Candelora, Republicans Host Small Business Forum

[caption id="attachment_667" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="House Republicans listen to business leaders at a small business forum. Rep. Candelora is pictured in the back right."][/caption]  

Candelora, Republicans Host Small Business Forum Forum Explores Solutions to Job Creation and Job Retention

State Representative Vincent J. Candelora who represents East Haven, North Branford and Wallingford in the General Assembly, joined representatives from more than 50 Connecticut small businesses at the state capital today in a forum hosted by legislative Republicans. Candelora and his colleagues organized the forum ahead of an Oct. 26th special “Jobs” legislative session called by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to hear straight from small businesses what their state government can do in order to help them grow. “The majority of businesses in Connecticut have less than nine employees, making small business owners a driving force in for the state economy. This forum is meant to focus on improving a state business climate that ranks among the nation’s worst,” said Candelora The forum explored solutions to Connecticut’s stagnant employment numbers. The Connecticut unemployment rate continues to linger around a stubborn 9 percent. “I am a small business owner myself, and most of the ideas shared at the forum today were rooted the same philosophy I’ve been talking about for years: government should be a partner, not an adversary to the people who create private sector jobs,” said Candelora. Nearly every business representative who spoke described their bad experiences in trying to navigate the seemingly endless, cumbersome and costly state regulations spread across several agencies. High energy prices, fees, increasingly higher taxes, confusing state regulations and a lack of cooperation with government agencies were reoccurring themes amongst struggling small businesses who spoke at the forum. Legislative Republicans are hopeful the testimonies of these small business leaders will shed light on how lawmakers should approach Connecticut’s employment woes. Legislative leaders from both parties along with the Governor’s office are working together to formulate bi-partisan legislative solutions for the special “Jobs” session later this month. “I’m encouraged to see everyone at the state capitol really working together to find bi-partisan solutions to job creation in our state. I’m hopeful this special session will be a positive first step for Connecticut,” said Candelora.