Connecticut”™s new attorney general has a message for businesses: He wants to make the state more business-friendly, he has an open door and he”™d rather settle issues, not take them to court.
After serving in both the state Senate and House, and as state Democratic party chairman, George Jepsen took office last January as Connecticut”™s attorney general. He spoke recently with CBIA”™s Business Minute about how he views his job.
“I”™m not a shoot-first ask-questions later person,” said Jepsen. “I try to see issues from all sides before coming down on any particular side. I try to understand all the nuances and complexity of an issue.”
Since his election last fall, Jepsen has reached out to hundreds of employers, business associations, trade groups and chambers of commerce across the state to share with them his goals.
A big part of that outreach has been “to listen to business leaders to find out what we can be doing better in the state, because I view jobs and job creation (as) the No. 1 issue in the state.”
At the same time, Jepsen said, he is sharing with businesses his view of his new job.
First of all, he says, his door “will always be open” to businesses. Because job creation and economic development are the state”™s biggest challenges, it”™s important to “set the proper tone and make sure businesses feel welcome. I want this to be a business-friendly state.”
So far he has more than just set the tone: Jepsen says his office has reviewed “a significant number of investigations that were undertaken by my predecessor and ”¦ in some cases publicly (dropped them) because we”™re finding there was no wrongdoing.”
“I”™m going to litigate as a last resort,” says Jepsen.
He intends to make sure laws are being enforced “in a fair and equitable manner and that businesses know where the lines are drawn.”
“Businesses don”™t want to cross the line, but they (also) need to know where (it is).”
Jepsen said he believes most problems are better dealt with by getting people around a table and working out differences. “Especially for the business community,” he says, “seldom is there a purely ”˜bad actor.”™ Most of the time you are sorting out whether somebody innocently stepped over a line, negligently stepped over it or did it willfully.
“I take very seriously the power of the office.”
During his business outreach tour the new attorney general also heard complaints from Connecticut business leaders that the state is sometimes slow to execute contracts and agreements. In response, he said he is working to streamline the contract-review process.
He is also making energy conservation and reducing energy costs a priority in order to help businesses.
Deep into his first year in the attorney general”™s office, Jepsen is continuing his dialogue with business. “Hardly a day goes by” without having some kind of meeting with a business leader in his office, he says.
Business confidence is critical to turning around Connecticut”™s economy. The state”™s newest attorney general is working hard to cement a new sense of confidence that his office is open and receptive to the perspectives and concerns of Connecticut businesses.
Joseph F. Brennan is senior vice president of public policy at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association in Hartford. Reach him at joe.brennan@cbia.com.
