This Week's News:

Haar: Lamont will seek a modest CT income tax cut, 'a pretty good start'...

Rep. Dan Fox, D-Stamford, expected to leave House for the bench...

As 2022 slowly comes to an end, it’s always a great time to celebrate family, friends, work colleagues, and others that make our lives filled with excitement, challenges, and fun! As a lobbyist, it's also a time to look back on the past session and election and look forward to the new year and session.

2022 brought a little bit of normalcy back into the legislative process, but still had its challenges. As folks began the session with a lot of anticipation of what a virtual/hybrid session would bring, we learned that even though the COVID virus disrupted our lives in 2020 and half of 2021, it brought some opportunities into the legislative process as well as hardships. We found that the ability of the public, as well as our clients, to testify virtually was a godsend. Frankly, it provided more people with an opportunity to have their voices heard in the deliberation part of the committee process. We found the limited access to the committee rooms and the capitol a real challenge to the essential part of the process where there’s give and take and negotiations in real-time. We felt the lack of face time also created a lot of miscommunication, and at times, tense situations where many folks felt the other “team” was dealing unfairly and maybe even intentionally using the lack of access to their advantage – remember the old adage - don’t ask permission, ask forgiveness!

As we got into the chamber debate part of the session many learned to use technology to reach out and advocate for their position while others rallied the old fashion way outside of the capitol. One of our clients learned that if you bring some cute puppies to the capitol lawn you could generate a lot of face time right when the situation needed face time with key legislators. As we rounded the last three weeks of the session it seemed as if those hectic final days benefited from the need to circulate amendments electronically, thereby allowing all to have same-time access rather than the old fashion “Easter Egg hunt” circumstances used by most lobbyists in the past. Liaisons from the state agencies, OPM, and the governor’s office at times were caught off guard when the folks “inside the chamber” concocted an amendment when they were present only to point out some basic flaws and “oops moments” in the actual language. Oops.

One downside was the inability to work under the historical sense of “general goodwill and comradery”. This was somewhat limited as legislators needed to be either in the chamber, stuck on computer screens or back in their offices to record their aye or nay votes. They spent less time out in the hallways working on a compromise to meet all parties concerns. Many times we learned of amendments through texts and voicemails since the pace of the final days didn’t slow. The ability to “grab someone in the halls” for that last-minute opportunity to advocate for a client's position was certainly lacking.

All in all the 2022 session wasn’t as bad as folks expected. It brought some “modernization” into future sessions. We're still a bit dumbfounded that certain parts of the capitol will still have restrictions for the public, and we are hoping that after the public hearing process the doors will be flung wide open to allow for the effective and much-needed ability to bring all parties together to resolve either miscommunications, or in fact, some logistical nightmares that created a bit of stress for all last session.

2023 will bring to Hartford more than 30 legislators who have never served in the CT General assembly. They have never experienced a capitol environment void of barriers to access and the ability to build those critical nonpartisan relationships as well the respected relationship with “square-dealing” members of the lobbying corps. There are also the legislators who were first elected in 2020 who will have experienced a very limited amount of in-person relationship building and comradery with folks from across the aisle. There were some end of session and summer time bipartisan events to provide the opportunity to bond as a unit, but when the elections started to kick in after the 4th of July, those opportunities were replaced with local events and voter education and campaign events needed in order to run a successful campaign. Even with this pivot, many candidates found that the general public was reluctant to answer the door when a volunteer door knocked or picked up the phone as volunteers phone banked their way through the voter list for their districts.  

I’m hoping that despite all there hurdles, we’ll see increased civility at public hearings and expanded access to the capitol campus in order to truly have the people of Connecticut be allowed to be effective and articulate citizen participants.

Fingers Crossed. 

Lamont Announces Plans to Appoint Tony Guerrera as DMV Commissioner

Governor Lamont announced that he is planning to appoint Antonio “Tony” Guerrera as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when he begins his second term in office early next year. Guerrera will succeed Sibongile “Bongi” Magubane, who will retire from the position at the conclusion of the governor’s first term.

Guerrera is currently deputy commissioner of the DMV in a position that he has held since March of 2019.

Prior to joining the DMV, Guerrera served in the Connecticut House of Representatives for 20 years, representing the 29th Assembly District of Newington, Rocky Hill, and Wethersfield. In this capacity, he served several terms as co-chair of the Transportation Committee. While serving as a legislator, Guerrera was a self-employed small business owner. During his time as Transportation Committee co-chair, he championed sweeping changes to the state’s teen driving laws in 2008 that led to dramatic reductions in fatal crashes involving this age group. These changes included a required two-hour safety information class for parents and teens, improved training requirements, and extended curfew and passenger restrictions, among other items. In 2016, he championed legislation that allowed for certain DMV services to be conducted by other third-party entities in addition to automobile clubs and associations, allowing for the creation of more DMV Express Centers around the state that add convenience for customers. Prior to his service in the Connecticut General Assembly, he served as mayor of Rocky Hill and was also a member of its town council.

