With a smile on his face, Malloy finally has a ratified savings and concession deal with 45,000 unionized state employees that will help define his four-year term in office. Since the parameters of an administration often are set during the first year, Malloy is now positioning himself as the governor who respected the unions and came out ahead.
The unions were high-profile supporters of Malloy's election campaign last year; many believe they were the difference as Malloy defeated Greenwich Republican Tom Foley by about one-half of 1 percent. Now, those workers have a guarantee of four years of no layoffs in return for two years of wage freezes and changes in their health care and pension benefits.
"If you asked a public-service worker would you rather be in Connecticut with Dan Malloy as your governor or would you rather be in New Jersey or Wisconsin, I think they would tell you they would want this guy," said Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's chief political adviser. "We still face huge budget challenges. The economy is nowhere near where he would like to see it. The last couple of days have been good days, but we need a lot more good days.''
But some Republicans say Malloy's accomplishment is somewhat hollow — they estimate that at least $600 million of the $1.6 billion in savings and concessions consists of smoke and mirrors designed to balance the two-year state budget. Even the legislature's nonpartisan fiscal office says it cannot verify some of the financial assumptions, though Malloy and his budget chief say they are confident they will reach the projected savings.
House Republican leader Larry Cafero of Norwalk said the ratification of the four-year, no-layoff agreement was not a great day for taxpayers.
"This is a great day for the governor politically because he believes that this issue finally, after almost eight months of getting the budget done the way he wanted it done, is done,'' Cafero said. "I'm not so sure it's a great day for the state of Connecticut, as much as, in his mind, it's a great day for him politically.''
Cafero claims that the state-employee savings will fall short of projections and that the shortfall will be made up through the largest tax increase in state history, which is likely to allow the state to finish the current fiscal year with a surplus.
"I think the governor was shell-shocked when the unions initially turned down this deal,'' Cafero said. "What that showed is this almost chaotic 'we gotta cut here, we're going to do this, that and the other thing' that sent this state into chaos and uncertainty. We can't let that happen again.''
As a longtime fiscal conservative, Cafero said he has to give credit to Malloy for creating a less-lucrative pension tier for new state employees and a new "wellness'' program designed to save millions by encouraging state employees to get age-appropriate tests like colonoscopies.
But he said he has also grown tired of dog-and-pony shows featuring the governor and the lieutenant governor praising the concessions deal. By Cafero's count, the administration has celebrated the same agreement six different times.
"Connecticut is growing a little weary of these so-called celebrations of the same budget quote 'victory,''' Cafero said. "How many times do you celebrate the same thing?''
As for the unions, they — at least publicly — are not convinced they are getting everything they wanted from Malloy. They say the jury is still out on their relationship with the freshman governor.
Salvatore Luciano, one of the state's top union leaders, said the relationship between Malloy and the unions is unsettled — despite the agreement on the health care and pension concessions that was ratified last week by all 15 unions.
"I think it would be rocky right now, very rocky,'' said Luciano, executive director of AFSCME, Council 4. "We did work very hard to get this governor elected, and we're happy we have this agreement, but it's been a rough road."
"Yes, it should be smoothed out a little bit [by the agreement], but I think there are some hard feelings on the part of the membership,'' Luciano said. "I think the communication could have been a little better. When we worked so hard for his campaign, I thought the communication would be a little bit better. Being put in a corner and being asked for $2 billion was a difficult situation, obviously.''
Over the past several months, some state employees have expressed frustration with Malloy and their own union leaders as pink slips went out to more than 3,000 workers — increasing the anxiety level.
"I really don't think it was the layoffs. I think it was the confusion,'' Luciano said. "I think a lot of the people didn't go from 'no' to 'yes'. I think most of the members went from being confused to 'yes.' And when you're confused, I think you vote 'no.'"
Union leaders and their chief negotiator said the future of this relationship will depend on how Malloy acts on budget issues. That includes following through on promises to listen to front-line workers and cut through the thicket of the state bureaucracy by laying off non-union managers.
"The proof is in the pudding, and we'll see over the next six months,'' said Dan Livingston, chief negotiator for the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition.
The relationship between Malloy and the unions has clearly evolved since his election last year.
"There's a difference between being a politician and being a boss,'' Livingston said. "This governor didn't come in working that well with these folks. The communication could have been better as a boss. The immediate respect shown to front-line workers could have been better as a boss, and it would have made this process easier. … I'm certainly hopeful that this governor will get better at it as he's got more experience working with these 45,000 workers.''
Both Republicans and Democrats agree that, when election time rolls around, the unions are more attuned philosophically with Democrat Malloy than with Republicans. As such, they really do not have anywhere else to turn if in 2014 there is a rematch between Malloy and Foley.
"I think the governor can be a difficult boss,'' Livingston said. "That doesn't change the fact that his values are much more in line with the values of working families than, say, his opponent. That makes a big difference in the outcome.''
Longtime Democratic political strategist Matthew Hennessy said that the savings deal, despite complaints from Republicans, is far preferable to laying off thousands of state employees, putting families into financial stress and hurting the economy.
"At this juncture, it's positive for both parties to step back and say that they're not in love any more,'' Hennessy said. "But secretly, the reality is this deal was a pretty good deal for the state of Connecticut. It was a pretty good deal for the unions. It took a fairly significant chunk out of their pay and benefits package. It really is a win-win.''
One of the longest-running controversies over the concessions deal is that Republicans say it does not add up to $1.6 billion in savings. For example, the administration has not released a detailed list of cost-savings ideas from state employees that would save $180 million over two years. The two sides say they are still working on it.
In addition, some insiders charge that the deal does not go far enough in making fundamental changes to the lucrative pensions many state employees receive. For example, overtime and the highly controversial "longevity'' bonus payments will still count toward the pensions of all current employees. For new employees hired after July 1, longevity payments will no longer be paid, and their pensions will be based on their average pay from their last five years instead of their last three years.
Cafero said former Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell got a better deal from her negotiations with the unions two years ago. That deal included unpaid furlough days, pay freezes and increases in co-payments for prescription drugs, among other items.
"She looks like a shark at the negotiating table, based on what she got,'' Cafero said.
Occhiogrosso scoffed at the idea that Rell had cut a better deal than Malloy.
"[Cafero] doesn't really believe that. If he does, he's the only person in the state of Connecticut who believes that, including Jodi Rell,'' Occhiogrosso said. "Larry's a smart guy. It bothers him that it took a Democratic governor to do what no Republican governor could ever do. … Not to reach too far, that comes from the whole notion that only Nixon could go to China. There's no question that being a Democrat helped. There was a relationship there. There was a trust factor there.''
Regarding the unions, Occhiogrosso said, "I don't think there is any question the relationship has been tested. The relationship is in the process of being tested, but it's always been respectful, and it has always been fair. Like any relationship, there will be ups and downs.''
He added that Malloy "doesn't have any hard feelings about the process that everyone just went through. There's no question that he's asked a lot of state employees. He's put himself on the line politically. This governor has stood by them and stood up for them. Relationships are a two-way street. He understands he ruffled some feathers over the past two months.''
WASHINGTON--A Westport-based bio-medical company is immersed in an unusual lobbying campaign, trying to sell a high-tech burn remedy to counter-terrorism experts in Washington who decide what to buy for the government's public-health-emergency stockpile.
