Thursday’s League of Women Voters Greenwich legislative wrap-up was sold out, with 120 guests attending the event at Burning Tree Country Club.
The League of Women Voters Greenwich legislative panel was moderated by the LWV’s Shelly Cryer pictured with co-VP of Voter Services, Cathy Steel. July 31, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
The July 31 legislative wrap-up included State Senator Ryan Fazio (R-36), State Representatives Tina Courpas (R-149), Steve Meskers (D-150), and Hector Arzeno (D-151). Photo: Leslie Yager
Local Control and State Housing Legislation
Rep Courpas, who is half way through her first term and is a member of the Housing Committee, talked about advocating against a ‘tsunami’ of housing bills that would erode local control, including HB5002, the bill that Governor Lamont vetoed “for the moment.”
Meskers said he also voted against that housing bill and described it as ‘overreach.’
“I continue to support local control. I was born in the Bronx. I lived in Brooklyn before I came here. I chose to leave both of those locations to come to Greenwich,” he said. “I’m not looking to bring them with me.”
Rep Arzeno, who also voted against HB 5002, said a final version of the bill was in the works.
He emphasized the importance of towns creating serious plans for affordable housing.
“This is something that in many towns remains to be seen,” he said.
Fazio said the first version of housing bill was horrible.
“I am concerned about what will ultimately come in the special session. My baseline anticipation is we’ll get something that is 20% or 30% less bad than what was passed and vetoed.”
He said there were mechanisms and policies to increase housing including making it easier to create ADUs and convert commercial mixed use to residential in main street and downtown locations.
“We want to come to the table and negotiate. I think it’s one of the easiest issues to find a grand bargain on,” he said.
Connecticut: Business Friendly?
The moderator cited a 2025 CNBC study that ranked Connecticut 35th nationally in terms of business friendliness and asked the panelists to comment.
Senator Fazio said although Connecticut has a highly educated workforce and is a desirable place to live, policies needed to change.
“In study after study, the cost of doing business – the cost of living, the taxes, the electric rates – are so high that it’s actually driving people out of the state,” Fazio said.
“We need to reverse those policies, reduce public benefits charges, protect budgetary and fiscal guardrails that limit spending and debt, and cut taxes on middle class families so we don’t have the third highest taxes in the country, according to the Tax Foundation,” he added.
Rep Courpas said she had proposed legislation to lower professional fees. For example the $565 annual fee for a CPA was six times higher than other states in New England, where the next highest fee was under $100.
Her opinion was that the general assembly was disconnected from how the market works.
“We have a shortage, purportedly, of affordable housing in Connecticut, and yet we keep piling onerous demands on landlords, which is the last thing we need to do if we want to incentivize them to come in the state and provide housing.”
Courpas said a law passed preventing landlords from using pricing algorithms in setting rents.
“We were judge, jury, witnesses, plaintiffs – all of it in the general assembly. We unilaterally decided there was monopoly pricing going on and landlords could no longer use algorithms.”
Rep Meskers said the state has tremendous geographic advantages in its proximity to NY, strength in its military-industrial complex with a well anchored defense industry, and a good educational system.
As for the pension liabilities that accumulated over 70 years, he said those continue to be paid down.
“This year I expect we’ll pay down an additional $500-700 million on top the typical amortization pay down, which is scheduled over the next 10-15 years,” Meskers said. “We’re getting somewhere in adjusting the balance sheet in the same way.”
On spending, Meskers said there was an ongoing partisan “tug of war.”
He said he supported spending on things like tourism and the infrastructure for tourism to attract people to the state.
“With an aging population in the US in general, it’s a time of life where people begin to spend more money they’ve accumulated over the course of their life and they do it on vacations.”
Rep Arzeno said, “The glass is 3/4 full and not 1/4 empty. That’s how I perceive things.”
Arzeno said Connecticut’s GDP grew 2.6% in 2024, driven by gains and retail, finance and real estate, with near full employment.
He cited the State Comptroller, saying that as of May 2025 the state’s labor force reached a record of 1.96 million, fully recovering from pandemic era losses and surpassing even pre-Covid levels, according to the
He cited four consecutive years of net immigration, welcoming approximately 52,220 residents from FY 2021 to FY 2024, and reversing previous population losses.
Arzeno, who has a 40-year finance background, shared the ratings agencies grades, which he said reflected confidence in Governor Lamont’s leadership.
“Connecticut Bonds Ratings are Investment Grade and that means lower risk of default,” he said.
Fitch Ratings: April 2025 assigned AA to CT’s $1.95 billion general obligation bonds, with a Positive Outlook.
S&P Global, mid-2025 elevated the state’s general obligation rating from A+ (positive) to AA Stable.
Arzeno said the manufacturing sector grew from 10% to 12.6% of state GDP between 2022 and 2025, generating an additional $2 billion in revenue.
‘Don’t Ban Library Books Act’
In June the ‘Don’t Ban Library Books Act,’ passed when the governor signed the budget bill, which contained the library-related legislation.
It was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Senator Ceci Maher (D-Wilton).
Senator Duff said the bill was intended to combat rising censorship and protect librarians.
PEN America documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, which they described as a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.
According to CT News Junkie, “Groups like Moms for Liberty, a well-funded organization with chapters in Hartford and Fairfield counties, have led campaigns to challenge books with LGBTQ+ characters or themes addressing race.”
Rep Arzeno said librarians were the experts, and do a tremendous job curating age appropriate books in public schools and public libraries.
Meskers said the topic of book banning was part of ongoing culture wars, and the freedom to access books and the curation of book offerings should be done by professionals.
