The Greenwich League of Women Voters held a legislative wrap-up session where the four members of the delegation to Hartford shared their accomplishments and disappointments. All four legislators are running for re-election.
The event, which was held at Burning Tree Country Club, followed a heavy thunderstorm. Outside, steam rose from the asphalt as the skies began to clear, just in time for the well attended event.
The legislators wrap-up at Burning Tree Country Club was moderated by Shelly Cryer, the new volunteer VP of Voter Services for LWV Greenwich, a non-partisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government and is dedicated to increasing public understanding of major policy issues. July 17, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
Intros
State Rep Steve Meskers, (D-150) representing Greenwich’s shoreline, has served for 6 years, listed his committee assignments as Insurance & Real Estate, Energy & Technology, Finance, Revenue & Bonding, and this year became the chair of the Commerce Committee.
“As I go around to our community, all I hear people complaint about is taxes. So, on Commerce, my focus is economic growth north of Fairfield County. My goal is to shift the economic growth and benefit to the state somewhere north of us so that there are taxpayers in the state that help balance out the demands for social services.”
State Rep Rachel Khanna (D-149) said her district was about two-thirds Greenwich, east of Lake Ave and north of the Post Road and into Stamford.
She serves on the Appropriations, Transportation, and Government Administration & Elections Committees.
State Senator Ryan Fazio (R-36) whose district represents all of Greenwich as well as parts of New Canaan and Stamford, said he was the ranking member of the Energy & Technology Committee, the ranking member of the Planning & Development committee, and was a member of both the Finance, Revenue & Bonding and Transportation committees.
State Rep Hector Arzeno (D-151) said his committees were the Education, Environment, and Higher Education & Employment Advancement.
State Rep Hector Arzeno, State Senator Ryan Fazio, State Rep Rachel Khanna and State Rep Steve Meskers at the LWV legislators wrap up. July 17, 2024 Photo Leslie Yager
Accomplishments
“We voted for and passed the largest income tax cut in CT’s history,” Rep Khanna said. “We further protected women’s reproductive rights. We supported stronger gun safety legislation. We got early voting passed, which will be in effect in November – you’ll be able to vote 14 days before the election.”
Also, she noted that the ballot will include a referendum on no-excuse absentee voting.
“We are one of the few states that currently does not have no-excuse absentee voting,” she said. “This would mean that you would be able to vote by absentee ballot without having one of five excuses.”
Khann said in the most recent session, fiscal guardrails were maintained and a stabilization bill used expiring federal Covid relief funds to further higher education, mental health, early childhood education and non-profits.
“That was important to us on the Appropriations committee,” she said.
She noted that in the past year, the Greenwich delegation had been instrumental in bringing tens of millions of dollars of funding back to the district for schools and neighborhoods.
“We got roughly $20 million for the reconstruction of Central Middle School, $6.5 million for the Glenville road safety project and hundreds of thousands of dollars for our non-profits including the Greenwich United way and Greenwich Library and Boy Scouts Camp Seton.”
Ms Khanna said the state’s fiscal health was strong. “We have made significant payments to reduce our pension debt to the tune of $8 billion, which should save us $700 million a year in our general fund, and our rainy day fund is fully funded at $4 billion.”
She said Moody’s and Fitch – two of the big 3 credit rating agencies – upgraded Connecticut’s credit rating.
State Rep Hector Arzeno, State Senator Ryan Fazio, State Rep Rachel Khanna and State Rep Steve Meskers at the LWV legislators wrap up. July 17, 2024 Photo Leslie Yager
State Senator Ryan Fazio said the past year was one of the most positive years for the cause of local control.
“I was proud to author and pass SB333 into law, which the governor signed,” he said. “It will give towns and cities back their rights to make basic decision making related to planning and zoning, and some other development decisions that was taken away from them a year prior, in an omnibus bill without a full vetting.”
Fazio said he was also happy about “minor bi-partisan 8-30g reforms, which make it a little bit easier for towns and cities to get moratoriums.”
