Senator McDonald lauds expansion of NBC Universal in Stamford

Capitol Watch reports the decision to expand in Stamford:

“Today’s announcement about NBC Universal’s decision to vastly expand its Connecticut operations in Stamford is an exciting opportunity for my community,” McDonald said. “It represents a rebirth for the Rich Forum, and I stand ready to work with NBC Universal, both here and in Hartford, to bring these hundreds of jobs to Connecticut.”

The Stamford Advocate reports:

The arts center, which also owns the Palace Theater at 61 Atlantic St., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last summer in state Superior Court in Bridgeport after experiencing financial distress for several years as state funding dwindled from $2.5 million to $500,000. …

NBC’s plans are “heaven sent” for the arts center, especially since the state plans to reduce next year’s SCA funding to $250,000 and then offer nothing the year after that, said Michael Freimuth, Stamford’s director of economic development.

“From that perspective, it will help them close what is projected to be a huge gap in state funding,” he said.

Here’s a bit of color for the story: Jodi Rell, who supported the cuts in State funding that put the Rich Forum under water, arranged to be in Southport today. She snuck down to Stamford on about an hours’ notice, in an effort to take sole credit for this. NBC wasn’t even there.

Why pull this clever little stunt? Same reason she appointed Stamford Mike Fedele (who is a nice enough guy, but way, way down the list of Republicans who would be considered qualified for his office, never mind successor to hers) as Lieutenant Governor:

NBC’s pending arrival is an exciting development for the city, said Mayor Dannel Malloy.

“The city has always made an effort to encourage and support the arts, and this deal is testament to the value we place on such projects in Stamford,” he said.

Advocate Political Reporter Brian Lockhart nails it on his most-readable blog Political Capitol:

If Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell were any stealthier about this afternoon’s visit to Stamford, she would have been dressed in black, her face smudged with black paint, with night vision goggles over her eyes and a cyanide pill under her tongue in case she was captured by the enemy.