But while the product and the company, Advanced BioHealing, may be cutting edge, their Washington strategy is old-school. To press their case, they've hired a sophisticated public relations firm and a cadre of politically-connected lobbyists--including Matthew Hennessy, a former aide to Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Lieberman, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is among several Connecticut legislators urging the government to stockpile the company's medical cure.
Advanced BioHealing's pitch is nothing short of ominous: What if terrorists managed to detonate an improvised nuclear device or launch a chemical attack in a crowded setting? Or imagine that the propane-gasoline-and-fireworks bomb that Faisal Shahzad put in an SUV in Times Square last year had actually gone off.
Among other things, says Advanced BioHealing official Julie Letwat, dozens of victims could suffer severe burns from such a blast, quickly overwhelming New York City's burn units and leaving victims exposed to life-threatening infections and other complications.
"Every time this country has been hit or almost hit, it's some kind of explosive or bomb," Letwat said. In the 10 years since 9/11, public health officials have snapped up supplies to deal with anthrax and other possible bio-terrorism weapons, she said, but "we don't have anything in the stockpile" to treat severe burn victims except gauze, ointments, and antibiotics.
Enter TransCyte, a bio-engineered "skin substitute" made from living cells and other materials that helps skin regenerate and heal after severe burns. Advanced BioHealing (ABH) bought the rights to manufacture TransCyte and a similar product, Dermagraft, used to treat diabetic foot ulcers, from a British company in 2006.
Dermagraft has been a hit, with the company's sales expanding exponentially since 2006. But TransCyte is another story.
Private hospitals and burn centers can't afford to buy it, so Advanced BioHealing hasn't been making it, even though it's approved by the FDA and had previously been used in various disasters, including treating a handful of 9/11 victims injured in the Pentagon attack. It's been off the market at least since 2006, Letwat said.
"Ever since that product went away, we've had to use some less-than-ideal substitutes," said Dr. Daniel Lozano, chief of the burn department at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania. Lozano said he used TransCyte when he was working at a hospital in San Diego and the 2003 wildfires hit, resulting in more than 100 injuries.
"I had three beds available in an 18-bed burn center," he said, recalling how they scrambled to make room for critically-injured patients in other sections of the hospital. TransCyte allowed him to treat some victims as outpatients and it shortened the in-patient stay for others, because the skin substitute helps burns heal more quickly than other remedies, he said.
Lozano said he has no role at ABH and no financial incentive to promote the product. But he's become one of TransCyte's most forceful advocates, attending meetings with ABH officials in Washington and pressing federal officials to add it to the national stockpile.
"We have stuff for small pox and we have stuff for anthrax, but we have nothing for burns," he said. "And most of your victims in a nuclear disaster are going to be burn victims."
Emergency preparedness officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) say they already have some burn countermeasures in place, and they are in the process of determining what else is needed.
"We look forward to continued dialogue with members of Congress and their staff to discuss how to protect the public from" chemical, nuclear or other attacks, said Gretchen Michael, communications director for HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
Asked about TransCyte and ABH, Michael suggested that it might not be ready for prime time, at least when it comes to a terrorist attack. She noted that while it's approved by the FDA for severe burns, it hasn't been cleared for use with thermal burns caused by ionizing irradiation.
"Like many other companies that have an interest in pursuing government funding opportunities, Advanced BioHealing has met twice with BARDA," Michael said, referring to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a division within HHS that helps manage the Strategic National Stockpile.
"The subject of their presentations was their product TransCyte, which is in early development" for medical countermeasures in terrorist attacks. For it to be used on thermal burns, she said, it would need to undergo new animal and human studies.
Letwat said that TransCyte has a "proven track record" of treating thermal burns, including its use at the Pentagon during 9/11 and the San Diego wildfires.
"This is not a product for your typical backyard barbecue burn," she said. "It's perfectly situated for a public-health emergency. That's what the product is for."
To be sure, ABH's hopes for revving up TransCyte rest on the U.S. government--more specifically, with the Strategic National Stockpile. The SNS was created more than a decade ago, with a mandate of amassing a stash of vaccines and medicines needed to respond to a biological, nuclear or chemical attack.
For several years, ABH officials have been meeting with federal officials at BARDA and other agencies who handle purchases for the SNS, arguing that TransCyte is an ideal item for their shelves. And starting last year, ABH ramped up its advocacy, hiring two new lobbying firms and doubling its lobbying expenses to $240,000 for the year, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics. So far this year, they've spent $170,000 on a stable of lobbyists.
In addition to Hennessy, whose company website features a photo of him with Lieberman and Bill Clinton, ABH has also brought on the Glover Park Group, a communications firm stocked with politically-wired media strategists, including several who worked for the Clinton White House.
The campaign appeared to be paying off. Letwat said that HHS and BARDA officials had started to signal strong interest in TransCyte. They even suggested possible military applications, if it could be stored in the field and used for burns from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
ABH hired Letwat as their in-house advocate more than a year ago, and she said her goal was to generate political pressure from Congress, aimed at officials at HHS and at BARDA.
"BARDA actually asked us for that," telling ABH that a push from Congress would make the process move faster, Letwat said. "So we engaged in some pretty heavy Hill pressure."
Among others things, Letwat worked with Lieberman and Maine Republican Susan Collins, the top two members of the Senate homeland security committee, on a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The lawmakers expressed concern about the lack of adequate medical countermeasures to respond an attack, whether a conventional explosive or a radiological "dirty bomb," that involved hundreds or thousands of burn victims.
"As you know, such casualties would quickly overwhelm the 300-500 burn unit beds available nationwide on any given day," states the letter, which was also signed by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Jim Himes, both Connecticut Democrats. BARDA has made some progress, they wrote. "However, much still remains to be done to stock the SNS with [medical countermeasures] in sufficient quantities and quality to treat thermal burns."
Lieberman said this has been a long-standing concern for him, stemming for a series of hearings he held in the homeland security committee on the nation's preparedness for a weapons of mass destruction attack.
Those hearings highlighted the scarcity of burn beds across the country and showed in particular "that our medical capabilities are woefully insufficient," he said. "Should a large-scale incident or a smaller incident using an improvised explosive device result in hundreds of injuries, clearly we will need alternative treatments. The bio-engineered skin substitute manufactured by Advanced BioHealing could be an impressive addition to our medical stockpiles to improve the nation's readiness for a catastrophe."
Letwat said in recent months, the effort to get HHS officials on board seems to have stalled. She said that staffers for Lieberman and other supporters had initially been happy with the reports back from BARDA, but "they're not pleased now, and that's putting it mildly."
Lieberman's staff on the homeland security committee is planning to convene a briefing with BARDA officials in the coming weeks, to determine where things stand with the agency's efforts to issue a bid for medical countermeasures for burns. Michael, of the HHS preparedness office, said that BARDA expects to award contracts for the development of new burn remedies in fiscal year 2012.
Letwat says it's now or never for Advanced BioHealing and TransCyte. If the government doesn't make a move, she said, they will likely walk away from the product and refocus on other investments.