“On the Energy Committee, we passed a law that I think will provide reasonable supports for nuclear and for hydro-power, which are zero carbon reliable forms of electricity, and a little cheaper than other forms of renewable clean energy,” Fazio said.
State Rep Arzeno emphasized that the House delegation was proud to secure the high reimbursement for Central Middle school.
Also, he said, “Very important for us in here Greenwich – among the bills that we passed was a one year pause on the state law regarding racial imbalance in schools.”
He said since Greenwich was not in compliance, there was a concern the town might be required to implement busing.
“We worked hard in the Education Committee,” he said. “There will be some analysis on how we measure racial balance in the state.”
He said he was pleased that Greenwich became compliant with the Science of Reading program. He noted that Greenwich had been one of the districts out of compliance after the law was passed.
As for his other committee, Higher Education & Employment Advancement Committee, Arzeno noted that Connecticut’s state colleges, which includes 85,000 students at 12 community colleges and approximately an additional 30,000 at UConn, are important, given about 90-95% of graduates stay in the state, and are a main driver of the workforce.
As for climate legislation successes, he said some of the bills that passed included one that banning PFAS in consumer, safety, agricultural products. Also, an important solar energy bill, an invasive plant bill including 7 new species, standards for spraying herbicides, and a safety bill to allow DEEP to intervene when private dams represent a threat to public safety due of poor conditions.
There was a full house for the LWV’s legislators wrap up on July 17, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
There was a full house for the LWV’s legislators wrap up on July 17, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
State Rep Meskers said he was pleased the delegation secured funding for local non-profits, including $6.5 million for the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich.
“One of the concerns for our delegation has been our vulnerable residents – our youth and our seniors,” he said. “We also got funding for a new roof at Parsonage Cottage which is part of the housing authority – Greenwich Communities.”
Meskers said he hoped to continue to increase state funding for toxic soil remediation.
Also, he said there were numerous buildings and factories that reflect the state’s industrial heritage. With remediation, he said they could be repurposed and returned to the tax rolls.
Also, Meskers said Connecticut’s Marine industry was critical to the economy, and a small harbor fund had been created to fix issues related to dredging in the state’s small harbors.
“Why? Because the commercial activity in those harbors is so important to those communities and for careers in them.”
“We have a 7.35% sales tax on restaurants and a hotel occupancy tax. If I can grow the amount of people who do their tourism in-state, it eases the tax burden on Greenwich,” Meskers said, pointing to Mystic as an example.
Meskers said he received push back on a particular bill he supported concerning the regulation of the State Historic Preservation Office, “SHPO.”
He said the push back was not partisan and that he had Greenwich’s historic Havemeyer building in mind when he cast his vote.
“I went up to Waterbury and we looked at a factory being reconditioned as a Board of Education building,” he recalled. “The (SHPO) requirements were to authentically restore 200 windows at a cost of $3.5 million to wooden windows with single panes – no solar, no thermal, and potentially no insulation.”
“It’s not that we overrule SHPO automatically – some people have painted it that way,” he said. “The goal is to have the Economic Development Office of the state do an economic impact study of the decisions of SHPO. We’re not going to get involved in historical sites that have tremendous value to the public. We are going to look at repurposing something on the order of 1200 mills and factories that are not in commercial use right now.”
Disappointments and Priorities
Senator Fazio said he was concerned about temptations to cheat against the fiscal guardrails that passed on a bi-partisan basis in 2017, bringing the state’s fiscal house closer to order.
“It’s not a 5-alarm fire but it might be next year,” he said.
He said he was also disappointed by the lack of action on improving affordability and access to healthcare and that would be a top priority in future.
He said he would also work to reduce taxes on license workers, who comprise about 25% of the state’s workforce.
“A preschool teacher shouldn’t have to pay $900 for the right to work in Connecticut for a license,” he said, adding that other priorities would include tax reform to lower tax rates on middle class families, and reform of the pension and treasury system.
