Kretschmann: Be Wary of Republican Fearmongering about a “Super Majority”

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Submitted by Paul Kretschmann, Greenwich 

Greenwich Republican chair Jerry Cincotta has been editorializing about protecting our town against a Democratic “Super Majority” in Hartford.  Republican operatives are trying to scare us into voting for their candidates by arguing that Democrats in the state legislature will have a Super Majority and pass every piece of progressive legislation despite even a veto from moderate Governor Lamont.

This is nonsense on several fronts:

  1. There are multiple tools available to the minority party for stopping bills,
    including the introduction of killer amendments or a filibuster. Democrats already hold a supermajority in the state senate and Republican senators have used these tactics frequently and successfully.
  2. Not all Democrats vote together – some are progressive, some are moderate and some lean conservative. Khanna, Arzeno and Meskers, the Democrats representing this town are “Blue Dogs,” members of the moderate caucus, which often puts them at odds with the more progressive wing of their party, as we saw when they voted to reject the “Fair Share” housing bill, a proposal to take away local zoning control.
  3. It’s better to have a seat at the majority table.  When it comes to advocating for our local needs, you can be a lot more effective when you have a seat at the table with the majority party. The Democratic assembly delegation has been more successful in bringing tax dollars back to Greenwich and Stamford than any prior Republican delegation.

Our current Democratic State Representatives have delivered the largest income tax cuts, protected local zoning control, supported our educators, returned large amounts of funds for rebuilding our crumbling schools and for our prized nonprofits. They also got the green light and money for important and long-needed community-improvement projects such as the Roxbury Elementary School and the Glenville corridor traffic safety project.

Please vote for the strong record of our current State Representatives Hector Arzeno, Rachel Khanna and Steve Meskers and vote to elect State Senate candidate Nick Simmons. They aren’t resting on their successes.  There’s more good work to be done.

Let’s vote for the POSITIVE RECORD of our local legislators.  Let’s not fall for the FEAR TACTICS.

Paul Kretschmann, Greenwich