"I don't see us sort of dangling on for much longer," she said. "We're not Merck and we're not Pfizer. We don't have the bandwidth to say 'When you get to it, you get to it'."
It's unclear how much money is at stake for the Westport company. Letwat said that HHS already has funding for the stockpile set aside, so they're not seeking new funding. How big of an order does the company want?
Letwat couldn't answer with any specificity, saying only that ABH needs a "sustainable order." She noted that making TransCyte is highly complex, and ABH would probably need to build a new facility to ramp up production.
But she said it's really up to federal officials to figure out how much they would need. "The truth is BARDA knows what they would have to do... If 100 burn victims are going overwhelm New York metropolitan hospitals, I think they need quite a bit of product," she said. "A $10 million or $20 million order is not going to be enough," either for ABH or for the country.
If TransCyte became an item in the nation's strategic stockpile, then private doctors like Lozano could get it as well--for a discounted cost. That's because it has a shelf-life of about 18 months, so as it inched toward expiration, HHS could sell it to hospitals and burn centers at a "bargain basement price," Letwat said.
"It's kind of a win-win," she said. "If the government makes a substantial order that would make it worth our while [to re-start production], then we could get it back to the private market as well."
Lozano agreed, saying it would "benefit the stockpile and benefit the everyday burn patient."
And of course, it would benefit Advanced BioHealing, too.
Tremont Director Identifies Risks In Budget Stalemate
State Heads Toward Layoffs, Shutdowns Neither Side Wants
Governor, Unions Don't Want To Make Jobless Rate Worse
July 17, 2011|By CHRISTOPHER KEATING,, The Hartford Courant
With 6,500 jobs and numerous state services on the line, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the state employee unions remained entangled last week in a high-stakes standoff as they struggled toward a single goal: avert layoffs at a time when Connecticut's unemployment rate is already at 9.1 percent.
A governor in the middle of a statewide "jobs tour" and union leaders desperate to save union jobs are both hoping to slip out of the noose in a way that would make Houdini proud.
Malloy increased the pressure on the unions day by day, launching layoff notices, then announcing the closure of motor vehicles branches, welfare offices, and other state services — cutbacks that could well prove politically unpalatable with legislators and the general public.
Amid the governor's gloomy missives, however, some insiders still did not believe that the layoffs would ever take place. They are calculating that the unions have a rescue plan that would allow them to ratify a concessions agreement that would fill the $1.6 billion hole in the state budget for the next two years, and negate the need for deep cuts and layoffs.
On Monday, top union leaders will meet to consider changing their bylaws in a way that would make it easier to approve an updated savings-and-concession deal with Malloy. By making a slight change in the agreement that has already been crafted, the rank-and-file could vote again and potentially need only a simple majority to pass the changes.
In the first union deal, 57 percent of those voting approved the agreement, but that was not enough under the complicated union rules. Those rules state that workers in 14 of the 15 unions — representing 80 percent of the overall membership — must approve any changes in health care and pension benefits.
No Single Voice
Negotiations are often straightforward discussions between two sides, but the multi-headed union coalition involves 15 unions with 34 bargaining units and 45,000 employees who do not agree with each other on all issues.
Roy Occhiogrosso, Malloy's senior adviser, said he has given up trying to predict what the unions will do and the chances of the layoffs' being rescinded.
"That's up to them,'' Occhiogrosso said. "It's not something that the governor is counting on having happen. If it happens, then we will revisit it at that point. But at this point, this is the budget that we have. … I think we have to wait and see what happens on Monday.''
Matt O'Connor, a spokesman for the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, declined to provide details on exactly what the unions will do, but he said that Malloy's proposed cuts and closures are unacceptable.
"The alternative to a mutual agreement is mutually assured destruction in which everybody loses: the governor, the legislature, the unions, every business, large and small, and the innocent people caught in the middle,'' O'Connor said. "It's nothing short of a disaster. I've seen the list [of Malloy's budget cuts]. It's ugly. If you want a picture perfect example of 'off the charts,' this list is it.''
The proposed closures of prisons, courthouses, law libraries, welfare offices, motor vehicles branches, a juvenile jail and other government buildings would have an unwelcome spillover effect for surrounding businesses.
"It's bad for economic recovery,'' O'Connor said. "It's bad for the pizza shop owner in Enfield, and once that courthouse closes, they lose business. This is just a recipe for catastrophe.''
Among insiders, everyone from the workers themselves to House Speaker Chris Donovan, the most powerful labor supporter in the legislature, wants to avoid layoffs. Although layoffs have been ordered in more than 40 departments, some lawmakers believe that the consequences of service cuts are so dire that only the unions can bail out the state — and themselves — from severe economic pain for many families.
"This plan would harm our state in significant ways,'' Donovan said. "That is why I am urging the governor and SEBAC to reach an agreement. That is the most responsible action available.''
'Wake-Up Call'
With more than 1,000 layoff notices already given to employees and budget cuts moving closer to reality, the unions have taken the step to seriously consider changing the bylaws to avoid the layoffs.
"It's become eminently more believable to the rank and file that it will happen,'' said Matthew J. Hennessy, a longtime Democratic political operative. "Those folks have gotten a wake-up call that it is real. At the end of the day, this will resolve itself. There will be some people laid off, but the majority will remain when the smoke clears. … The ball is clearly in the unions' court. They're slowly coming to the right answer, which is to come to an agreement with the governor.''
The situation was unsettled, lurching back and forth, from the moment Malloy made his initial layoff threat in mid-February. But it has become increasingly dire since the rank and file rejected the deal that their leaders crafted.
"There has been a continually evolving strategy on the part of all the actors,'' said Hennessy. "This is just another piece of the evolution.''
House Republican leader Larry Cafero of Norwalk said that Malloy clearly miscalculated the amount of negativity within the rank and file and had no idea that the deal was going south. As such, the governor and his budget team have had to scramble to create a back-up plan to close the now-projected gap of $1.6 billion over two years.
"The governor is a very confident man, and in my opinion, underestimated this process and, frankly, this job,'' Cafero said. "So when he supposedly reached a deal, and I have publicly criticized that deal, he put up the 'Mission Accomplished' sign. And it fell apart. There wasn't any thought in his mind that this would ever happen. I think they're winging it right now. They're winging it!''
But, based on a law written in special session, Cafero said he believes that the Democratic-controlled legislature will allow Malloy's cuts to stand without making any changes.
"I predict we will never come back here, as a group, to vote on this,'' Cafero said.
The legislature has set a deadline of Aug. 31 for a new SEBAC agreement.
Seeking A Solution
Andrew Matthews, president of the state police union, said his union voted against the deal because they did not want to make more concessions.
"We think that reducing the budget by laying off state troopers who are vital to protecting the safety of all of us standing here and the governor — state troopers protect the governor — [is] not somewhere to cut funds,'' Matthews said. "There are other ways to save money in state government.''
"In 2009, under Gov. [M. Jodi] Rell, we made substantial concessions, and I think it was really hard for our members to swallow another concessions deal asking for greater'' concessions, Matthews said. "I think the overwhelming no vote was a reflection of the frustration of our membership. … We're to trying to find a solution to this mess.''
Matthews rejected the idea that Malloy laid off the troopers in retaliation for voting against the concessions deal.
