  Connecticut law also requires that “Uncommitted” appear last on each party’s ballot.

When Connecticut voters go to the polling places on Tuesday, April 26, voters in nearly two-thirds of the states will already have made their preferences known.  The same day as Connecticut, presidential primaries will also be held in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.  The previous week, primaries will be held in New York, a state called home, at various times, by three of this year’s leading contenders – Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

March 1 and March 15 are major dates on the presidential primary calendar this year.  Dubbed Super Tuesday, March 1 will see votes cast in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.  Two weeks later, the spotlight will fall on Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio.

Also prior to Connecticut, the states of Wisconsin, Wyoming, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona, Utah Idaho, Michigan and Mississippi will conduct their presidential primaries, according to the Council on State Governments.

According to Connecticut’s Office of Legislative Research, in August 2010, the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee adopted rules prohibiting states, other than Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada from holding a presidential primary before the first Tuesday in March in the year in which a national convention is held (Democratic National Committee, Delegate Selection Rules, Rule 11(A) and Republican National Committee Rules, Rule No. 16(c)(1)).  In response, Connecticut delayed the date of its presidential primary from the first Tuesday in February to the last Tuesday in April (CGS § 9-464).

Reaching the Primary Ballot

In Connecticut, the political parties with the largest and second largest number of enrolled members conduct presidential preference primaries, according to the website Ballotpedia. There are two methods by which candidates can access the primary ballot:

• The Connecticut Secretary of the State can order that a candidate's name be printed on the primary ballot if he or she "determines ... that the candidacy of such person for such party's nomination for president is generally and seriously advocated or recognized according to reports in the national or state news media." The secretary of state must publish a listing of such candidates at 10:00 a.m. on the 74th day preceding the primary.  (This year, that is Tuesday, February 16.)
• A candidate who is not included on the Secretary of the State’s list can petition for placement on a party's primary ballot. A candidate may request the requisite forms from the secretary of the state’s office beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The petition must contain signatures equaling at least 1 percent of the total number of enrolled members in the candidate's party in the state, and must be submitted to "the registrar of voters of the party holding the primary in the town of voting residence of the signers thereof" by 4:00 p.m. on the 53rd day preceding the primary (March 4). The registrar of voters must verify the signatures and forward the petition to the secretary of state by 4:00 p.m. on the 49th day preceding the primary (March 11).

Among the states holding presidential primaries after Connecticut in May and June are Indiana, New Mexico, California, New Jersey, Nebraska, West Virginia, Oregon and Montana.  Most states have their Democratic and Republic primaries on the same day, although a handful hold party primaries on different days. South Carolina’s Republican primary will be on February 20, for example, and its Democratic primary on February 27.

Should any candidate whose name is set to appear on the Connecticut April 26 primary ballot decide to withdraw from the race, the deadline is March 21.  A letter indicating withdrawal must be received by the Secretary of the State by 12 Noon.  Petitioning candidates may not withdraw, according to state officials.

Absentee ballots for military and overseas voters become available on March 12.  Absentee ballots will be available as of April 5.  Only registered voters in a particular political party can vote in the presidential primary of that party.  The deadline for new voters, and for unaffiliated voters to mail in party affiliations is April 21.  The in-person deadline is April 25, the day before the primary, at 12 Noon.  On primary day April 26, the polls are open from 6 AM to 8 PM.

Caregiving Is Critical Issue as "Incredible Demographic Transformation" Continues, Aging Report Stresses

The United States continues to experience “incredible demographic transformation,” according to the Final Report of the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA), a year-long, nationwide endeavor throughout 2015. In Connecticut, with the nation’s 7^th oldest population, input was provided by legislative and executive branch agencies, which held hearings and offered expert testimony from organizations including AARP, the state Department on Aging, Legislative Committee on Aging and Commission on Aging. “No topic attracted more attention in the lead-up and follow-up to the 2015 WHCOA than caregiving. It echoed across all four of the conference issue areas,” the report indicated, referencing the four common themes that emerged as particularly important to older Americans: Retirement Security, Healthy Aging, Long-Term Services and Supports, and Elder Justice.  The final report noted the participation, at the Boston Regional Forum, of Connecticut’s Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, Jewel Mullen.

