NWRA Board Writes to Connecticut Governor

The National Windshield Repair Association in response to Connecticut’s Automotive Glass Work and Flat Glass Work Examining Board recent activities in relation to windshield repair sent the following letter to the Governor, John T. Rowland, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and Commissioner of Consumer Protection Edwin R. Rodriguez outlining the association’s concerns.

April 6, 2004

Governor John T. Rowland
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford CT 06106

Dear Sir,

The National Windshield Repair Association is the trade organization that represents the windshield repair industry. We have been involved with the State of Connecticut Automotive Glass Work and Flat Glass Work Examining Board as it has attempted to develop a recommendation for windshield repair licensing requirements. The Board as currently constituted cannot reach a fair or impartial recommendation.

Accordingly, we respectfully request the removal of three Board members; Mr. Muller, Mr. Steben and Mr. Wisniewski, who are also members of the auto glass subcommittee. They have engaged in closed sub- committee meetings without notice and without invitation to another sub-committee member, Mr. Glen Moses, whom they had reason to believe would not agree with their position. The sub-committee then represented its recommendation to the Board as unanimous. Mr. Moses is the only member of the sub-committee whose company is deeply in involved in windshield repair and the only member excluded from the sub-committee meetings.

Mr. Muller, Mr. Steben and Mr. Wisniewski represent a directly competing industry, the auto glass replacement industry. There is a clear conflict of interest in allowing them to set recommendations, which if implemented, would limit windshield repairers' ability to remain in business. We are concerned that; Mr. Muller, Mr. Steben and Mr. Wisniewski are attempting to use the regulatory process to create competitive advantage for the auto glass replacement industry by restricting Connecticut's citizens opportunity to choose the safer, less costly windshield repair over more costly auto glass replacement.

We further propose 1.) The immediate appointment of qualified windshield repair representatives to the Board and its auto glass sub committee 2. ) All deliberations regarding windshield repair be held in abeyance until such time as representatives of the industry are in place. The windshield repairers of Connecticut and the national windshield repair industry are confident that the current Board cannot develop a recommendation that is in the interests of either the citizens of Connecticut or its windshield repair industry.

Connecticut's repairers are concerned that they will be regulated out of business unless significant changes in the composition and operation of the State of Connecticut Automotive Glass Work and Flat Glass Work Examining Board are instituted. We, the directors of the National Windshield Repair Association, respectfully request your immediate action on the above matters.

Sincerely,

NWRA Board of Directors

Paul Syfko- Glass Medic America, Dave Taylor- Cindy Rowe Auto Glass, Mike Boyle- Glass Weld Systems, Jackie Newman- Mobil Glas 2000 APS, Paul Gross- Harmon Solutions Group, Bill Penrod- U.S. Windshield Repair, Troy Mason- Techna-Glass, Dee Berge-Morse- Dee's Windshield Repair, Keith Surdich- Poly-Lite W/S Supplies, Thom Inman- Harmon Solutions Group, Walt Gorman- A-1 Windshield Doctor, Dave Casey- SuperGlass Windshield Repair

CC: Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal
Commissioner James T. Fleming