"I wouldn't suggest that, no, because I personally believe the layoffs could have been far greater than 57,'' Matthews said. "We saw 97 layoffs — 40 civilian and 57 troopers.''
Matthews remembers the days when it seemed like the sky was falling two decades ago. Instead, the layoffs were averted when the state income tax was enacted.
"In 1991,'' he said, "Gov. Weicker laid off 111 troopers, and we brought back 109 troopers.''
Since Malloy's budget cuts are so deep — and politically unacceptable to both Republicans and Democrats — some believe that they will not happen.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who ran against Malloy on the ticket with Republican Tom Foley, believes the battle is far from over.
"Do I really think that the governor is going to shut down the Danbury DMV? Probably not,'' Boughton wrote in his blog. "The positioning of a possible closure is just a way for the Malloy administration to put more pressure on the state employee unions who have rejected the initial 'concession' package. Lots of unhappy taxpayers and unhappy residents who use the service mean more pressure on the union leadership and its members to figure out a way to unwind the recent rejection.''
Boughton added, "Don't worry yet, people. This is just an opening gambit to turn up the heat on the unions.''
But O'Connor, the union spokesman, says they are highly aware that the calendar is getting tighter for the unions to take action.
"We all know we're working under a constricted calendar. Everyone is anxious to get this matter resolved,'' he said. "In particular, now when we have workers who know their last day on the job, that adds a renewed and much higher degree of urgency to getting to a mutually accepted resolution. The alternative is mutually agreed destruction.''
Tremont Equity Advisors Opens New York Office to Advise Clients on Strategies for Creating “Shared Value”
Hartford – The public affairs firm Tremont Public AdvisorsSM announced the launch of a sister company, Tremont Equity AdvisorsSM (www.tremontequityadvisors.com), to advise corporate clients on the integration of sustainable environmental, governance and societal practices into core business functions. The creation of the firm was inspired in part by the controversy stirred by the January 2011 article in the Harvard Business Review by Professor Michael Porter and Mark Kramer calling for corporations to “create economic value by creating societal value”.
Tremont Equity Advisors provides a diverse suite of services for clients including: Strategy Development helping organizations develop sustainable practices appropriate in the context of their core business; Sustainable Practice Reporting, as one of the few American firms with staff certified in the largest international reporting framework, the Global Reporting Initiative TM, Tremont Equity Advisors assists clients with reporting on Key Performance Metrics of their sustainable practices; Risk Mitigation an increasingly sophisticated network of activists investors, NGOs and grassroots pressure groups are carefully scrutinizing the business practices of companies of all sizes and industries, Tremont Equity Advisors counsels firms on identifying and reducing their vulnerabilities in key ESG metrics.
Matthew Hennessy the Managing Director of Tremont Public Advisors will also serve as the Managing Partner of Tremont Equity Advisors and will coordinate a team of ESG consultants based out of offices in Hartford and Manhattan.
“Segregating primary responsibility for sustainable business practices into corporate communications or philanthropy functions is no longer a viable path for any company that wishes to compete over the long term in our global economy. Companies place themselves at tremendous risk when they fail to keep abreast of rapidly changing global standards for corporate behavior and miss out on significant opportunity for growth when they fail to consider societal impact of their operations.” Hennessy commented.
“There is presently over $3trillion in U.S. investment that is tied to criteria on social impact and as Porter and Kramer compelling argued in the Harvard Business Review, firms that create ‘shared value’ are more innovative and economically viable over the long term. Tremont Equity Advisors will help clients capitalize on that opportunity for growth and competitive advantage.” Hennessy stated.
Tremont Equity Advisors is a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (www.unpri.org), an Organizational Stakeholder in the Global Reporting Initiative (www.globalreporting.org) and a member of the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (http://ussif.org).
About Tremont Public Advisors:
From offices in Washington D.C. and Hartford, Connecticut Tremont Public Advisors (www.tremontpublicadvisors.com) counsels a diverse range of clients from Fortune 500 companies, to international labor organizations, to elected officials on how to effectively navigate difficult public policy challenges and deliver results.
About Matthew Hennessy, Managing Partner:
As a leader in multiple non-profit and governmental institutions, Matt has built a reputation as a trusted strategist and advisor to thought leaders in the public sector. Matt’s extensive portfolio of experience includes membership on the team responsible for crafting key environmental legislation in the U.S. Senate, leader of an award- winning program to provide wireless broadband to low income urban residents and senior advisor in the development of a nationally recognized campus of public schools anchoring a $250 million community redevelopment project in one of the nations’ poorest urban communities.
Matt is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. In addition, he holds degrees from Trinity College and the Catholic University of America.
TREMONT DIRECTOR WEIGHS IN ON CONNECTICUT
SPECIAL ELECTIONS
State GOP Eager To Gain Ground In Special Elections Party Hopes To Build On November Gains
By CHRISTOPHER KEATING
The Hartford Courant
January 24, 2011
After gaining 14 seats in the state House of Representatives in November, Connecticut Republicans are hoping for more in special elections next month.
Nine Democratic incumbents who won in November have decided to step down from the legislature, including six who will be working for the new administration of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The nine winners included veteran Democrats who routinely won elections and beat back numerous Republican challenges through the years.
But now with nine open seats — three in the Senate, six in the House — Republicans look forward to even more gains in the special elections Feb. 22.
Republican State Chairman Chris Healy predicts that longtime New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart will win the Senate seat held for the past eight years by Donald DeFronzo, who left the safe seat to work for Malloy as commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services.
"We've got the best candidate we could have,'' Healy said of Stewart.
But Stewart, 49, is facing former state Rep. Theresa B. Gerratana, a well-known Democrat in New Britain who represented the city for 10 years at the state Capitol until 2003. Gerratana, 61, gained support at a recent fundraiser from high-profile Democrats, including Malloy and former gubernatorial candidate Bill Curry. The former co-chair of the legislature's human services committee, Gerratana lost in a race for Congress in 2004 against incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson in the 5th Congressional District.
With consistent wins by party veterans like DeFronzo and former Sen. Joseph Harper, the Democrats have held the New Britain state Senate seat ever since Johnson, who held it from 1976 through 1982 before winning her race for Congress.
Longtime Democratic operative Matthew Hennessy described Stewart as "a formidable candidate,'' but added that Gerratana will be helped by the union members who have always displayed strength in New Britain.
"In a very low turnout election,'' Hennessy said, "labor can play a very important role.''
Some Democratic insiders fear that they could potentially lose three seats that had been held by veteran Democrats, including state Reps. Michael P. Lawlor in East Haven, Deborah Heinrich in Madison and Jamie Spallone in Essex. At the same time, Democrats are confident they have three safe House seats in Bridgeport, New Britain, and West Hartford.
The one issue looming over all of the special elections is Malloy's plan to resolve the state's projected $3.5 billion budget deficit. The governor will unveil that plan Feb. 16. Republicans hope for anti-budget blowback on the premise that voters will object to Malloy's expected tax increases and budget cuts — and thus vote against Democratic candidates.
"That's why they scheduled those special elections so quickly,'' Healy said. "They know they're going to have some unpleasant news, and there will be six days to flog a budget instead of two weeks.''