Among the findings in the report, issued by the White House, that will demand the attention of policy makers in the next decade:

• Over 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every day, and the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. is women over age 85. The proportion of older adults representing racial and ethnic minorities is also increasing rapidly.
• There is a need to break down the silos between housing, transportation, health care, and long-term services and supports in order to support healthy aging. The United States must also take advantage of an “increasing array of web-based technologies, robotics, and mobile devices” that “help older adults access the services they need, stay connected to family and friends, and remain active and independent.”
• The majority of assistance for older Americans is generally provided at home by informal caregivers, especially family and friends, and are often the “primary lifeline, safety net, and support system for older adults.” Although rewarding, caregiving can be demanding, and “informal caregivers need to be supported and sustained with appropriate resources.”
• With family structures changing as Americans are having fewer children and increasingly moving away from families of origin, the availability of family members to provide care is diminishing. “Direct care is a demanding profession with low wages, long hours, and limited benefits. It is critical for there to be efforts to recruit and retain a sufficient number of direct-care workers to keep pace with the growing need.”

The White House has held a Conference on Aging every decade, beginning in 1961, to identify and advance actions to improve the quality of life of older Americans. In 2015, the United States marked the 50th anniversaries of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security. The White House Conference on Aging provided "an opportunity to recognize the importance of these key programs as well as to look ahead to the next decade."

At a public hearing in May at Connecticut's Legislative Office Building, state officials noted that Connecticut is undergoing a “permanent and historic transformation” in its demographics.  Statistics released as part of the WHCOA report echoed that observation.

On July 13, 2015, President Obama hosted the sixth White House Conference on Aging, joining older Americans and their families, caregivers, and advocates at the White House and virtually through hundreds of watch parties across the country.

The July event built on a year-long dialogue; the White House Conference on Aging launched a website to share regular updates on its work and solicit public input; engaged with stakeholders in Washington, D.C. and listening sessions throughout the country; developed policy briefs on the emerging themes for the conference and invited public comment and input on them; and hosted regional forums with community leaders and older Americans in Tampa, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Seattle, Washington; Cleveland, Ohio; and Boston, Massachusetts.  Additional hearings, including those in Connecticut, were shared with conference officials.  Individuals and groups participated via live webcast in watch parties held in every State and were able to ask questions of panelists and others via Twitter and Facebook.

The Final Report, completed in late December and publicized by the White House this week, now goes to policy makers at the federal and state level to review findings and consider policy actions to respond the critical issues cited as requiring attention.

$80,000 in Grants Boost Preservation Initiatives in 7 CT Communities

Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC), the downtown revitalization and economic development non-profit, has selected seven organizations and municipalities to receive a share of $80,400 in 2016 Preservation of Place grants. The grants will be used to provide communities in Bridgeport, Canton, Haddam, Fairfield, New Britain, New Haven (Westville Village) and Simsbury with targeted resources to increase their capacity to plan for preservation and revitalization initiatives in their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. 

This year's awards are notable because two applicants, Canton and New Britain, sought the grant funds to pursue the creation of tax increment financing (TIF) districts, made possible through the passage of legislation in 2015 that was proposed by a coalition led by CMSC. TIF is a financing mechanism in which an investment in a specified area is repaid over time using the increased tax revenue generated by the investment.

"The projects funded through this year's Preservation of Place round have the potential to be transformative for these communities," said John Simone, CMSC's President & CEO.  "Canton and New Britain may very well become the models for creating successful TIF districts, while Haddam's award can help set the foundation for a unified, mixed-use commercial area that marries their historic charm with a modern, connected design. Certainly, all of the communities represented are as diverse in location as in their unique character, but each has something wonderful to offer, which will only be enhanced through the use of these grant funds."

The Preservation of Place grant program provides a source of funding for new initiatives that can be integrated into, and leverage, comprehensive Main Street preservation and revitalization programs.  The funds are meant to be flexible to meet individual community need.

