STAMFORD, Conn. The following is a letter from Michael Molgano, a Republican state representative from Stamford, reflecting on his first term in office. The Daily Stamford accepts all letters to the editor which can be submitted by email to reporter Anthony Buzzeo at [email protected].
As I approach the remaining months of my first term in office, I find I am constantly reminiscing on why I ran for the state legislature almost two years ago. I ran for office to represent the people of the 144th district in the General Assembly because I witnessed first-hand how the gimmicks and bad business policies coming out of Hartford took their toll on our local small businesses and families in Stamford. As the 2012 legislative session starts, I am content in knowing my goals and ambitions have not changed.
Since the beginning of my term in office, I have been working diligently with my Republican colleagues to bring economic improvement back to Connecticut by standing behind common sense, pro-business solutions a logic that seemed to have left the minds of our majority party in the legislature years ago.
During the 2011 legislative session, I voted against not only the largest tax increase in the history of our state, but also the most anti-business, over-regulatory legislation that sent a constant message to our business community. And the message was clear and simple Connecticut is closed for business.
Even with a budgeted tax increase of $1.8 billion, which went on to hurt our struggling families and businesses, our state is still looking down the barrel of a $145 million deficit because of failed revenue projections.
How could this have happened? The tax-paying citizens of Connecticut were told this tax increase, along with the long-awaited reductions in spending, would be our economic saving grace. Instead, we saw our state spending skyrocket further contributing to our dependence on using bond funds to pay for our day-to-day expenses.
At a time when all other states in the nation are making the tough decisions to cut their budgets and hold taxes down, Connecticuts spending and taxes are going up in record numbers. The 2012 session should be a chance for us to fix the mistakes we made in the past, but we must make sure we do not abandon the accomplishments we must make in the future, especially in terms of education.
We must focus on closing the achievement gap while continuing to foster the educational opportunities provided by our institutions of higher learning, including our Vocational Technical Schools. Our economic future relies on giving our youth the best education possible across every town and city in Connecticut. We must mirror the national career cluster models that allow middle and high school students to cater their choice of study necessary for college, an apprenticeship, or military service. This means making smarter investments and reforms in our education system and not repeating the past by wasting money on failed policies. By providing our children and teenagers with the proper education they need, we will bring innovation and job creation back to Connecticut.
As I have said repeatedly, it is important that we do not also impose additional burdens on our cities and towns, especially Stamford. More unfunded mandates coming out of Hartford means more local budgets going into the red.
Connecticut is currently standing at a crossroads. We can either continue down the same path that led us to this dangerous fiscal situation we are facing, or we can finally lend a hand to our small businesses and families who have been struggling to make ends meet.
As your state representative, feel free to reach out to me and ask questions and give suggestions as to how we can work to make Connecticut a more efficient and pro-business state.
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