But Malloy's chief strategist, Roy Occhiogrosso, said the scheduling of the special elections was not tied to Malloy's budget speech. Malloy set the date, but the time frame was narrow under state law.
"I like Chris [Healy] personally,'' Occhiogrosso said. "I think he's had a tough election cycle and probably should stop looking for conspiracy theories'' to explain Republican election results.
With Malloy tied up with the details of the state budget, Occhiogrosso said the new governor will be spending limited time on campaign functions such as the Gerratana fundraiser.
Hennessy agreed with Healy that Malloy's budget plans — still being crafted behind closed doors — will impact the races.
"Those elections are the first snap poll on the budget process,'' Hennessy said. "Candidly, if the elections were before the budget, it would be better. It's smarter to have it sooner.''
One of the highest-profile races is the 36th District in Essex, Deep River, Chester, and Haddam, where the Democrats have nominated Phil Miller, the Essex first selectman since 2003. Former TV anchorwoman Janet Peckinpaugh is running as the Republican nominee after losing a high-profile race for the 2nd Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney in November.
"If she is ever going to have a shot, this is it,'' Hennessy said. "This clearly plays to her strength. If it doesn't work out this time, she ought to think about doing something else.''
Despite the Republican optimism, House Speaker Chris Donovan is not conceding any of the races —in the same way that he did not concede any races when the Democrats lost 14 House seats in November.
"They're Democratic seats,'' Donovan said. "They've been Democrat for a while. That's why we have elections.''
When asked if the national Republican headwind is still blowing, Donovan responded: "We try to blow our own winds. It's not a national race. It's a local race.''
TREMONT DIRECTOR PROVIDES ANALYSIS ON IMPACT
OF 2010 ELECTION
11/11/10
In the wake of a national election that has changed the political dynamics in Washington D.C. as well as Connecticut; multiple media outlets have turned to the Managing Director of Tremont Public Advisors, Matthew J. Hennessy for analysis of the election results. Hennessy has provided media commentary on a variety of races ranging from the Connecticut Governor’s election to the race for Republican National Committee Chair.
“The 2010 elections were reflective of the national mood that both parties have to rebuild trust with the voters. Though many commentators have predicted gridlock in Washington for the next two years, the reality is that the legislative and regulatory process will continue to move forward. Smart businesses and organizations will take the time to understand the nuances in the new political landscape and adjust their government relations and public affairs strategies to leverage the potential opportunities.” Hennessy stated.
About Tremont Public Advisors:
Tremont Public Advisors with offices in Washington D.C. and Hartford, CT is one of Connecticut’s leading public affairs firms, providing a comprehensive suite of services to assist clients with influencing and focusing the public debate on issues that impact their bottom line. Services include: federal advocacy, polling, modeling of voter behavior, issue advertising, grassroots advocacy, writing, strategic communications, and coalition management.
You can read recent stories on the 2010 election below:
Connecticut's Chris Healy As The Next Republican National Chairman? Mentioned Despite Big Losses In Nutmeg State
By
Christopher Keating
on November 10, 2010
The 2010 elections provided some of the greatest political advances in history for Republicans, but that wave never fully arrived in Connecticut as the party lost races for governor, U.S. Senator, and five Congressional seats.
Those failures have prompted some rumbling that the losses should spell the end of the nearly four-year tenure of Connecticut state Republican chairman Chris Healy.
But in a bizarre twist, Healy is now being mentioned in the national media for a major promotion - to be chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Healy's name has been floated widely in The Associated Press, Roll Call, and The Washington Post's influential political blog, among others.
In a 24-hour whirlwind, Healy's candidacy has grown from a behind-the-scenes, back-room whispering campaign to a full-blown public race. As a nearly four-year member of the national committee because of his state chairmanship, Healy already knows many of the 168 national members - and he needs 85 votes to oust embattled, outspoken chairman Michael Steele.
"A number of people on the committee, which is where it counts, urged me to think about running,'' Healy said in an interview. "We need to create a real national Republican army. The record does not indicate that the Steele team can do it. At some point, you have to come out and say the emperor has no clothes.''
Healy, 53, said he has no idea who mentioned his name to The Washington Post, adding that he has "full confidence of passing a polygraph'' on the leak. He is being mentioned along with former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, former Nevada Gov. Robert List, former New Jersey chairman David Norcross, and current Wisconsin chairman Reince Priebus, among others.
Based on the losses last week in high-profile races, Healy said he is prepared to hear questions about why Connecticut's party chairman should be picked over others in states where Republicans made huge gains.
"I think that's a fair point,'' Healy said. "We were unsuccessful, but in the big strategic picture, people on the RNC can look me in the eye and say I took a party that was dormant and made it fully engaged in the Internet age. We recruited a lot of good candidates without a lot of help from the chief executive - and that's fine. ... We didn't even have a web page when I took over. Now, we have one of the best social media networks. We've got thousands and thousands of people on Facebook and Twitter.''
Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell taped radio commercials for U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon and gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley, but she was not a major public presence on the campaign trail.
When asked if Rell had helped the Republicans, Healy responded, "No, she didn't do anything, which is unfortunate. She chose not to, and that's her choice. It just is what it is. You can't make people do things if they don't want to.''
Healy said he would not criticize Rell personally, saying she needed to speak for herself. Rell could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Insiders also said that Rell did not help the state House Republicans, who increased their total by 14 seats - the highest one-year gain by any political party since the state's party lever was eliminated in 1986.
A leading Republican, though, disagreed sharply with Healy.
"It's amazing,'' the Republican said. "Chris Healy evidently recruited every candidate, raised every dollar, and was evidently responsible for every Republican who won this year. At the same time, Governor Rell and other Republican leaders seemingly did nothing to help any candidate. The only thing bigger and more inflated than Chris's ego is the Goodyear blimp. He would fit right in with all the other modest, team-playing politicos already dominating the Washington scene.''
In Connecticut races, Healy said he was fighting against huge amounts of money being spent by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Governors Association, plus visits by national figures. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton all came to the Nutmeg State.
"That's an enormous amount of firepower, and we still came within a coin flip on the governor's race,'' Healy said.
At the RNC, Steele has been criticized sharply for months regarding various comments and missteps that have garnered national attention. In particular, Healy criticized the huge costs of the party's 48-state tour that went around the nation on a "Fire Nancy Pelosi'' tour to oust the U.S. House Speaker. Instead, that effort was really "a Michael Steele re-election tour'' to keep his job as the party chief, Healy said. After the bus tour ended, the Republicans gained 60 seats in the U.S. House and recaptured control from the Democrats - placing John Boehner as the aspiring new Speaker.
The donations of Republicans should not be spent on "tour buses and ballgames and margarita machines,'' Healy said, adding that contributions should be "not wasted on frivolities or high-end living, and there has been some of that.''
Healy says his bid for national chairman is a combination of being drafted to the post and wanting the job. The committee will vote in mid-January, raising the possibility of a two-month campaign for the post among multiple candidates.
"I'd like to do it, and a lot of people have asked me to do it,'' Healy said. "It's a huge responsibility.''
Matthew J. Hennessy, a longtime Democratic operative who has been following the Steele controversy closely, said Healy certainly has a chance in the race.
