Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, was sort of tossed to the lions today when House Speaker Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden couldn’t join him at the Business Council of Fairfield County’s legislative breakfast.
There’s already a general impression among many folks and businessmen/women in Southwestern Connecticut that Democratic leadership in Hartford sees the region as nothing but a giant piggy bank filled with tax revenues.
So put Williams, who is notoriously liberal and progressive, on a panel that includes the legislature’s two Republican leaders – both from Fairfield County – in front of a room full of Fairfield County business types, and he’s outnumbered.
House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield took plenty of opportunities to complain about how they feel the state is unfriendly to business and too often proposes and passes legislation that interferes with business.
Some in the audience quietly nodded their heads in agreement and at one point Cafero even got some of the morning’s rare applause.
But then the moderator asked the panel a question from the audience – how are lawmakers going to improve the economy and help businesses?
Williams, his voice rising, took the opportunity to vent his frustrations at the irresponsible Wall Street crowd that helped plunge the nation into economic turmoil.
He said businesses cannot on the one hand ask government to be hands-off and then ask for government help when the economy goes south.
“These things don’t add up,” Williams said. “If folks are interested in the one there’s got to be some accountability.”
He said that lack of accountability is what got the state and nation into the current economic crisis.
“Yes there are areas where government should not be intrusive,” Williams said. “But there’s got to be accountability going forward.”
He never answered the actual question, but I suspect it was a satisfying moment for Williams.
Unlike Cafero, he didn’t get any applause.
