Speak up, don’t let apathy rule

State Rep. Larry Cafero says he and his fellow legislators can make state government more open and inviting for business leaders.

With so many open seats after the invites went out, we”™re not sure anyone really cares.

As CEO blood pressures elevate in advance of the Connecticut General Assembly session, a mere 50 or so people showed up for a politics and business roundtable featuring U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, state Sen. Scott Frantz and Cafero, in the state House minority leader”™s hometown of Norwalk.

That”™s maybe 50 people that the mighty 10,000-member Connecticut Business & Industry Association and the comparatively tiny but engaging CEO Roundtable could muster into the same room with the Fourth District”™s representative in Congress, and two of the most pro-business voices in the Connecticut General Assembly.

Things are afoot, folks, that may result in some unwelcome changes for your wallet in a few months time ”“ or at the end of the line. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy mostly ran the table on his 2011 legislative agenda; this session, you will hear about efforts to transform schools with an eye on what businesses need most, hike the minimum wage, eliminate death taxes and who know what else in between.

“We ”¦ decided it would be helpful to bring the panel together ”¦ to discuss what efforts have gone on to this point and what other efforts we could possibly put into place in 2012 and beyond that would stimulate additional business growth and activity to make Connecticut as friendly an environment as possible,” says David Lewis, co-founder of the CEO Roundtable.

Sounds like a plan ”“ so what gives on all the empty seats in a room that wasn”™t that big to begin with? For once, traffic was not the culprit. Apathy? Bad marketing?

A Himes spokesperson did not make the congressman available to say what he thought about the empty tables at the front of the room, and Cafero at deadline had not responded to a call made through an office aide.

“It was definitely not nearly as many as I expected,” admits Frantz, who does return calls promptly.

He offered a few theories ”“ people are working harder than ever, he hazarded, and perhaps cannot carve out the time to attend a morning event.

Maybe, maybe not ”“ at their respective economic development forums in Hartford and Stamford last month, CBIA and the Business Council of Fairfield County both packed the house for attendees to hear a parade of economists hold forth on their dismal science.

Look, as a newspaper we know better than most that everybody can”™t be everywhere all the time. Wander into any given building on any given day around here and you”™ll find something going on where you will learn a thing or two.

But there are also inflection points where you can do a thing or two about things. Consider this one gone.

Full disclosure ”“ we are obviously biased in favor of CBIA, which regularly runs columns in the Fairfield County Business Journal that touch on what we feel are important issues for business, and which links to some of our stories off its website. The two organizations occasionally co-sponsor events as well.

CBIA does more than just about any nongovernmental organization in putting out the word on business issues. You may not always agree with its stance ”“ we don”™t all the time ”“ but we recognize what it brings to the table.

It”™s anyone”™s guess why CBIA does not deliver more people to the table at events down this way, certainly not to the same degree as the Business Council of Fairfield County, the Bridgeport Regional Business Council or the Stamford Chamber of Commerce. It is not like CBIA is a stranger around here ”“ at any given event in Stamford, Norwalk or Bridgeport, you have a far better chance of running into someone from one of the aforementioned Big Three chambers making the rounds, but at least a few CBIA staffers put in the drive time to bolster the group”™s visibility in Fairfield County. CBIA economist Pete Gioia, in particular, has made efforts over the years to shuttle through these parts.

You cannot be everywhere all the time, but CBIA may want to think about rotating more of its staff to Fairfield County more often, not for its own events but just as much to be seen at those sponsored by others. Better yet, why not have a permanent staff member in Fairfield County? It is a lot easier to knock on doors just down the street from your own office, rather than battling the convoys on Interstate 95.