“We have some of the lowest returns on our pensions and our assets. We manage $56 billion of money compared with a $26 billion budget,” Fazio said. “Those returns, if they were on par with the average state in the country over the last 10 years – we would have $10 billion more in tax revenue and you would have tens of thousands of dollars left in your pocket.”
Rep Arzeno said his main disappointment was the failure of HB 5004, which would have implemented certain climate measures.
Another disappointment was a failed bill that would have given tools and resources for shoreline communities facing sea level rise.
Also, a food waste diversion bill would have reduced the solid waste stream by 22%, but did not pass. Finally, he noted two bills concerning pesticides failed to pass.
Arzeno said if re-elected, he would continue to work to bring the HB 5004 bill back to the floor in the next session.
On a positive note he said he was pleased that the House delegation brought back funding for local non profits including Barbara’s House, Family Centers, Waste Free Greenwich, Greenwich Alliance for Education, Greenwich Library, River House, Camp Seton for bridge repair, and funding to support early childhood education for ALICE families through Greenwich United Way.
He agreed with Mr. Fazio that next year the budget would be a challenge given ARPA funding had been used for recurring costs.
Roadblocks to the American Dream
Meskers said he was disappointed that a study on the “benefits cliff” failed, explaining that the phrase refers to people losing benefits when their income increases as little as a dollar over a state threshold.
He described the benefits cliff as a roadblock to the American Dream, including here in Greenwich.
“We have 30% of our population is an ALICE population. Housing is extraordinarily expensive. Some people are on Section 8 vouchers and some people are in housing authority properties.”
“If you’re looking to incorporate people into the American Dream and incentivize people, I can’t think of anything more horrific than telling people if you work hard and get a promotion, you are going to lose a significant part of your income. I think it’s important when we build a social safety net, whose message is ‘don’t get a promotion, don’t get ahead, or you’ll have a problem,’ is horrible signaling. I’d like to see that brought forward in the next session.”
He added that early childhood education was key to closing the achievement gap but was expensive.
“You’re talking about $11,000 to $20,000 a year,” he said. “How do you expect people at the bottom rungs of the income stream to show up for work – and have two people working – when they can’t afford childcare or their compensation is less than the childcare?”
Meskers agreed that the fiscal guardrails were important to adhere to.
“They constrain our spending. They pay down our debt,” he said. “You need a track record that goes beyond 6 years. You need a track record of 10, 12 or 15 years to convince corporate leadership and relocation specialists that you’re serious.”
“You need a calm and steady improvement of the economic situation,” Meskers said. “We’re on the right path but complacency is the enemy of success.”
Ms Khanna said she was also disappointed by the lack of progress on environmental legislation.
“It’s a shame because we’re a coastal community and we need to really start thinking about how we’re going to address climate change and coastal resiliency,” she said. “But also in other parts of the state that are seeing increased flooding and other effects of climate change.”
She agreed that Senator Fazio’s bill on licensing fees was important in the context of making it easier for businesses and families to call Connecticut home.
Rep Khanna said nursing and social worker “compacts” were another example of a way to grow the pool of employees in fields that are in short supply in Connecticut, making it easier for people in Connecticut to work in participating states and vice versa.
Affordable Housing
LWV moderator Shelly Cryer said most of the questions submitted in advance concerned housing, affordable housing and senior housing.
Mr. Arzeno noted the significance of a WESCOG (Western Connecticut Council of Governments) study that concluded that affordable housing and local zoning were two separate issues.
“For affordable housing, the proposal for the study was, #1 you need town engagement,” he said, adding that could be achieved through the affordable housing trust.
“But we have to do more,” he said, adding that he had visited all the Greenwich Communities properties.
He said Greenwich Communities played a critical role and deserved support.
“Housing is the #1 priority for the Governor in Connecticut,” Arzeno said, adding that access to housing was key to growing the state’s economy.
