The New London Day reports on a troubling story about a moving company trying to expand into Connecticut. The company failed to prove “public need” for the service. In most industries, an entrepreneur’s willingness to invest is all the evidence that’s needed. In any case, who care’s if there is no public need. It’s not our money on the line.

From the Day:

If Connecticut is open for business, Bob Romano wants to know who turned out the lights.

Romano, owner of Warwick, R.I.-based Coutu Brothers Movers, applied several months ago to expand his current three-truck moving operation into North Stonington. By his estimation, Romano spent more than $6,000 doing everything the state Department of Transportation told him to do: leasing a convenient location on Norwich-Westerly Road, paying his business-entity fee and even making repairs to the office space he intended to occupy.

Then, last week, a DOT hearing officer issued what Romano saw as a stunning denial of his application, saying the business owner had not proved there was a need for his services and noting that two other moving companies in the region had claimed new competition would hurt their businesses.

“You’d think they’d be looking for new businesses,” Romano said. “How can they not welcome a new business in this climate?”

Read the whole story here.