Gov. Lamont Vetoes Pair of Crucial Bills, Disappointing Unions and Pro-Housing Advocate Groups Across Connecticut

HARTFORD COURANT- Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed two controversial bills passed by the Connecticut legislature on housing and striking workers, saying Monday that the measures must be reworked before he could sign them.

“A veto means we can do a lot better, and I hope we can do that with both these bills.” The high-profile bills in question are HB 5002, a sweeping plan to address the state’s housing shortage and affordability problems, and SB 8, a bill to provide unemployment benefits to striking workers that has been strongly backed for years by unions and their Democratic supporters in the legislature. Both are issues that have stalled in the past, and Lamont vetoed the striking workers bill last year, too…

The so-called “fair share” plan for affordable housing is “the biggest red flag that is scaring mayors and first selectmen,” Lamont said.

The second major issue is parking, and the 92-page bill said that developers could construct as many as 24 units with no additional off-street parking. Opponents said parking is already difficult in many areas, and the bill would only make it worse.

The third area of opposition in the bill said that developers could convert commercial property into as many as nine residential apartments “as of right’,’ meaning that they did not need permission from the local planning and zoning commission.

“Show me what your town wants to look like … and we’ll be right there as your partner,” Lamont told reporters in his office.

A fourth issue for some opponents was that developers could have been awarded legal fees if a town had acted in bad faith in rejecting an affordable housing project under a special statute known as 8-30g that promotes affordable housing.

“It was a minor point to me,” Lamont said of the legal fees. “It seemed unnecessarily provocative to me.”

We are incredibly disappointed that Governor Lamont vetoed two key House Bills this past week. SB 8 would have allowed striking workers to collect unemployment benefits. As we learned during the Pratt & Whitney strike, union strikes give workers exceptional leverage at the negotiating table. It seemed like there was a lot of momentum with this particular bill, but now we’re back to the drawing board. We will continue to support striking workers wherever possible, and we are hopeful that the Governor can be persuaded next session. At a time where CEO pay dwarfs employee salaries like never before in history, and the cost of living keeps getting higher, it’s imperative that Democrats continue to fight for the working class at every step of the way. Stay tuned for future updates and calls to action to support striking workers!

HB 5002, the sprawling housing bill, was a result of years of collaboration between legislators, developers, and housing advocacy groups. This bill met a lot of resistance at every level, particularly from Democrats from the Gold Coast and Republicans statewide (Hey wait, aren’t Republicans the party of “small government” and less regulations? After all, nothing says “small government” like a small town Planning and Zoning Commission, guarded dutifully by burnt-out employees with red Sharpies).

At a time where the housing crisis continues to seep into every pore of our state, towns across Connecticut denied permits for more than 8,000 homes last year. Unfortunately, those figures include Wallingford. Our Planning and Zoning Commission does an exceptional job, and we’re grateful for their dedication to our town. After all, these are volunteer jobs that require an enormous time commitment, and they are largely thankless positions. You’d be hard-pressed to find a monthly meeting where P+Z does not already have a full agenda in addition to multiple items on deck. It’s ridiculous for our Governor (and Republicans) to expect that 169 Planning and Zoning Commissions across CT will be able to fix this crisis on their own, in between their other responsibilities (like full-time jobs, for example).

What the Republicans are really saying is that they only want “affordable housing” built in CT’s cities, far away from their own backyards. This “NIMBY” attitude is obviously counterproductive to the larger goal of abundant housing options for ALL income levels. In order for us to make real change, it starts with each of us saying, “Yes, in my backyard!” Solving this housing crisis is going to require a multi-pronged plan of attack, which including (but not limited to) aggressively pursuing grants and reviewing ANY regulations that should be considered antiquated in 2025. This includes allowing accessory dwelling units (ADU’s), easing parking requirements, easing height restrictions, and a slew of other things. These are all relatively simple fixes that require no monetary commitment from the town and could help spark housing growth. If you have any ideas, or would like to help with our housing push, be sure to let us know!

Local Housing/Senior Center Updates

Below are a few local updates from the Senior Center and Wallingford Works for Housing. A sincere “THANK YOU” to Sue Gomes for all her hard work in this arena - we are very fortunate to have her on our team. We also wanted to congratulate Sue on her recent (much deserved) nomination as an alternate to the Economic Development Committee… we’re excited to have your valuable insight on the EDC!!!

