The third annual public forum will examine Governor Ned Lamont’s proposed public policy solutions for Connecticut.
Connecticut has looming budget issues, a governor who needs to find revenue or cut programs, and residents who want economic stability for themselves and their children. People want to know if Connecticut’s new administration will offer the state a new direction, and this year’s summit seeks to answer that question.
— Mark LeClair, PhD, MPA program director and professor of economics
Sales taxes, highway tolls, and the legalization of marijuana use are just a few of the hot-button public policy issues slated for discussion at Fairfield University’s third annual Masters of Public Administration (MPA) Summit on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, at 7 p.m. in the John A. Barone Campus Center Dogwood Room.
This year’s forum, titled “New Administration, New Direction: Taxes, Tolls, Transportation, and Connecticut’s Future” will examine Governor Ned Lamont’s proposed public policy solutions for Connecticut and their potential impact on local communities and individual households.
Moderated by NBC Connecticut political reporter Max Reiss, the summit will feature a community Q&A and in-depth panel discussion with a team of political experts and community leaders including Director of Communications for Ned Lamont, Maribel La Luz, Fairfield Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart, Capitol Strategies Group managing partner and lobbyist Patrick McCabe ’80, Connecticut Post Capitol Hill Reporter Emilie Munson, and GOP strategist and political analyst Liz Kurantowicz of The Drury Group.
“Whenever a new governor is elected, they have the chance to change the direction of public policy,” explained Mark LeClair, PhD, MPA program director and professor of economics. “Connecticut has looming budget issues, a governor who needs to find revenue or cut programs, and residents who want economic stability for themselves and their children. People want to know if Connecticut’s new administration will offer the state a new direction, and this year’s summit seeks to answer that question.”
Fairfield University’s MPA Summit is a yearly public forum that brings together public administration students and members of the community with political analysts, business leaders, economists, and elected officials to participate in a constructive dialogue about important public administration challenges directly affecting the state. Previous summit topics have included Connecticut’s ongoing budget crisis and the economic impact of General Electric’s move to Massachusetts.
This year’s event is free and open to the pubic and co-sponsored by the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, Dolan School of Business, and Department of Politics.
For more information, visit www.fairfield.edu/mpa.
