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Turning the Tables
Area CEO offers Rowland a fiscal challenge — and gets one back in return
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Business New Haven
4/15/2002
By: BNH
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HARTFORD - United Aluminum Corp. President John S. Lapides thought he was simply being a good corporate citizen when he attended the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA)'s annual “meet the legislators” day April 10 at the Capitol.
Instead, he got a new job.
Lapides was in Hartford to bend the ear of state lawmakers and Gov. John G. Rowland about rising state spending, escalating costs of doing business and the evaporation of manufacturing jobs to lower-cost states.
In return, he received an earful from Rowland, who challenged Lapides to persuade one or more members of New Haven's solidly Democratic legislative delegation to vote to oppose tax hikes.
“Your job, John: One legislator from New Haven has to vote the right way,” Rowland told Lapides as quoted in the Hartford Courant. “Just one.”
Rowland said he would come to United Aluminum's North Haven headquarters to buy Lapides lunch if he could persuade even one local lawmaker to take the plunge for austerity.
That may be easier said than done.
Nevertheless, Lapides accepted the challenge. “You've got a deal, Governor,” he told Rowland.
Lapides says he plans to invite members of the local legislative session to meet with him, “sooner rather than later,” to try to persuade them that in times of tight budgets, state government ought to tighten its fiscal belt - just as private companies such as UA must when cash is scarce.
“I'm excited by the opportunity to tell the story of the importance of manufacturing in creating high-skill, high-paying jobs - which improves the lives of people in our community,” Lapides says.
But will he buy the lawmakers lunch as part of his persuasion agenda?
“Probably breakfast,” says Lapides.
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