"There's probably a group of people who will say Chris Healy did a good job of being an aggressive spokesman for the Connecticut Republican Party for the last two years,'' Hennessy said. "That being said, it's very difficult for a chairman from a very blue state to be the national chairman without a history of big wins in his home state. His efforts would have a lot more steam behind them if McMahon had won that race - taking Chris Dodd's seat - but that didn't happen. That would be the knock. ... It's not completely out of the realm of possibility. Is it likely? That's another story.''
Dan Malloy and Tom Foley Locked In Tight Race For Governor; Wyman Says Malloy Ticket May Have Won
By
Christopher Keating, The Hartford Courant
on November 3, 2010 12:27 AM |
In the roller-coaster known as the Connecticut governor's race, Lt. Gov. candidate Nancy Wyman said around midnight that Dannel Malloy might be the next governor.
The hotly contested governor's race was still too close to call Tuesday night after the results were delayed when a judge ordered an extension of polling hours by two hours at selected sites in Bridgeport.
Republican Tom Foley had been leading Democrat Dannel Malloy in the early, unofficial results by 51 percent to 47 percent, and the voting extension was expected to help Malloy in Democratic-dominated Bridgeport. The extension was ordered by a Superior Court judge after a shortage of ballots prevented some citizens from voting.
But Malloy apparently scored big in the state's biggest cities in the votes that came in at the end of the night, according to Democrats. Malloy also won Norwich, Middletown, Branford, and Ansonia in late-breaking results.
Republicans intend to challenge any ballots cast after 8 p.m. at 12 polling places in the city. Those votes were being counted as provisional ballots and would be kept separate from the others, the judge ruled.
"There's no way of knowing if people were turned away or just saw on television that people could vote past 8 p.m.," said Kevin O'Connor, a former U.S. Attorney who represented Foley at the hearing Tuesday. "Depending on the outcome of the election, every one of those ballots will be challenged as being an illegal vote."
Throughout the early voting with 30 percent of precincts reporting, Foley was leading by 4 percentage points.
Malloy's chief campaign strategist, Roy Occhiogrosso, said that the Bridgeport votes were "very important'' to Malloy.
"He's very concerned about it. It's a real problem,'' Occhiogrosso said. "We don't have an exact number. We don't know how many people left. We don't know how many came back.''
The Bridgeport controversy was the latest twist in a long-running campaign that saw more than a dozen candidates running for governor at some point in a year in which Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell decided not to seek re-election. Five candidates ran in the primaries in August with Malloy and Foley emerging victorious.
Malloy had led in the polls for the entire general election campaign until Foley pulled ahead in three polls in the final days. Since Connecticut is a Democratic-leaning state and Malloy has been running for governor two times over the past six years, insiders believed that it was Malloy's race to lose.
In a particularly bitter race, Foley portrayed Malloy as a big-spending, tax-raising, union-supporting liberal Democrat who would raise taxes as governor. Malloy portrayed Foley as an out-of-touch Greenwich multi-millionaire who lacks middle-class values and spent his career as a corporate raider who made money at the expense of the blue-collar workers he employed.
Political observers said there were several reasons why Foley was able to close the gap in the final week and make the race much closer. Malloy, insiders said, made several crucial mistakes that allowed Foley to catch up and turn the race into a dead heat.
"People got to see Dan Malloy in the debates as arrogant and dismissive and angry in contrast to Foley's very calm, confident manner,'' said state Republican chairman Chris Healy. "That's what people look for in a governor. He doesn't have the temperment to be a governor - if you come off as a hothead or obstreperous or having a chip on your shoulder.''
Besides Malloy's demeanor, Healy said that his record as mayor of Stamford for 14 years was attacked sharply by Foley.
"Malloy's record in Stamford that he tried to portray as milk and honey was potentially higher taxes'' for the state, Healy said.
"I think the death penalty played a part in it as well - given the Petit trial,'' Healy said. "Malloy's explanation came off as political that he was against the death penalty except for these guys. ... He tried to position himself as a moderate Democrat, but he's not.''
But longtime AFL-CIO president John Olsen, one of the state's top Democrats, said that Malloy had huge electoral strength from his solid support of union members. Besides their own votes, the union members worked hard to get out the vote of their entire membership.
"We're getting good feedback from our guys - phone banking, door to door, the leaflets,'' Olsen said before the polls opened.
The silver bullet for Malloy was that, under Olsen's estimate, 25 percent of all votes came from union households. Far fewer than 25 percent of workers nationwide are members of unions, but Olsen said that union members come out to the polls in greater numbers than the general population. He noted that about 55 percent of the members of the AFL-CIO are Democrats, another 15 percent are Republicans, and about 30 percent are unaffiliated. House Republican leader Larry Cafero of Norwalk said during the campaign that he was shocked to hear that only 55 of the union members were Democrats, saying he believed the number was much higher.
Matthew Hennessy, a Malloy supporter, said that the governor's race became close because Foley was able to present a clear message that allowed him to come roaring back and close Malloy's lead in the final days of the campaign.
"The reason Foley is making traction is this whole tax issue,'' said Hennessy, who had supported Greenwich executive Ned Lamont in the August primary against Lamont. "That message has punched through because he has portrayed himself as the guy who is not going to raise your taxes. It's been less about the person that Tom Foley is, as opposed to the person who is not going to raise taxes. That's part of the national message that people are seeing on Fox [television] and hearing on talk radio. His campaign has found some clarity in the last 2 1/2 weeks of this race. Connecticut voters, especially independents, like having a Republican governor.''
Taxes was the overwhelming message that pushed aside most others, Hennessy said. For example, Foley hit Malloy with a 30-second commercial that criticized him for the problems of Curley's Diner, a well-known eatery in downtown Stamford that the city tried to seize by eminent domain. The two sisters who own the diner fought the case all the way to the state Supreme Court and won.
While Curley's was clearly a negative ad, Hennessy said that Malloy's negative ads against Foley on various issues "may have canceled each other out.''
The tax issue, though, resounded with voters, Hennessy said.
The early, unofficial results showed that Foley won numerous small towns, including Andover, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bethlehem, Bolton, Bozrah, Bridgewater, Brooklyn, Burlington, Clinton, Columbia, Cromwell, East Haddam, East Hampton, Ellington, Killingworth, and Pomfret.
Foley also won in Greenwich, Naugatuck, and Bristol in late-breaking results.
Malloy won in small towns such as Canaan and Chaplin.
"I think Dan Malloy's position on the death penalty'' was a key factor, Foley said.
Malloy's journey to Tuesday night was a long road in his six-year quest for the governorship.
He won the Democratic Party's convention nomination for governor in 2006 in a nail-biter, and he then lost the August 2006 primary to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. He then won the Democratic convention nomination again this year and defeated Greenwich cable TV executive Ned Lamont in the August primary.
Malloy maintainted a single-minded focus on the governorship for six years, and he continued despite some setbacks that would have derailed other candidates. He endured a 17-month investigation by the chief state's attorney's office regarding city contractors who worked on his Stamford home, but he was exonerated in the case by then-Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano.
After the investigation ended, Malloy resumed his campaign in the 2006 race. After losing that year, he tried again in 2010. At various times, he was trailing Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and then Lamont in the polls. Still, he continued fighting.
