Report by Paula Antolini
January 17, 2017 1:18PM EDT
OPINION / LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Senator Boucher Letter to the Editor: “… the idea of forcing our smaller, fiscally responsible towns to prop up cities that are succumbing to decades of bad decision-making is unacceptable.”
Dear editor,
During his State of the State speech and at other recent appearances, Governor Malloy has talked about the need to take actions to prevent Connecticut’s largest municipalities from entering into bankruptcy. While I agree that no one wants to see these cities take such drastic actions, I cannot agree with the administration’s approach saying that smaller communities can afford to bail out their larger neighbors. This continues a pattern of disdain and ridicule the Governor seems to have for any group or organization he thinks is doing too well while the state, under the his leadership, continues to struggle.
That is why the new makeup of the General Assembly, and the State Senate in particular, is so important as we craft this year’s budget. Not only is a bipartisan effort necessary, but a true meeting of the minds – Republican and Democrat – is essential to ending the cycle of deficit after deficit that has created so much economic volatility in our state.
One certainty is that any budget we approve will contain spending cuts. At this time, we don’t know exactly what those cuts will be, but the idea of forcing our smaller, fiscally responsible towns to prop up cities that are succumbing to decades of bad decision-making is unacceptable. The problem cannot be solved by simply giving the cities more money.
While putting Connecticut’s fiscal house in order will not be an easy task, we can make the difficult, but necessary decisions that will bring the stability needed to grow businesses and our economy. Republicans finally have a seat at the table and we will make sure that the voices of state taxpayers are finally heard.
State Senator Toni Boucher
Sen. Boucher represents the communities of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, Wilton
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Bethel Advocate.
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