Press release from Derek Czenczelewski, Republican City Council candidate in the 3rd District:
On Monday, Pratt and Whitney announced the closing of both the East Hartford and Cheshire operations, impacting a number of employees and their families. 79 of those employees call Bristol home, and I would like to take this opportunity to send them my sympathy. I understand the difficulties that come from being laid-off, and the harsh reality that these employees will be joining the millions of other American citizens who have lost their jobs recently.
We continue to hear our politicians apologize and claim how “they are working hard for the workers,” but we have yet to see this come to fruition. We hear the claims of our economy “rebounding,” but try telling that to the workers just laid-off by Pratt and Whitney. Congressman Larson stated, “It is disappointing that at the end of the day, the interests of shareholders, and not the years of hard work and sacrifice by these employees, motivated the company’s final decision.” While I agree, I think the bigger tragedy here is that our state continues to make doing business here in Connecticut tougher than it needs to be, and continues to force Connecticut business owners to make these decisions.
Unfortunately, a business’s success is measured in dollars and cents, not employees’ personal feelings. Our state government has offered plenty of sympathy and encouraging words of recovery and change, yet all we have to show for it is a change in our wallets. Bristol is not alone in our budget woes, as these can be seen in every town, city and village in the state. Even Connecticut is far from alone, as every state in the United States is suffering from the poor economy. But we have an opportunity to change the way we handle business in Connecticut, and Bristol for that matter. We need to be offering more in the way of tax credits, incentives and subsidies to attract more jobs to the area. We have an opportunity to be the one state in the region, perhaps in the entire country, to be offering these incentives to lure business, rather than increased taxes that stifle industry. Certainly if our state can’t get that message, I plan to ensure that Bristol does.
The idea is simple: Increase your tax base to preserve or reduce your tax rates. We have the opportunity to lure jobs to Bristol, but we need to get our officials onboard with this. I don’t have a political record to fall back on, as I haven’t been in politics my whole life. While I haven’t been in politics, I have been in school, learning how to make my community better. I’ve also been working in the private sector, and experiencing the effects of a tough economy, just like each and every one of you. I learned how to be business-minded and the fundamentals that will get us back on the right path. So while I can’t promise that if I’m elected our State or Federal officials will change, I can promise that we here in Bristol certainly will.
Derek Czenczelewski
3rd District City Council Candidate
www.dcforcouncil.com
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
21 comments:
Derek - You should run for Mayor of Bristol. Ward has done nothing for this city in the last 16 years in politics. To him and his union buddies its a paycheck and that is all.
Hey Steve, how much is Bristol's projected budget deficit these days? Business incentives + tax credits = more spending + less revenue.
It's a great policy to lure businesses in during times of growth, but in this economy you've gotta just work on holding the line and closing up your deficits. The benefits from economic development incentives take years to be realized... invest in that during the good times, but right now the best incentive to grow the tax base will be Rt 72.
Don't waste money you don't even have... close the budget gap!
Yeah Derek and that policy includes spending $150 million on new schools we don't need?
I guess they taught you how to pander to everyone huh? I can't wait for you to tell us they should raise the minimum wage.
ok derek
What is your plan?
All the republicans want to throw out the baby with the bath water.
Thanks for reminding us it's all art's fault the economy collapsed.
If you don't have a plan stop wasting our time.
Derek, can you be specific?
Or are you already into political speak?
Haha, what don't you silly Dems understand? Nowhere did he call out Art Ward. He said we need to be more business-friendly, offering more incentives to lure more business to Bristol. Or did you not read a word of it?
This guy is for real, and I can't wait to see him on the Council.
anonwestcon:
Now you getting it (a bit). And that's precisely why Pratt is closing Cheshire and why GM went bankrupt.
manufacturing, as an industry, is dying out in ct. like geese in winter, these jobs are heading south. they won't come back. these jobs won't even stay in the south for very long before they go to asia. corporations want to get as much as they can out of their employees for as little as they can. it cheaper to set up factories overseas and pay laborers pennies in wages and no benefits than it is to employ americans in shops that have to comply with safety regulations. how can we compete with this? the answer can't come from derek. large corporations can't afford to have a conscience.
No business that loses money can stay in business very long (UNLESS THE GOVERNMENT GIVES THEM OUR MONEY IN BAILING THEM OUT):it behooves them to keep their costs below revenue.
When times are good, they can afford to be generous, when times are bad like now, they have to cut back.
Very simple.
we must be doing something right, because we still have ESPN. I'm not about to blame our local politicians for a national problem. It's absurd to think that our local and council had anything to do with the lack of jobs or lack of businesses coming into the city. I'm not crazy about that Rosenthal fellow and I think that's where some of the blame lies. I've heard he's not much of a people person, and that's what we really need is a people person. Every town is hurting now, not just Bristol. We all breathe in and we all breathe out together.
I think his point was that we are all struggling, but job growth in CT has been terrible over the last 20 years. We have managed to keep ESPN in Bristol, but we've lost countless others. Connecticut is the toughest state in the US for business, and that's unacceptable. Derek is right on that.
3:58
But is the Council that kept Rosinthal in his position, at great expense and cost to the city.
And Ward was a big part ofteh effort to save Rosinthal, embarass the mayor, and keep Bristol struggling.
Derek...well thought out
"And GM can't seem to design a car people are willing to buy."
..That was true in the 80's and 90's, despite the fact they outsold every other car manufacturer. They are making quality products today, and have been throughout the 21st century.
Mismanagement and bloated union salaries caused their current crisis, one they had been trying to deal with for several years.
Toyota is the worlds largest automaker. GM is second. Their quality has been improving since the 90's. Here's a link to an article that can better fill you in on how wrong you are.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UDO/is_20_14/ai_76027580/
Cadillac CTS, Chevy Corvette, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Cobalt, and now the incoming Volt and Cruze. I'd say GM has some excellent cars, but then again, so says Car and Driver, Automobile Magazine, Road and Track et all..And that's not even talking about trucks and SUVs. But you right and all-knowing because you are...what exactly? Then again they are only analysts, what do they know?
The vehicles I mentioned do not fall flat in any competition. GM is the second largest automaker in the world, behind Toyota who just recently passed them. I'd say that's an awful lot of cars being purchased. Sales were never the problem. Sure they dipped slightly, but being the second largest manufacturer in the world says something. Especially considering how many options there are for your car choice nowadays. Here's another article for you on how the UAW crippled GM, not management or poor sales.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/OpEd-Contributor/Fire-the-real-culprit-in-the-GM-mess-42503172.html
Since this has morphed into a discussion on GM and the Auto Industry relative to the overall fiscal situation, I would like to recommend two books that might provide additional insight.
WHILE AMERICA AGED----R. Lowenstein
WHY GM MATTERS--- William Holstein
Both quite informative and interesting.
Bill Stortz
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