The Courant's Dave Altimari reported that the mood at Malloy headquarters was initially apprehensive as supporters watched the early returns come in. While Democrats such as U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal and Attorney General candidate George Jepsen seemed to be doing well, Malloy was slightly behind in the early results.
A Democratic lawmaker said Malloy's internal polls showed that in the last few days that independent voters were trending towards Blumenthal and Foley, an ominous sign. The lawmaker said early numbers from major and mid-sized cities where Malloy needs to do well indicated turnout was good.
One of the most active unions Tuesday was 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union - a strong supporter of Malloy. The union says its get-out-the-vote effort is the largest that it has ever done in Connecticut.
"From job creation to access to health care, Dan Malloy has stood with Connecticut's working families on the state's most important issues," said Kurt Westby, the state director of 32BJ, which represents 4,500 commercial cleaners and food service workers. "The working families of 32BJ are doing everything we can to make sure that he is elected and will keep fighting for our state's hard working men and women."
Overall, the multiple unions within SEIU have 55,000 members statewide.
The Democratic turnout in Bridgeport was strong at the beginning of the day - and that turned out to be important as the day wore on.
"It's clear that the Obama rally in Bridgeport has energized the community there,'' said Hennessy, a longtime Democratic strategist.
Rep. Stephen Dargan, a Malloy supporter "from the beginning,'' said, "I was there with him when Lamont conceded by 9:15 p.m. This will be much later. This could be the closest race since the Ribicoff race. It could be a percentage point, but I've been wrong before. We'll have to see how upset the voters are. The strong bases have to be the major cities. They have to come out and vote for Malloy to win.''
Malloy held a 7-point lead in mid-October when the Quinnipiac Poll was released, and pollster Doug Schwartz said that day that Foley "needs to do better among independents if he's going to win.'' The subsequent polls showed that Foley did much better among unaffiliated voters.
The early trends were in Foley's favor as he held a lead of 51.4 percent to 46.7 percent with 8 percent of the precincts tallied. Independent Party candidate Thomas E. Marsh, the first selectman of the riverfront town of Chester, had 1.9 percent. Marsh appeared in various forums with the other candidates, but he did not participate in any debates.
TREMONT DIRECTOR ADVOCATES FOR PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
7/10/10
The public affairs firm Tremont Public Advisors announced today that its Managing Director Matt Hennessy has co-authored an article published this month, advocating for the State and local governments to embrace Public, Private Partnerships for infrastructure investment. “Connecticut’s infrastructure is not only crumbling, but hurting our economic growth. Connecticut does have the financial strength to make the necessary investment in our bridges, roads, airports and ports that is why we need to embrace the best practices pursued by most of Western Europe and partner with the private sector to generate new investment.” Hennessy stated.
Best Practices for Private Investment in Public Infrastructure By: Matt Hennessy, Managing Director at Tremont Public Advisors Frank Rapoport, Partner at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP
Connecticut towns struggling to balance budgets in one of the most difficult economic downturns in a century are faced with a common problem - how to continue to provide core services while facing steep declines in revenue from local taxes and reduced aid from the state and federal government? In the push to reduce municipal budgets, new investment for critical infrastructure is often the first to go on the chopping block, followed by maintenance for existing municipal assets. By curtailing local investment in infrastructure, municipalities put their long-term economic health at risk.
To meet the challenge of declining revenue and insure continued investment in critical infrastructure, the State of Connecticut and the cities of New Haven and Hartford have turned to Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to attract significant private investment in their infrastructure. PPPs allow the state and cities to generate new revenue to help close budget gaps and guarantee private investment in new and enhanced public facilities. The state has partnered with a private investment group to upgrade rest stops along I-95, and Hartford and New Haven are working with private firms to attract investment in their municipal parking systems.
Across the country, state and local governments are seeking innovative solutions to address the estimated $2.2 trillion needed to rehabilitate U.S. infrastructure, without tax increases or adding to already strained budgets. While PPP projects may not be appropriate for every community, much more must be done in the United States to explore and disseminate best practices for appropriate ways to implement them. America clearly needs a best practice center like Partnerships UK, Infrastructure Australia or PPP Canada to assist government officials in determining how best to proceed with PPP projects. Globally, there are over 85 different types of PPP advisory organizations that are working with governments to address public sector challenges and to identify project delivery solutions. By investing in PPP centers of excellence, these governments have significantly improved public trust in the process and tapped into a wide range of investment funds that have been crucial in upgrading their infrastructure and creating new jobs. This is why the Council of Project Finance Advisors (CPFA) Working Group was launched with Governor Howard Dean and Mayor Stephen Goldsmith to establish the CPFA as a U.S. best practices center for PPP.
The CPFA would provide PPP technical and outreach assistance to federal, state and local government officials who are assessing options to revitalize their infrastructure, create jobs, improve the delivery of public services, and develop long-term financial solutions. As an independent organization, the CPFA will help public officials maximize taxpayer assets with a coordinated, efficiently managed approach to assessing PPP opportunities. The benefits of the CPFA to Americans would be numerous, including: innovation resulting in job creation; overcoming public official unease; and producing more value per dollar.
Establishing the CPFA would affirm government’s commitment to better, faster, and cheaper public service delivery. Jack Wells, chief economist for the U.S. Department of Transportation, wrote that for every $1 billion invested in U.S. infrastructure, 27,800 new jobs are created. It is estimated that we have $180 billion - $250 billion available in the United States to leverage for PPP opportunities; the number of jobs created would be staggering. The United States cannot afford to turn away these capital resources due to false-start projects and poor communication of best practices.
The CPFA would help government officials understand project risk and the cost-benefits of risk transfer, thereby allowing officials to identify, compare and choose from a spectrum of traditional as well as PPP finance models. The CPFA’s mission would be to help the public sector identify the best possible financing options, not just to promote PPP solutions. Finally, the CPFA would engage a broad array of stakeholders from the start, adding better communications flow to the process, thus providing a higher level of transparency and accountability into the recommended best practices and project finance opportunities.
Even as communities across the country begin to explore the potential of partnering with the private sector to invest in public infrastructure, Congress is beginning to address the need for a best practices center. However, a greater sense of urgency is necessary if local communities are to fully benefit from private sector investment in public infrastructure.
Matt Hennessy is Managing Director at Tremont Public Advisors and former Chief of Staff for the City of Hartford.
Frank Rapoport is a partner at the law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP and a nationally recognized expert on PPP projects.
HENNESSY APPEARS AS POLITICAL ANALYST ON FOX -
1-18-10
HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL REPORTS ON GROWTH
OF TREMONT PUBLIC ADVISORS
Ex-Perez/Lieberman aide’s public affairs venture expands
By Greg Bordonaro
10/15/09
A Hartford public affairs firm started by former city mayoral aide Matt Hennessy has aligned with several local and national partners, including a former press spokesman for Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
Hennessy was chief of staff to Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez until he left in August to start Tremont Public Advisors. Tremont has offices at 750 Main St. in Hartford and in Washington D.C.
Hennessy, also a former aide to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, said Tremont's strategic partners will pool their resources to serve businesses and organizations eager to shape public policy in Connecticut.
