Big City Mayors Side With Republicans

 

House and Senate Republicans got some unusual support for their pleas to make changes to the current state budget today: Big city mayors pushed the Democratic majority to restore early reading program cuts and realtors said the GOP plan to cut real estate taxes should be considered.

A day after the Republicans unveiled their alternative to the Do Nothing Democratic budget stance that includes gas tax cuts, state payroll reductions and adding back $20 million to save 316 teaching positions, the mayors and the realtors conducted back-to-back press conferences of their own.

“Clearly, the public is starting to realize the harm of the Democratic Do Nothing budget approach, whether it is the thousands of young students who won’t be able to learn to read properly, the struggling homeowner tying to sell a house or commuters overwhelmed by skyrocketing gas prices,” said House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., of Norwalk. “It is more than offensive that all the Democrats intend to do is come back into special session to raise gas and property taxes by $70 million and do nothing to address the $80 million state budget deficit.”

Mayors from Stamford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury and Norwalk, in a strong rebuke to fellow Democrats, said steps must be taken to restore $20 million for the Early Reading Success programs that serves thousands of students in grades K-3 in learning to read. The Republican budget restores that money Democrats have blocked largely through spending cuts related to their proposed Early Retirement Incentive Program that saves an estimated $150 million.

Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy called the inaction on the budget a “crisis of leadership.”

The realtors also said the Republican plan to reduce the state’s conveyance tax on home sales but allow towns and cities to keep their portion of the tax should be considered. The Democrats simply want to do nothing.

The mayors said if the Democrats don’t take up the issues during the planned special legislative session next month teachers will be laid off, summer school cancelled and full time kindergarten will disappear next September.