Governor Dannel Malloy had his own sobering assessment of the state’s economic competitiveness Thursday as he addressed the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.
“Right now, I think northern New Jersey’s eating our lunch,” he told the crowd of Fairfield County business people. “Right now, I think Westchester is a far stronger competitor than it was when I was mayor just a few years ago, with respect to the potential for economic development opportunities in Fairfield County.”
The issues that affect the competitiveness, according to the governor, are housing and transportation.
“Because for a long time we didn’t invest in housing, and because for a long time we disinvested in transportation, we are no longer seen as the same threat,” Malloy said. “If you can’t house your workers, or you can’t move your workers in and out of your working environment in a reliable way, your ability to compete for those jobs, which are growing elsewhere and could come here, is substantially challenged.”
Malloy is under pressure right now over the issue of a competitive business environment, as General Electric threatens to move its headquarters out of the state. The issue the corporation raised was the threat of new business taxes in the state budget.
Watch below CT-N's coverage of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce event:
