Letter: Forum on Tolls is Decidedly Republican, Conflicts with RTM Meeting

Letter to the editor from Monica Prihoda, RTM Old Greenwich District 6

To the Editor:

Thank you for alerting Greenwich residents of the forum discussion on tolls being held by two of three of our State Representatives, Mr. Camillo and Ms. Floren and Republican legislators they have invited to present.

Thank you also for publishing the letter concerning tolls from Mrs. Gina Gladstein.

Disappointingly, the forum is decidedly Republican, not bipartisan and is scheduled on the same night as the monthly nonpartisan full member RTM meeting.

The RTM calendar is set forth at the beginning of each RTM term in September so residents are informed well in advance so they may attend.  This in effect precludes me, my fellow District 6 member and State Representative Stephen Meskers and other RTM members who may wish to attend.

It is also disappointing that Rep. Meskers was not invited to participate in the presentation particularly in light of the public commitment to “work across the aisle” with the new Representative at a bipartisan public meeting held shortly after the election.

So, because I cannot attend, I have several questions for Rep. Camillo and Rep. Floren:

  1. Do you believe it is better to add a bigger debt burden on the State balance sheet by borrowing $750 million annually in general obligation bonds which translates to $7.5 billion in debt over 10 years and morphs in 30 years to about $22 billion in debt?
  2. How will this debt be repaid?  By all taxpayers – like me?  Who and how else?

It seems to me paying a toll for the use of roads and maintaining them and charging out of state users seems way less expensive to me personally as a taxpayer and less detrimental to the fiscal health of our great State of Connecticut.

Respectfully yours,
Monica Prihoda, RTM Old Greenwich District 6