Lamont’s Lament to UTC: From Watching Like a Hawk to Don’t Forget Connecticut.

Governor Ned Lamont seemed unprepared this weekend for the news that UTC will merge with Raytheon and move its corporate headquarters to the Boston area. Lamont said Sunday, “I’ve spoken directly with Greg Hayes and made it clear that Connecticut will always be open should things change, as they often do.” Indeed they do.

Here’s Lamont in a WNPR.org November report when UTC announced its Carrier and Otis Elevator would each become a separate company:

“Governor-elect Ned Lamont told reporters Tuesday he’ll be watching the company’s future moves ‘like a hawk,’ although he admitted there are no guarantees about the future location of the standalone businesses.

“‘I want Carrier here, I want Otis here – I surely want UTC here. And I’m going to make darn sure they know they’ve got a governor that, the door’s open. We’ll do everything we can to make sure this is a place they can call home.'”

The UTC move is a reminder that Connecticut’s anemic job creation numbers are unlikely to improve under current conditions. The jarring move of UTC’s corporate headquarters provides an early and dramatic challenge to Lamont’s recently completed economic development team. A meaningful statement from them on Monday ought to provide some direction on the way forward for Connecticut economic policy.