Submitted by Christina Downey, Chair, Greenwich Democratic Town Committee
For the first time in history, Greenwich has a unified, all Democratic State House delegation with an influential seat at the table in Hartford. Representatives Rachel Khanna (D-149), Steve Meskers (D-150), and Hector Arzeno (D-151) brought home the bacon in the form of state and federal dollars to our town — over $25 million in the past two years. This means that projects can proceed that had been previously stalled: the Glenville Corridor Traffic Improvement Project, repairs to elevators at Greenwich Library, a new roof at Parsonage Cottage, and childcare for our neediest families with the United Way. The list goes on…
The most remarkable achievement? Through their efforts with the Education Committee (Rep Arzeno is a member), the House delegation secured an unexpected 20 percent reimbursement rate for the new Central Middle School (CMS) construction, allowing the project to move forward in 2024. They took on this Herculean task after BET Republicans slow-tracked CMS funding and delayed the grant application past the regular June 30th deadline. Nevertheless, our House delegation picked up that dropped ball and ran it into the end zone.
With their strength as members of the majority party in Hartford, our state representatives have influenced bill language to protect the interests of Greenwich residents. This session, they worked closely with our town Planning and Zoning Commission to add language to a housing bill to the satisfaction of our P&Z chair and ensured local authority remains intact.
The contrast is striking. While our state house Democrats are securing dollars, our Republican state senator is voting no on $750K in federal ARPA funding for our local organizations and projects. And BET Republicans recently rejected a $400K in Safe Streets for All grant that would help address pedestrian safety.
We are very fortunate to have an effective team of Democratic state representatives looking out for our safety, our seniors, our students and our wallets. We cannot thank them enough for their never ending efforts for Greenwich. Happy end of session!
Christina Downey, Chair, Greenwich Democratic Town Committee