Stonington Resident Named Executive Director of CT21

From The Connecticut Institute for the 21st Century:

The Connecticut Institute for the 21st Century(CT21), founded in 1999 to recommend non-partisan, data-driven policy solutions to government leaders, has named Scott Bates of Stonington as its new executive director.

Bates, a Connecticut native, has served in a number of important positions in state and federal government including; Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia under Governor Douglas Wilder and as Senior Adviser to the U.S. House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Bates recently served as President of The Center for National Policy in Washington, D.C. In March, he was appointed to the recently constituted Connecticut Port Authority and elected as its chairman. Shelly Saczynski, who has served in a leading advisory capacity since CT21’s inception, will continue to work with the organization.

“CT21 has produced volumes of good work and important proposals that can save Connecticut taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars if implemented and improve government efficiency at the state and local level. I look forward to working with the Steering Committee and the membership of the group to continue that work during this very challenging period of time,” Bates said. “While the state faces many fiscal challenges, it is also true that those challenges present us with an excellent opportunity to make some fundamental changes to government policies that can have a long term positive for everyone.”

CT21’s most recent policy report documents the potential cost savings to the state through the continued transition away from institutional settings for long term care and toward home based care options. It is estimated continuation of the policy could save the state as much as $650 million over the next twenty years. The Steering Committee of CT21 plays an important role in determining which issues the Institute considers on an annual basis.

The selection of Bates as Executive Director coincides with a re-design of the CT21 website: www.ct21.org. The site now focuses daily attention on the Connecticut policy debate with news summaries and original articles from CT21 members and other public policy experts. “The re-design of the CT21 website is an important first step in raising the profile of our organization by expanding our role in the daily conversation about government policy.”

Bates is a native of Stonington where he lives with his wife and son. He has served as a Police Commissioner and in other local government roles.

About CT21

The Connecticut Institute for the 21st Century is a non-partisan non-profit organization of businesses and civic groups dedicated to identifying effective and efficient ways for state and local government to deliver services while reducing cost to the taxpayer and making Connecticut’s economy strong.

We do this by researching best practices, publishing reports, and educating policymakers and the public on key spending and policy issues including transportation, public pensions, smart growth and social service spending. Our website serves as a clearinghouse and meeting place to share best practices and engage in on-going public policy debate.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization incorporated under the State of Connecticut’s non-stock corporation law. We are governed by a board of directors representing state, regional, municipal, membership, and private sector entities.