Senior Center: There have been several programing additions designed to appeal to wider audiences, while keeping in mind the needs and interests of all members. Collaborations with SCOW include a music recital June 1. Bill Viola, executive director, is retiring this month and will be missed greatly. The new director begins June 9.

Wallingford Works for Housing: This bipartisan group continues to work on identifying policies that will open opportunities for housing options for ALL. For example, P&Z approved a new regulation to encourage the construction of "Middle Housing." Middle housing can be duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottages, or townhomes. This type of housing will be allowed in a number of zoning districts, primarily near our downtown, the train station, and along Route 5. The goal is to create much needed housing opportunities, both market rate and less than market rate, not currently available in Wallingford. In addition, the Town Planner has received RFPs for the boathouse property next to Community Lake for senior living.

Cervoni Announces $50K in Donations

As it turns out, being a mediocre Mayor can be pretty lucrative, especially when multiple employees of the same company “max out” their contributions every quarter. Since the WDTC does not rely on one or two companies to fund our entire campaign, we need all the help we can get. SMASH THAT DONATE BUTTON BELOW!!!!!

This Week in “Fighting Misinformation”

Are you sitting down? We have some difficult news to share: It’s recently come to our attention that Republicans have been lying to win elections. So in an effort to appeal to low-information voters online, we’ll be launching a new “Fighting Misinformation” graphic series. In this case, please DO feed the trolls!

Our first two graphics have to do with the new pool project and the state revaluations:

1) Many people on Facebook seem convinced that the new pool project affected our taxes this year. So at least we “got something” for the historic increases. #FakeNews

In fact, the pool wasn’t approved in time for this budget. On top of that, the Mayor essentially cost the town $3.1MM with his votes in 2020 and no action since.

2) Many Republicans have been lashing out at CT Democrats for “moving up” the revaluation period, which lead to our historic tax increases. #FakeNews

In fact, the current revaluation cycles have been on the books since 1997, when John Rowland was governor and Republicans controlled the CT Senate.

From Los Angeles to Meriden, immigrant communities across the country are being targeted with cruel and unconstitutional attacks from the federal government. As ICE continues to wreak havoc on law-abiding (and tax paying) families everywhere, we have a civic obligation to protect our neighbors and broadcast their constitutional rights widely. We cannot tolerate systematic injustice in our own backyard.

The Wallingford DTC proudly supports our immigrant community, and we stand staunchly beside the town of Meriden as they navigate through a dystopian nightmare leading up to their graduation season. A few weeks ago, a senior at Maloney High & his father were unexpectedly detailed by ICE at a routine immigration check-in, and now their family & the community as a whole have been left reeling. This type of treatment is unconscionable and we find it hard to believe that many Republicans in Connecticut voted for this. It’s time to speak up!!!

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr Martin Luther King Jr

Congratulations to Lyman Hall Baseball!!!

After winning their first SCC title earlier this season, the Lyman Hall Trojans rolled through the Class L tournament, defeating Guilford 3-0 to win the state championship in front of a full house at Palmer Field in Middletown. It was the third overall state championship for Lyman Hall, which also won in 1969 and 2002 in the program’s only appearances in the finals. Great job Trojans, we are all extremely proud of you!

Calls to Action:

Stay tuned for more updates after July 4th.

Brandi Mandato and the CT Working Families Party continue to hit the pavement hard. While Paul Cicarella is busy voting against education funding and covering the federal Medicaid shortfall, and Rep/Councilor Craig Fishbein mongers for a war with Iran, Brandi is out chatting with neighbors about pressing issues and a more equitable budget. The WFP will be out knocking on doors throughout Wallingford for the next several weekends, including this Sunday, so stay tuned to our social media pages (as well as Brandi’s) for further updates. Many of us will be joining them, and we would love to see you out there! We will have be plenty of experienced canvassers to help train others, and we will never send you out there alone.

Local Events

Make sure to also check out the town Library’s Event Page- as usual, they have way too many great options to narrow down. You can always find more great local events on the Patch, too!

Our next Comms meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 8th at Yellow King Brews on Rt 5. Please reach out to Duncan, Eric, or Casey if you are interested in joining!