Good morning and welcome back to the Tip Sheet, a weekly newsletter from Tom Dudchik’s Capitol Report written by Mike Cerulli.

This week, we’re taking a look at one of the biggest stories in the state: the fight to keep professional basketball in Connecticut.

Plus, there’s new leadership atop two Connecticut youth political groups. We’ll introduce you to them.

Before we dive in…

Happy parade day!

This morning, one of the great Connecticut traditions will step off in Newtown.

The Newtown Labor Day parade is set to get underway at 10 o’clock, with a slew of politicians scheduled to make their way through the picturesque town.

The Teamsters Local 1150 will march in the first division – reminding parade goers that this holiday weekend represents more than just the end of summer.

The theme of this year’s parade is “Pets on Parade.”

Will any pols bring their furry friends?

We’ll see.

Will the governor use one of parade as a backdrop to finally tell the world of his plans for next year’s election?

Again, we’ll see. All efforts to get a definitive answer have failed so far.

C’mon, Guv. Throw us a bone.

“The Sun and the wind”

Rob Blanchard is no stranger to the Newtown Labor Day parade.

He marched in it last year but not in his usual role as a press aide for one of the bigwigs waving signs and flags as they stroll down Main Street. Blanchard was one of the wavers himself last year when he marched as a candidate for the State Senate district that includes Newtown.

This year, Blanchard is back among the ranks of the staffers serving as Chief Ned-splainer.

Last week, the governor’s well-coiffed comms man spun one of signature one-liners to describe the current state of the headlines.

“The Sun and the wind,” Blanchard told the Hearst columnist Dan Haar in a tongue-in-cheek piece that makes for a great holiday read.

“The wind” refers to the ongoing dilemma imposed on Connecticut by the Trump administration. The feds halted work on a massive offshore wind project that was slated to come online next year. No one, including the governor, is entirely certain as to the specifics of the stop work order. The Interior Department, led by Lamont’s pal Doug Burgum, cited concerns about national security and the navigability of the waters not too far from the East Coast home of the nation’s submarine force. Lamont countered that those matters had all been thoroughly examined as part of the years long approval process for the project.

“The Sun” refers to the WNBA franchise that has been engulfed in months long drama that could see the team sold by its current owner, the Mohegan Tribe, and relocated out of the Nutmeg State.

Lamont has been publicly supportive of a bid reportedly backed by the billionaire investor Marc Lasry to keep the team in Connecticut, with their home games being played largely at the arena in Hartford. According to ESPN, the viability of that bid was called into serious doubt when the league communicated that it would not approve a move of the Sun from its current home at Mohegan Sun to the newly-renamed PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford.

That report appears to have touched off something of a PR push by Connecticut politicians excoriating the league.

Sean Scanlon, the state comptroller, was the first to take a public shot at the league.

“The WNBA is trying to take our team away,” Scanlon said in a social media video that has been viewed more than 30,000 times.

Arunan Arulampalam, the mayor of Hartford, waded into the frey on Friday with a press conference in front of the capital city’s arena urging fans to put pressure on the league.

“Half the WNBA cut their teeth on the hardwood right behind me — playing either for or against the most storied basketball team in all of women’s basketball: the UConn Huskies,” Arulampalam said. “This is how the league shows their appreciation for that history? By saying to Connecticut, ‘You don’t get to have a team any more’?”

The pressure campaign on the WNBA looks to be in its early stages. Behind the scenes, a squad of state officials have been working their contact lists to gin up support among business leaders and anyone else who might be able to exercise a degree of influence over the fight for the Sun’s future. Governor Lamont and his economic development commissioner, Dan O’Keefe, are involved in the effort.

Publicly, the governor has refrained from taking direct shots at the league.

“I’d slow down on the criticisms,” Lamont told NBC Connecticut political reporter Mike Savino on Friday. “We’re having constructive conversations. It’s an uphill climb for the state, but we’re in the game.”

“We’re still in the game. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down by a few points.”

Rosario and Burland take the reins

Change is afoot at two key Connecticut youth political groups.

The College Democrats of Connecticut recently elected Ryan Rosario, a UConn student, as their leader. Rosario is a former intern for Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz and did a stint on Nick Simmons's State Senate campaign. He’s a Meriden native and his ascendence to the top role marks the first time a UConn student has led the organization in five years.

New leadership has also been chosen for the Connecticut Young Republicans. Patrick Burland, a Woodbridge native and George Washington University alum, is the group’s new chairman.

Burland works on the digital comms team at the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative environmental group. Take a look at their social media accounts if you want to see what the vanguard of the conservative effort to reclaim cultural aesthetics looks like.

Burland’s leadership team includes Republican up-and-comers like Eddie Aledia, Ryan Fazio’s right hand, and Hamden mayoral candidate Jonathan Katz.

Youth organizing is a famously difficult and elusive task, especially in races where candidates might not be well versed in the language of the younger generations.

Heading into an election year, leaders like Rosario and Burland could prove to be important allies for all those on the ballot – so long as they have the good sense to engage with them.

We’ll be back next week with another edition of the Tip Sheet!