|
|
By late September, the panel will submit it’s recommendations to the governor, Adam Liegeot, spokesperson for the governor’s office, said. The panel will submit a list of three-to-five candidates to the governor, he said.
The success of meeting the challenges, which are in the organization and in the environment, are dependent on the person’s managerial skills, Phillips said.
"I think the challenge is always appropriate delegation and setting realistic, yet aggressive, management criteria," Phillips said. "You’ll want someone who is an excellent manager of others."
The commissioner will be taking the helm of a 900-person agency, which has many responsibilities that include permitting, compliance, natural resources and park management. The human resources of the agency, he said, must be capitalized for the person to be successful.
Phillips said the new commissioner will have to make sure the agency is efficient in achieving its objectives. The new commissioner, Phillips said, needs to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental healthiness.
"I see all that as a challenge to anyone," he said.
He said the commissioner will also be working with a governor who will be up for reelection in two years rather than four. Although the new commissioner could continue to work in a new administration, he or she would still face the possibility of a shorter tenure, Phillips said.
"The sophisticated applicants will recognize that they are appointed by the governor and know that is something that will be reviewed again if the is a change in governor and when the election takes place," Phillips said.
He said effective managerial skills would be needed to deal with an agency that has recently had high turnover. The new commissioner, he said, must be able to inspire and motivate people.
The advertisement for the new commissioner, which is posted nationally, says the preferred candidate should have a minimum of 15 years of work experience in an environmental field, ideally with environmental regulatory experience. The advertisement also asks for candidates who’ve had managerial and budgetary responsibilities.
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university can substitute for four years of work experience while a master’s degree can substitute for an additional two years.
Phillips said choosing one candidate out of the many talented people inside and outside of the agency is challenging. He said he meets that challenge by stepping back and considering the best interest of the state. He said he’s always pleased to be invited to serve in some type of capacity.
Phillips is chairman of the Environmental Practice Group at Robinson & Cole LLP. He is also a member of the law firm’s Coastal Resource Management Center. The firm, with offices in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts and New York, has 215 lawyers based in 20 states and Washington, D.C. that serve industrial and institutional clients.
He has counseled clients on the investigation, remediation and conversion of industrial sites, toxic tort claims and a Brownfields coastal peninsula. Phillips, who has practiced environmental law for more than 23 years, has a Jurist Doctorate from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Wesleyan University.
Phillips has taught courses about environmental, water and land use law at Wesleyan, the University of Connecticut and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. He also is a member of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Policy, which reviews and comments on state agencies’ construction projects, investigates citizen complaints and keeps people informed about the state’s environmental program.
He said his greatest enjoyment comes from working with a diverse group of people in the firm’s environmental groups
"That just gives me a good feeling every day," Phillips said.
To contact Josh Mrozinski, call (860) 347-3331, ext. 222.