“The level of discourse and the level of tolerance in this country is dropping,” he said.
“We need to keep those fountains of knowledge open for all people, for people who don’t think like we think and don’t have our life experiences, so they have resources and knowledge to grow and mature,” he said to a round of applause.
Rep Courpas said, “On the issue of book banning, the closer the decision is to the people, the better. To get get a mandate from Hartford on what constitutes a book to be banned, or what doesn’t, to me is disconnected from democracy and the people most affected.”
“Parents should be involved, PTAs should be involved. Teachers should be involved. Experts should be involved.”
Fazio said no one was banning books, but rather there is a normal discussion that a culture and society have over what type of material is appropriate for what age and what setting.
“These are normal things a society and a community grapples with, and having parents and local officials able to intercede and made decisions is normal stuff,” he added.
He said the law was a solution in search of a problem.
Accomplishments
Meskers who co-chairs the Commerce Committee, said the Transfer Act reforms the transfer of toxic properties.
“It establishes how we will sell and redevelop properties throughout the state. It’s the singular most important piece of legislation for economic development we’ve passed in the past 10 years.”
Also, bonding was raised for brownfield remediation, which is the of toxic cleanup of former industrial sites. Meskers said that was important for commerce and the town of Greenwich.
“It’s our impetus and engine for economic development and growth,” he said.
Meskers, whose district runs along the town’s coast, talked about his ongoing effort to bring further economic development along the state’s shoreline, especially in Mystic, comparing its tourist potential to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
He said when most of the impact of federal budget cuts anticipated to have a local impact in a year, post mid-term elections, it was important to move forward on investments including early childhood education which provides the basis for people to go back to work.
“Growing the state is going to be where my focus is, and creating opportunity, so that we lift all boats in the state. That rising level of inequality is going to be most fixed by more opportunity and by the state taking a more proactive role in economic development.
Rep Arzeno said he since 2025 was a busy year because it was a budget year.
A member of the Education Committee, he said the state’s recent budget, having passed along partisan lines, with no Republican support, features “the greatest investment in children in the state’s history.”
He said the budget improves access to quality healthcare and community non-profit providers, and establishes a new trust to provide sustainable funding for new childcare programs.
Also, he said the budget includes $30 million annually for the new Special Education Expansion Development Grant to districts, $221 million in annual reimbursement for special education costs, and $10 million in competitive grants for more in-district programming.
He was also proud as a member of the Environment Committee that there were several “wins” for the environment for the first time in 3 years, including bills for renewable energy solutions, incentives for solar canopies and heat pumps, providing tools to towns to address flooding and climate change.
“We are banning the use of neonic (pesticides),” he added.
Rep Courpas said she was proud of her work as ranking minority member of the Education Committee and the Special Education Bill, which passed both houses unanimously. She said as diagnoses for special education have increased, the costs of special education have skyrocketed for towns and states. She said the bill provided more funding for special education and accountability for outsource providers who charge fees back to towns.
In other highlights Senator Fazio talked about SB4, that he co-authored, and how after 2-1/2 years of ‘vigorous advocacy’ the energy reform package included some reduction of those charges.
He said the legislation also separated the Dept of Environment and Energy DEEP and PURA (Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), which he said was a separation of powers.
He said SB 1558 passed to claw back tax revenue he said is “stolen” by the state of New York from Connecticut residents who work some days from home. And he noted the income tax rate is much higher in New York than Connecticut.
Support from Greenwich Municipal Government
Ms Courpas said Greenwich’s municipal government had been a huge source of support.
“The municipal government we have right now is very in touch with citizens and very experienced,” she said, adding that subject matter expertise came from the police chiefs of Greenwich and Stamford, the schools superintendent, the tax collector and the First Selectman.
“We need to come up with some municipality driven housing solutions,” she said. “This housing pressure is not going away. We need to take the bull by the horns.”
Fazio inverted the question. “We need to be constantly asking what can we do to stop everything that Hartford is imposing upon our towns and cities – and this town in particular – which is well run and deserves the freedom to make choices for its community rather than constantly more mandates imposed on us.”
‘They should be asking towns like Greenwich that are well run, ‘What are you doing well and how can we emulate it and help you?’ rather than trying to impose more and more of their own will on us as a town and community.’
Fazio used HB 5002 as an example.
“They want to dictate our zoning. They want to dictate our education decisions. At every turn it seems Hartford is making it harder on Greenwich. People in Hartford should be asking towns and cities across our state how can we help you, not impose more upon you,” he said to applause.
Meskers said described a disconnect between municipal and state government.
“It took us well past the dates for deadlines to submit a request for Central Middle School funding,” he said. “We were lucky Hector, who sits on the Education Committee, introduced legislation in the midst of the session to secure the funding.”
“This past year I worked to secure funding for a crosswalk with flashing signs in the Pemberwick region,” he said. “I come and see the municipality has decided to narrow the road, with no plan for a crosswalk. I’m a little confused that when you raise funding for a crosswalk that they don’t get implemented.”
Meskers was applauded when he said better municipal planning for capital projects was needed in Greenwich.
“Without new plans coming out of the town, it’s hard to secure funding and cooperation from the state,” he added.
“We need a better look at future planning on capital projects on the municipal level,” he said. “If we fail to plan for the future we will run the risk of the town having other issues like CMS where the walls are falling down.”
See also:
DPW’s “Quick Build” Pilot Project on Rt 1 by NY State Line Takes Neighbors by Surprise
July 24, 2025
CT Governor Lamont Vetoes HB 5002, Controversial Housing Bill
June 23, 2025