Joe Ganim hadn’t schmoozed legislators in the capitol as mayor in 13 years. Wednesday at the opening of the legislative session he was back joined by Democratic Town Chair Mario Testa reconnecting with old-time pols such as Senate President Marty Looney who shepherded legislation last year that equalized auto taxes across the state to help city residents as well as providing more city dollars for tax-exempt properties. Both those measures are scheduled for implementation this year. Ganim and the city’s legislative delegation want to make sure they are not casualties in Governor Dan Malloy’s budget cuts.
Relationships are everything in Hartford. Ganim picked up another legislative friend on Tuesday when Joe Gresko, who served as communications director at the end of Ganim’s first tenure as mayor, won the State House special election to fill the seat of the late Terry Backer in Stratford. Testa is familiar with the state legislative process as well. He served two terms in the State House in the 1980s until defeated by Joe Grabarz in a Democratic primary.
Ganim will need all the friends he can get in a difficult state budget year as he noted on his Facebook page. “It’s a tough budget year no doubt but we’ll work together well with our legislative delegation and other big city mayors in Connecticut. Good to see colleagues and old friends.”
The legislature will go to work on Malloy’s proposed mid-term budget cuts to produce its own spending plan.
Ganim joined mayors Toni Harp of New Haven and Luke Bronin of Hartford at the State Capitol to discuss a common legislative urban agenda. They issued a joint statement.
“Connecticut cities, already limited in their capacity to generate revenue, depend on state assistance to bridge a gap created by significant property tax exemptions built into state law. Our cities can thrive or merely survive depending on funding levels of municipal aid programs. We will meet with the Governor and legislators in the weeks ahead to champion inclusion of critical aid to Connecticut’s three largest cities and all municipal governments.”
The $20 Million projected deficit by Finance Officer Ken Flatto already anticipates $4.5 Million in payroll positions. How much more room is there in cutting positions where less or no bang for the buck is currently received? But that is problematic because you have to fight your way through several dense layers of red tape because no mayor in recent days has seen the need of rationalizing the employment system. That is why there are as many suits from former employees, whether well-considered or not, and Tom Bucci can be very busy. And the size and frequency of these settlements is mostly hidden from taxpayers so anger does not get focused on the real issues. But a year like the one we are in and the next one we face are ripe with opportunities for big reform and real change. A group of mayors in our one-party town, some with two-year terms and those in the last decade or so with four-year terms have not sought reform and clarity and savings on legal and settlements. But maybe “second-chance Joe” can get it right the second time around. Time will tell.
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Frank,
You know my phone number. Give me a call. Let’s have that coffee and dispel with (?). The City needs more folks armed with facts and financial figures to corral the stupid stuff that passes for “governmental functioning” in recent years. Got a question? Give me a call. Time will tell.
JML. TIME WILL TELL, and time seems to be in short supply these days. I have your phone number and we will dispel with the (?).
Don’t worry, Connecticut is a one-party state. Papa Entitlement will give.