Governor Lamont is set to receive the oath of office and begin his second term on January 4, 2023. At that time, Guerrera’s nomination as commissioner will be forwarded to the General Assembly for its consideration.

The Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant program released about $36.5 million dollars this week to municipalities through a competitive grant issued earlier this year. There are several transformational projects identified for towns and cities announced. Of note, the Borough of Naugatuck through their hard work will be transforming an unused parcel of land in the heart of their community into housing revolving around a commuter rail station, soon to be located. This will allow for the Borough to partner with the housing developer to make this transit oriented project a reality.

In addition to Naugatuck, New Britain will receive $4 million for redevelopment of a historic building on West Main Street, which will have 79 residential units and mixed used space. Berlin, Fairfield, Groton, Hartford, Stamford and Torrington all received grants under this round for projects ranging from historic renovation of existing buildings to infrastructure improvements spurring economic development. These types of projects, for cash strapped communities creates opportunities to turn unused building stock into vibrant new projects. Congratulations to those communities.

For more information on this award and the Connecticut Communities Challenge go here. 

The Upcoming Budget

As we fast approach a new legislative session, the Governor is preparing to be inaugurated in what is always an exciting time for politicos across the state. Committee leadership positions were posted this past week and we are seeing the legislative session and relevant legislative proposals take shape. In January, the session will begin, the Governor will be inaugurated, and we will begin to see the outlines of the budget the Governor will look to before the full presentation comes in February. As we know, the Nutmeg state has been graced with the rarest of circumstances, a budget surplus. The state was able to put $3.3 billion in budget reserves and use another $5.4 billion to pay off some of our pension debt over three years. As we get geared up for the next legislative session and the budget conversations around that, let’s dive into where things stand on the budget and the proposals we have seen so far.

Governor Lamont loves to talk about “keeping the state’s fiscal house in order.” He has done a great job at sticking to that talking point. In February when he presents his budget outline, together with the Office of Policy and Management which is the state’s budgetary agency, he will lay out what he sees as the future of our fiscal house. In the meantime, we have seen some hints at what the Governor intends to propose. Just last week, the Governor mentioned that a tax reduction could be a leading discussion for him this year. More specifically, a tax cut for those making between $150-200K a year. Governor Lamont has also discussed working on the corporate business tax surcharge which was first adopted in 1989. He will have more initiatives that he will hint at in the coming weeks around various issues, especially around what he plans to do on the tax cut side. Related, there will be a lot of legislator driven initiatives to think about when it comes to the budget this year. The Republicans want to focus on a new tax plan to alleviate the higher costs for food and services that comes with inflation. Democrats have already been discussing a significant investment in a child tax credit along with new housing initiatives, among others.

Despite the positive outlook for our budget, there will be a lot of important players looking for money this year. As we have seen in year’s past, the Governor likes to do whatever he can to maintain a businesslike approach to spending. As we hear more about the budget outline, the team at S&L will be right there to provide important feedback. 

December 23rd: Benefactor Beardsley Brutally Beaten in Bridgeport Break-in

In 1812, James Walker Beardsley was born to a prominent cattle-farming family in Monroe, Connecticut, and remained a farmer for his entire life, splitting his time between his family’s Monroe farm and a second residence in the then-bustling city of Bridgeport. In addition to farming, Beardsley also dabbled in speculation and trading cattle futures, which had amassed him a sizable fortune by the middle of the 19th century.

In 1878, after he had formally retired from his agricultural and financial pursuits, he donated a large swath of prime real estate along the banks of the Pequonnock River to the city of Bridgeport, under the condition that the city “forever [keep it] as a public park.” The city soon hired famed American landscape architect (and Hartford native) Frederick Law Olmsted to design what would become Beardsley Park, and Beardsley spared no expense in funding the upkeep of the park and its continuous improvements over the next several years.

Unfortunately, all the positive press generated by Beardsley and the new park that bore his name led a pair of local thieves to believe he would make a lucrative target. On December 23, 1892, two men burst into Beardsley’s Bridgeport mansion while he and his sister were home and ransacked the place looking for cash and valuables. After finding only $60 and a gold watch, the frustrated robbers became violent, threatening and then beating Beardsley to try and get him to divulge the location of his valuables. They were unaware the 77-year-old philanthropist had spent the majority of his wealth on the development of Beardsley Park and had virtually nothing of value on hand. The men eventually fled, leaving behind a mortally wounded Beardsley, who died seven days later from internal injuries suffered during the home invasion.

Though, despite a massive manhunt, Beardsley’s attackers were never identified or caught, the city of Bridgeport went to great pains to ensure its generous benefactor was never forgotten. They commissioned a life-size statue of James Beardsley that was unveiled at the entrance of Beardsley park seventeen years after his death. A tragic end for a man who improved and forever transformed the city of Bridgeport, today in Connecticut history.

To view the full story on the CT Historian's website, click here.