The 2016 recipients of Preservation of Place grant funds are:

• Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District - Awarded $10,400 for Bridgeport CREATES, Phase II, to assist in the pre-development activities associated with the creation of a Maker Space/ Innovation Center.
• Town of Canton - Awarded $10,000 for a Tax Increment Financing Master Plan for Collinsville Center & the Collins Company Complex to develop a viable TIF agreement, master plan and district to help develop the historic complex.
• Town of Haddam - Awarded $10,000 for a Market Analysis & Village District Zoning Regulations for Tylerville in order to assess viable businesses and draft zoning regulations that will allow for and promote such businesses, as well as mixed-use development, in this historic area.
• Town of Fairfield - Awarded $10,000 for a Signage & Wayfinding Program for Downtown & Neighboring Commercial Districts to help visitors and residents navigate their way around downtown Fairfield's many prominent cultural, tourist and academic attractions.
• New Britain Downtown District - Awarded $10,000 to work in conjunction with the City on the Creation of a Tax Increment Financing District for transit oriented development around the CTfastrak terminus.
• Westville Village Renaissance Alliance (New Haven) - Awarded $20,000 for the Westville Village Comprehensive Plan: The Visioning Phase, a comprehensive plan to guide a sustainable and place-based approach to long-term economic and physical development.
• Simsbury Main Street Partnership - Awarded $10,000 for a Comprehensive Parking Study of Downtown to develop specific parking recommendations, including short- and long-term solutions.

Since 2008, the Preservation of Place grant program has leveraged over $1 million of investment in local Main Street initiatives. Connecticut Main Street Center and the Preservation of Place grant program receive support from the State Historic Preservation Office, with funds from the State of Connecticut through the Community Investment Act.

Whalers Departing Attendance, Carolina's Recent Attendance, Among NHL's Lowest (Hartford Higher)

During the 2014-15 National Hockey League season, the teams with the lowest average home attendance were the Arizona (13,345), Carolina Hurricanes (12,594) and Florida Panthers (11,265). So far in the current season, through 23 home games, the attendance for Hurricanes games has sunk even lower, averaging 11,390, lowest in the league.  They are the only team in the league to draw less than 13,000 fans per game.

Fifteen years ago, during the 2000-01 season, the attendance numbers weren’t much better.  Carolina had the league’s second lowest attendance, drawing an average of 13,355 per game for 41 home games.  That ranked 29^th in a 30-team league.

That was also only a handful of seasons after the teams’ move South, ending their 18-year history as the Whalers in Hartford, moving to Greensboro, North Carolina and becoming the Carolina Hurricanes for the start of the 1997-98 season.

In the 30-team league, during the past 15 years, Carolina has been among the league’s bottom-third in  average attendance eight times, and the bottom-half every season but one.  In 2006-07, the team ranked 15^th in the league, their high-water mark.  It was the season after the team won the league’s Stanley Cup.   (The 2004–05 NHL season was not played due to a labor dispute.)

Those attendance number aren’t significantly different that the attendance levels when the team abruptly departed Hartford, nearly two decades ago.  In early 1996, a 45-day “Save the Whale” season-ticket drive resulted in 8,300 season tickets sold, about 3,000 more than the previous year.  In the aftermath of the season ticket drive, and heading into the 1996-97 season, the Whalers management said they would remain in Hartford for two more years, in accordance with their lease.

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 13^th in the league in attendance in both seasons.

Last season’s top attendance averages were in Chicago (21,769), Montreal (21.286), Detroit (20,027), Philadelphia (19,270), Washington (19.099), Calgary (19,097), Toronto (19.062), Minnesota (190230 Tampa Bay (188230 and Vancouver (18,710).  The New York Rangers drew an average of 18,006, ranking 17^th in the league in average attendance.

Florida’s attendance last year was a league-low 11,265; Arizona was 13,345 per game. The previous season, the New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes all drew less than 15,000 fans to home games across the season.  So far this season, with about half the home games played, five teams continue average 14,000 fans per game or less.

On March 26, 1997, Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland and Whalers owner Peter Karmanos Jr., who had purchased the team in 1994, announced that the Whalers would leave Hartford after the season because they remain far apart on several issues, with the main sticking points linked to construction of a new arena. The team agreed to pay a $20.5 million penalty to leave at the end of the season, a year before its commitment was to expire.

The final Whalers game in Hartford was on April 13.  Less than a month later, the Carolina Hurricanes were born, beginning play that fall in Greensboro while a new facility was built in Raleigh.  Efforts to bring the NHL back to Hartford since that day have been unsuccessful.