He explained that when businesses consider opening in or expanding to Connecticut their first questions is about housing. Their second and third concerns are with public schools and tax rates.
“We are short 80,000 houses in Connecticut,” Arzeno said. “If we want to keep growing the economy, we need to do something at the state level.”
Meskers said affordable housing and 8-30g were “on everyone’s lips.
“Local control of zoning is important,” he said. I defend local zoning control. That said, we have seniors, we have workforce – we don’t have a policy or a plan in town. We’ve expanded to some extent by converting in Armstrong Court, all with state funding.”
He said he’d been surprised to learn the housing authority received no budget from the town, and in fact, they pay $500,000 in payment in lieu of taxes for the properties they oversee.
Meskers said the town should, through Planning & Zoning with community involvement, reach an agreement about where to expand the housing footprint.
“I have listened to my community that we want local control and I will continue to vote that way, he said. But, he added, “We have to be able to prepare our own home grown solution over time.”
“The Nancy Reagan, ‘Just say no,’ is not necessarily the smart strategy,” he added.
Rachel Khanna noted that while the House delegation had consistently voted for local control, the shortage of housing needed to be addressed to grow the economy.
“It’s incumbent on us to use the tools at our disposal to figure out a solution. We have the trust fund and Greenwich Communities, and we’re happy to work with them.”
Senator Fazio’s said he believed local control was very much at risk.
“I was proud to co-author a minor reform of 8-30g to give us a little bit better chance to get a moratorium, and I was happy that we did stop any major transit-oriented development push to upzone around transit districts.”
“It’s only going to get harder in the years to come,” he warned. “Currently there is a task force related to ‘Fair Share,'” which he described as ‘8-30g on steroids.’
Fazio said the initial Fair Share bill proposed up-zoning, or forcing towns to pay for the housing themselves.
“That means your property tax going up by tens of thousands of dollars, potentially,” he said.
He added that a Fair Share task force included “some of the most aggressive 8-3og developers in the state” who would help design the Fair Share calculation, and then next year or the year after, the legislature would return to try to pass an enforcement mechanism, resulting in loss of zoning rights and requiring taxpayer subsidization.
“It’s bad enough now, but you’re going to think that 8-3og is a walk in the park if Fair Share passes in the years to come.
“We’re going to have to fight like hell in the next two years,” Fazio said.
Ryan Fazio, Rachel Khanna and Steve Meskers on the dais at Burning Tree Country Club. July 17, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager
Gun Safety
State Rep Meskers urged community involvement when it came to “resolution of conflict with weapons.” He said it was important to get misdirected youth away from guns. “The rest of the equation is federal regulatory reform and registration. We need to tamp down on the illegal ownership.”
“People need to realize that guns are manufactured legally. For the most part they are sold legally. But somehow in the mix of it, they disappear in the chain of ownership and end up on the black market,” he said. “In Chicago (guns) come from Indiana. Here, they come up on ‘the gun trail’ from the south.”
Ms Khanna said Connecticut received an A grade from the Gifford Center on the strength of state gun violence prevention laws, including laws restricting open carry, closing loopholes on ghost guns, limiting handgun purchases to 3 in 30 days, provisions on safe storage and trigger laws, expanding the assault weapon ban, and creating penalties for failing to report lost or stolen guns.
Fazio said this past year HB 5467 to strengthen universal background checks was an important policy mechanism for keeping illegal guns off the street.
Fazio said one report found that 75% of all gun arrests in Connecticut were either dropped or dismissed, and emphasized the importance of proactive policing in addition to strong gun laws.
Fazio said proactive policing in the form of consent searches was critical.
“I think bringing that practice back will take hundreds of illegal guns off the street in the future.”
Rep Arzeno said in addition to the trail of guns coming up from the south illegally to Connecticut, ghost guns presented a particular challenge.
Thank you to the LWV Greenwich for organizing the event. A recording of the entire LWV legislative session is available online. Thank you, Don Conway of GCTV.