"Each of the partners has their own clients, but on particular projects they have made a commitment to partner with each other so we can provide a full and comprehensive approach to public advocacy campaigns," Hennessy told HBJ Today this morning.
Services include polling, media relations, writing, strategic communications, political strategy, predictive analytics, paid media, direct mail and government affairs, he said.
Among the group's partners is Christopher Cooper, Rell's former director of communications and spokesman, who also recently started his own company, Coventry-based Cooper Communications.
Other strategic partners include: Gotham Ghostwriters, led by Dan Gerstein, a nationally recognized political writer and communications strategist; JEF Associates, a polling, campaign consulting and grassroots advocacy firm; Knickerbocker, SKD, led by Josh Isay a senior campaign advisor to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former chief of staff to Sen. Chuck Schumer; Murtha Cullina Government Affairs Group; Rapid Insight Inc.; and Capitol Strategies Group.
TREMONT PUBLIC ADVISORS ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Rell Spokesman & Bloomberg Adviser Join Experienced Connecticut and National Partners
10/15/09
The public affairs firm, Tremont Public Advisorssm LLC with offices in Hartford, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. announced today that it has formed a network of strategic partnerships with some of the most respected names in political and public advocacy. Tremont’s strategic partners, including those announced today, have decades of success in polling, media relations, writing, strategic communications, political strategy, predictive analytics, paid media, direct mail and government affairs. Tremont Public Advisors develops and implements public advocacy campaigns for organizations and businesses that wish to shape the policy debate on issues that impact their bottom line.
Tremont Public Advisors’ strategic partners include:
Capitol Strategies Group, an experienced and respected Connecticut government affairs firm with a strong record of producing results for its clients
Cooper Communications, led by Christopher G. F. Cooper, former Director of Communications and spokesman for Governor M. Jodi Rell
Gotham Ghostwriters, led by Dan Gerstein, a nationally recognized political writer and communications strategist, Gotham Ghostwriters is New York City’s only world class full service writing firm
JEF Associates, a respected polling, campaign consulting and grassroots advocacy firm
Knickerbocker, SKD, led by Josh Isay a senior campaign advisor to Mayor Bloomberg and former Chief of Staff to Senator Chuck Schumer, Knickerbocker SKD is one of the nation’s leading strategic and political communications firms.
Murtha Cullina Government Affairs Group, a leading Connecticut government affairs firm with more than fifty years of experience at the highest levels of government
Rapid Insight Inc, a nationally recognized leader in business intelligence software and solutions.
“Any Connecticut organization or corporation facing a difficult public policy or public affairs challenge, need look no further than Tremont Public Advisors. We have brought together an unprecedented pool of talent and expertise that can be deployed to deliver success in every facet of a public advocacy campaign. With new government regulations being proposed and enacted at a bewildering pace, Tremont and its partners can help your business effectively influence the public debate on public policy issues that impact your bottom line.” stated Matt Hennessy, Managing Director of Tremont Public Advisors.
Hennessy a respected political and public policy advisor to a number of elected leaders, has served as Chief of Staff to Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez, as an aide to U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and as a Deputy National Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee.
Tremont’s strategic partners voiced their enthusiasm for the new collaboration.
“I am excited to join this new partnership with Tremont Public Advisors.” stated Chris Cooper of Cooper Communications. “The collaboration between these talented firms will provide significant new resources for Connecticut businesses seeking to have their voices heard in the public policy debate.”
Dan Gerstein of Gotham Ghostwriters stated “This partnership meets a tremendous need in Connecticut for a firm that can provide a comprehensive and effective approach to message development and deployment. We are pleased to be working with Matt and Tremont Public Advisors in this exciting new venture.”
“JEF Associates has partnered with Matt over the years on numerous successful federal, state and local campaigns. We know this new collaboration will continue that record of success for our private sector clients.” Jim Fleming of JEF Associates stated.
“Businesses, trade associations and public policy coalitions attempting to manage complex administrative, regulatory and legislative issues will welcome the demonstrated abilities of Tremont and its strategic partners. Their one goal is to ensure each client the right help in the right place, as quickly as possible," said David McQuade, Senior Government Affairs Consultant, Murtha Cullina LLP.
“The 2008 election demonstrated how the effective use of data mining and predictive analytics can provide a major advantage to those who employ these powerful tools. During the 2006 Senate election, we worked with some of the team that Matt has put together to implement our predictive analytic software to model voter behavior in Connecticut. We look forward to working with Tremont public Advisors to assist Connecticut clients in executing effective public advocacy campaigns.” stated Mike Laracy CEO of Rapid Insight Inc.
HENNESSY TO LEAD TREMONT PUBLIC ADVISORS
The public affairs firm Tremont Public Advisorssm LLC with offices in Hartford, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. announced today that Matthew J. Hennessy will lead the firm as Managing Director. Hennessy, an experienced senior government executive and respected political advisor and strategist, has counseled and managed numerous successful federal and local political campaigns and candidates. His two decades of government and political service include service as Chief of Staff to Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez, as an aide to U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and as Deputy National Finance Director for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C..
“Tremont Public Advisors is perfectly positioned to assist corporations and organizations that wish to influence and shape the debate on public policy issues that impact their bottom line. Tremont Public Advisors, with its partners, is the first Connecticut firm that has the unique combination and breadth of necessary skills honed in hundreds of successful campaigns to develop and execute effective and comprehensive public advocacy programs for private industry. There has been a sea change in the scope of regulation being proposed and implemented by government. Firms looking to navigate this environment need to pursue new strategies and tactics to make their voice heard.” Hennessy stated.
Today’s announcement brought praise from a number of government leaders:
"I have known Matt for twenty years and really appreciate all the smart, insightful, and effective support and counsel he has given me in matters of both public policy and politics." United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman stated.
Connecticut State Comptroller Nancy Wyman echoed the praise "Matt is known for getting results at all levels of government. He is an effective advocate who understands the details of the policy making process."
“Matt has a deep understanding of how the General Assembly works and knows how to shape the debate on important issues in ways that get results.” State Representative Kelvin Roldan Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee stated.
Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez added his words of support: “Matt is one of the best political and policy strategists I know. Not only does he understand the details of the political landscape, he knows how to align public opinion with public policy to generate support for fundamental change. He has proven time and time again that he can successfully advance an agenda where many others have failed.”
Tremont Public Advisors, with its partners, provides a comprehensive suite of services to assist clients with influencing and focusing the public debate on issues that impact their bottom line. Services include: polling, modeling of voter behavior, issue advertising, grassroots advocacy, writing, strategic communications, coalition management and government affairs.
“Tremont Public Advisors has brought to together a unique combination of leading national public affairs practitioners and deeply respected Connecticut firms to provide clients with a ‘best in class’ approach to every facet of a public advocacy campaign. Tremont Public Advisors provide firms and organizations facing difficult public policy challenges with the ability to nimbly deploy a broad range of effective tactics and strategies on a proper scale. This is an exciting new approach for public affairs in our state and I am thrilled to be leading Tremont Public Advisors in this endeavor.” Hennessy stated. Tremont will be publically announcing its strategic partners within the next thirty days.
Matt Hennessy is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government where he was a Wasserman Fellow. Matt also holds degrees from the Catholic University of America and Trinity College in Hartford.
