Commentary from State Senator Herron Gaston:
Of all the news stories that have flashed across your Facebook feed over the past month — drone sightings, wildfires, the NFL playoffs — I bet there’s one that flew under your radar: the sale of a half-century old apartment complex in Connecticut’s most-populated city for $14.1 million.
That most-populated city is Bridgeport, my hometown. That apartment complex is 340 and 360 Palisade Ave., known as the Hilltop Apartments. They were built in the early 1970s and have been owned by the same family ever since. Until December, that is, when the two women owners who are now living in Florida sold the two apartment buildings to a man living in the Bronx.
The deal closed at $121,552 per unit for 116 units of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments in three-story brick walk-ups. It’s not a flashy apartment complex, and you’d probably drive by it without even blinking. But there were 10 offers on the property, evidence — a New York real estate broker said — of “how strong of a demand there is for investment properties in both Bridgeport and Fairfield County as a whole.”
Please note his phrasing: Not apartments. Not homes. “Investment properties.”
About a month after the sale, I was standing in front of a TV camera telling anyone who would listen what an awful — and common — situation this has become in Connecticut. Soon after the sale, Hilltop renters got notice: your rent is going up, from $1,050 a month to $2,000 a month, or from $950 a month to $1,400 a month. That’s 50% and 100% rent increases, at the snap of a finger. The rent hike “is going to force us onto the street, making us homeless,” one tenant said.
As Senate vice chair of the legislature’s Housing Committee, let me state something very clearly: these types of astronomical rent increases are the reason why the General Assembly needs to enact rent caps. As housing costs skyrocket across America and in Connecticut, the impact on families cannot be underestimated. Something has got to be done.
Depending on who you ask, and what month it is, Connecticut has some of the highest rents in the nation. One recent ranking put Connecticut eighth highest for average apartment rents in the entire United States. Sometimes we’re ranked 11th, or 13th, but we’re never near the middle, and certainly not at the bottom. One particularly hand-wringing ranking from August 2024 said Hartford is the most expensive city in America to live, based on the income needed to pay for a median-priced rent or mortgage. New Haven was ranked fourth.
The rule of thumb for rent is that it should be 30% of your income. So, that $2,000 per month rent at Hilltop? That tenant should be making $80,000 a year — more than the average household income in Connecticut. At a time when some people are forced to work multiple jobs just to pay the rent and the bills, this is insanity. If wages aren’t keeping pace with the cost of rent (and they’re not), what’s a person to do? The very people who make the local economy run — teachers, health care workers, retail employees — are now finding themselves priced out of the neighborhoods that they grew up in.
We cannot allow working families to be priced out of their homes while the cost of living continues to soar. This situation in Connecticut is unsustainable, and without intervention, it will only worsen. I’m committed this session to advocating for the public policies that will protect renters from steep rent hikes and ensure that affordable housing is accessible to all.
Senator Gaston calls real estate, one form of ownership asset, as an investment property to our attention. Scarcity of items of value raise prices for exchange (sales) of such assets. How did the previous two women owners in Florida at this moment in time see their property? Likely as a store of wealth which they could exchange cash, or other legal strategy and pay/defer assumed capital gain taxes at a time favorable to them.
Why are we seeking the names and data regarding the “new owners” of local property in a Registry in CT large cities? Is it because they are not community members? Or because the renters/owners are not seen as human beings with rights that keep informed about local issues and may be vulnerable targets for rental agreements that vastly increase current norms with few added features or tenant benefits?
Complicating local confusion and hapless governance (allowing 20 year non-appointments to a Fair Housing Commission, for example) is a State revenue waterfall that has improved status of many accounts but must revise in light of Federal funds that are said to issue to around 900 State programs. But the wealth of our State residents is something to acknowledge each time a review of current financial situation and future pathway is considered.
Let’s require that the facts of our situation be so public that all become aware, if not feeling well informed. Let’s each consider our personal economic status and life goals. Then we are ready to meet, discuss, and share our right to Free Speech. Time will tell.
JML, read this:
“In a message that circulated widely among bureau personnel, an FBI agent summarized what happened as: “Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F— Off.”
The FBI and the Justice Department declined to comment. A senior FBI official disputed the accounts of the current and former officials saying, “It’s not true.”
A former FBI official who knows Driscoll well said, “He pushed back hard.””
I’m a stud who pushes back hard. So, Fuck Off. Today, I found (Conn. Court Case Look-up) an appeal by Tom Bucci filed at the court in New Britain. Thief Porter was ordered to return the pension payments he illegally received. I’m trying to post the link but, since Detective Vann hacked my cell, It has been experiencing technical difficulty. I was able to successfully send Brian Lockhart the link. Time is telling, are you listening?
JML, educate yourself here and when you feel you fully understand (Don’t ask one freaking question) schedule a meeting with Thief Porter and explain it to him. Draw little picture for him if necessary.
Here is a link to Section 7-438. Keep in mind that it was repealed/amended.
The new one (Sec. 7-438-1) was declared invalid by the State Comptroller when a complaint was filed questioning it’s legality. Thief Porter refuses to return/repay the pension payments he received illegally. Tom Bucci filed an appeal days ago at the New Britain Courthouse. I’ll get you the link to Sec. 7-438-1 so you can compare. Speedy is telling, so fucking read and comprehend. NO FUCKING QUESTIONS ALLOWED.
https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Error/Maintenance
This means the State of Connecticut system is shut down for Service (come back later). I’m going to Google and find another site. It’s better to get State Statutes from official state websites. No, no, no! NO FUCKING QUSTIONS I SAID.
JML, you know why I’m addressing you. It was you who said I was falsely accusing Thief Porter of Pension Fraud:
https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/CaseDetail/PublicCaseDetail.aspx?DocketNo=HHBCV256092732S
If the Senator wants to help secure a renter’s cap that’s great, he also should be working on bailing out the BBOE shortfall with Joe Ganim, to retire $32 million-dollar deficit first, before the State tells us all to go Fluck our self’s, then how does Senator Gaston & Mayor Joe Ganim (hold the line on rents and property taxes this year?)