SHARE

Malloy Takes On Budget Cuts In Town Hall-Style Meeting In Stamford

STAMFORD, Conn. — The solution to the state’s budget woes is to cut expenses — and not raise taxes — Gov. Dannel Malloy reiterated during a Town Hall-style meeting in Stamford on Thursday night.

Gov. Dannel Malloy addresses the audience in a town hall forum at the Gen Re Auditorium at the  UConn-Stamford Campus on Thursday evening.

Gov. Dannel Malloy addresses the audience in a town hall forum at the Gen Re Auditorium at the UConn-Stamford Campus on Thursday evening.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
Gov. Dannel Malloy addresses the audience in a town hall forum in Stamford Thursday evening.

Gov. Dannel Malloy addresses the audience in a town hall forum in Stamford Thursday evening.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky

“We can’t simply go back every year and raise taxes precipitously and expect to be in a position to compete with our surrounding states and the other states and the rest of the country and, quite frankly, international challenges that are apparent,” Malloy told the crowd.

Malloy fielded questions from audience members who were concerned about cuts, which Malloy said are necessary in the face of a new economic reality.

A UConn-Stamford student asked Malloy about funding to the school. His question came on the heels of remarks from UConn President Susan Herbst, who said a proposed $31.2 million budget cut to the college could mean not filling faculty vacancies and offering fewer classes.

Herbst said continued cuts could lead to the possible closing of regional campuses, though a follow-up statement from the university said, “UConn has no desire or plan to close the Stamford campus.”

Malloy said he would continue to fund the state’s universities and colleges “as well as we possibly can.” But he said all state funding is on the table for adjustments.

UConn also receives funding from other sources, including tuition and its endowment, which is growing, Malloy said.

Two speakers contested the state’s decision to end its contract with Greenwich-based Kids in Crisis, which provides temporary shelter for children who do not have safe home situations.

Malloy said that many of the beds the state contracts for with the organization were not used. He added that the state is increasingly placing children with other family members, which leads to better outcomes.

In speaking to the condition of Connecticut’s economy, Malloy said the state needs to adjust to the new economic reality of slow growth. The state will not see the increase in incomes it saw in the '70s, '80s, '90s and the beginning of the last decade.

“We are living in a different economic dynamic, one that is unlike anything that we have experienced in any time in recent history going all the way back to the Great Depression,” Malloy said.

The Stamford event was the first stop in a series of forums that he and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman plan to hold throughout the 2016 legislative session.

to follow Daily Voice Greenwich and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE