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And the Winner is Who?
Citizen OF THE YEAR
High public profile notwithstanding, Chamber's Nemerson doesn't shy away from behind-the-scenes dirty work
By Michael C. Bingham
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Business New Haven
1/25/1999
By: BNH
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As his radio co-host of the “Business Wednesday” program on WELI (960 AM), BNH Editor Michael C. Bingham was asked to defend this publication's controversial choice of Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce President Matthew Nemerson as its 1999 Citizen of the Year. He agreed, reluctantly.
Matthew Nemerson as Citizen of the Year? What are you guys smoking over there?
I stopped smoking years ago.
Okay, but this award is based on what, exactly?
Well, if you look at good things that actually get done in this town, usually Matthew's footprints aren't far away.
Such as?
Getting the hockey team here. Finding a new home for the Yale Co-Op. Helping to keep Science Park going. Getting the hotel here. Trying to get someone - anyone - to provide service to Tweed airport. Working to keep businesses downtown. Keeping Chapel Square Mall open.
Pretty stupid move, that last one.
Depends on how you look at it. It also spared a couple of dozen small local retailers from losing their businesses, since most of them would probably never be able to afford stand-alone retail space downtown. Running that thing must feel like a pretty thankless task.
What qualifies him to run the mall?
He was the only one who would. When the Rouse Corp. left New Haven, no one else was interested in taking Chapel Square over, which is not surprising. Just to keep it open, a complicated deal was engineered to deed it to a foundation created under the chamber's institutional umbrella. If that hadn't been done, Chapel Square were certainly be dark now.
The New Haven chamber seems like it's run mainly for the benefit of the SNETs and UIs - not for the small businesses that comprise most of its members.
That's a fair criticism. I think the chamber could do a lot more in the area of small-business development and education. But don't forget that membership dues in the chamber are based on number of employees. So, for the biggest companies, money talks.
Wouldn't the chamber be a more powerful voice if it had the big-company CEOs on its board of directors instead of just vice presidents, sales managers and wannabes?
Sure it would. But I guess it's hard these days to get guys like Joe Zaccagnino to sit through dreary directors' meetings. Especially ones run by Matthew Nemerson. Instead, now there's something called the 'Regional Leadership Council,' which has all the CEOs of the big companies.
What does it do?
It's basically a kind of shadow government run by Barbara Pearce.
Speaking of regional, isn't Nemerson one of the leading exponents of 'regionalism'?
Indeed he is. In fact, in 1993 he wrote a book review for Business New Haven of David Rusk's Cities Without Suburbs, which I believe remains his favorite title.
So, like Rusk, he thinks New Haven ought to annex leafy suburbs like Branford and Guilford and rename them things like 'Crack Haven' and 'Handgun Haven'?
Not at all, and besides that would be a political impossibility in Connecticut. But he knows that with their crumbling tax bases cities can't pay their own way in Connecticut anymore, and I'm sure Matthew would like to find ways to redistribute tax revenues to help out cities, as well as create greater efficiencies in delivering services by working together across municipal lines. The last part of that, at least, certainly seems worth looking at.
Speaking of regional, why are Nemerson and his ilk so pigheaded about Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport? Why can't they just walk away from what is so obviously a losing horse?
Because transportation has always been a top issue for this chamber, and that means fighting for more and better transportation options. It's hard to argue with the notion that southern Connecticut will be more attractive to businesses if their executives can get in and out of here with relatively little muss and fuss. And it's not really Matthew's fault that the political will has been lacking for a decade or more to squash the East Haven know-nothings like a bug and lengthen the gosh-darned runways. Besides, as Matthew is often fond of sayin, it seems to take the better part of a decade to really accomplish anything worthwhile around here.
Do you happen to know what Matthew's greatest frustration is - and by the way, are you going to give us some direct quotes in here pretty soon?
Yes, and yes. 'My greatest frustration,' he told me recently, 'is clearly the lack of of a common identity [throughout the region]. The fact that when you say 'New Haven,' that a set of positive images and a shared destiny doesn't spring to people's minds, and that too many people think that a sense of community is not our highest priority. That's just something that's endemic to the region, and to New England, and I think it's a weakness. The problems? Every community has got problems. Lack of resources? That's pretty common now. Corporate changeovers and a loss of local autonomy? Most communities in the country are facing that. What we need to create is a shared sense of destiny, where people want that community name to be up there in shining lights for the world to see, and they're proud of it. We have a hard time creating that here. When you get right down to it, that's what this organization [the chamber] was founded to create. So if I have any frustration, it's with just how difficult that has been.' How's that?
Does David Cordish send Nemerson flowers every week?
Not bloody likely. The Baltimore developer is in court trying to prove that the city and chamber violated their agreement to turn ownership of the mall and the 900 Chapel office tower over to him for an agreed-upon sum. Cordish maintains that the local guys materially devalued the properties by cutting sweetheart lease deals for the chamber and the Co-Op.
Who's going to win that one?
The city's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss Cordish's lawsuit, and they say they're confident the judge will throw it out. Beyond that, who really knows?
Has he ever met a microphone he didn't like?
Not that I am aware of. On the radio show we have a Matthew 24-second clock, just like in the NBA. If he doesn't make a point within 24 seconds of beginning to talk, an electric shock is administered.
What I mean is, you see his name quoted in every story that has anything to do with New Haven.
Who else is the reporter going to call? Sal Brancati doesn't return his phone calls.
You're on the radio with him every week. How is Nemerson as a broadcaster?
Let me put it this way: As a broadcaster, Matthew makes an outstanding pipe-fitter. But I'm hardly one to talk.
Nemerson's active in local Democratic politics. Besides being odd for a chamber president not to be to the right of Attila the Hun, doesn't that look bad?
I agree that it doesn't look great. But I also can't think of where an actual conflict of interest would arise from it.
What other criticisms do you have?
'I have come to praise Caesar, not to bury him.'
Speaking of Caesar, doesn't Nemerson have delusions of running for mayor one day?
I believe that may be accurate. However, I don't see the job opening up anytime soon. Besides, it's hard to see who his natural voter constituency would be in the city. Now, in Woodbridge - that would be another story.
Nemerson can't be a very good guy. I heard Tom Scott describe him on WELI as a 'snob' who had 'his pinky outstretched, nose up in the air.'
Myself, I've never seen that thing with the pinky. Hey - chamber of commerce types do have to suck up to big shots once in a while. It just goes with the territory. But I've never seen him kick a dog or anything. On the other, I did once hear him refer to himself - only half-jokingly, as far as I could tell - as 'a man of stature.'
Why doesn't he just go away?
He asks himself that from time to time. But he's a local boy at heart, still trying to make good in his hometown - I mean, home region. Besides, his mother would kill him if he tried to leave.
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