CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont has named five members to serve on the state’s newly established Social Equity Council.
Lawmakers made the council a prerequisite for adult recreational marijuana use, which the governor signed into law last month.
The council’s role will be to qualify the social equity applicants whom the new law prioritizes for cannabis business licenses, develop programs in communities most harmed by the old cannabis laws, and propose a budget for spending the new revenues in those communities.
The council will consist of 15 members, several of whom are appointed by legislative leaders and the chairperson of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. When selecting members, the law requires each of the appointing authorities to choose those based on qualifications specifically designated for each of the appointments.
Lamont’s appointments — and their statutorily defined qualifications — are:
Joseph Williams, “an individual with a professional background of at least five years working in economic development,” is a business advisor and international trade specialist for the Connecticut Small Business Development Center in the School of Business at the University of Connecticut. Williams continues to own and operate a small business in Connecticut called DST Construction, which undertakes residential redevelopment projects throughout the state.
Kelli Vallieres, “an executive branch official focused on workforce development,” is the executive director of the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategies. Prior to joining state government, she worked for more than 20 years as the CEO of two manufacturing companies in Connecticut, has a PhD in adult experiential learning, and serves on the boards of several workforce-focused organizations across the state.
The ex-officio members from the administration will include interim Deputy Consumer Protection Commissioner Andrea Comer, Economic & Community Development Commissioner David Lehman, and Secretary of the Office of Policy & Management Melissa McCaw. The ex-officio members have the option of designating someone for the responsibilities.
Lamont still has two more appointments to make. He is also expected to select a chairperson from among the council’s members, as required under the statute.
The law forbids any member of the Social Equity Council from profiting in any way from sales or purchases of cannabis. Specifically, they may not have “any management or financial interest in the cultivation, manufacture, sale, transportation, delivery, or testing of cannabis in Connecticut.”
“The carefully selected and well-qualified Social Equity Council will play an important role as Connecticut’s cannabis marketplace transitions from one that has been dangerous and unregulated, to one that will support a new equitable sector of our economy,” Lamont said. “In the coming years, it will play a crucial role in reinvesting broadly into the most impacted communities.”
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