Reed on Hartford

BRANFORD:

    With Governor M. Jodi Rell’s announcement last week that even the state’s rainy day fund won’t stave of a looming fiscal nightmare, state legislators are coming to terms with the difficulty of the situation. Newly elected 102nd District State Representative Lonnie Reed is already ensconced in Hartford and trying to find a way to mitigate the crisis for Branford constituents.

    The Sound spoke with Lonnie Reed to find out what the prognosis will be for Branford and the rest of the state as the fiscal forecasts continue to predict doom and gloom.

Q. How did it feel being part of such an historic event on election night?

    A. Election day was even more emotional than I’d imagined. The voters I encountered—regardless of their presidential choice—were feeling empowered and far more excited about the democratic process than I can ever remember. And when I looked down at my own ballot and saw my name on the same line as Barack Obama’s, I had to take a moment and breathe it all in before filling in my circles. It felt like a red, white, and blue, all-American day.

What is your top priority now that you’re in Hartford?

    My platform included fighting for more money for Branford schools, property tax reform, and smart growth incentives that save taxpayers’ money by encouraging regional cooperation on services, programs, and even facilities–and energy efforts that reward conservation and efficiency, modernize the grid, stimulate alternatives, and promote the growth of green industries in Connecticut. I also talked a lot about protecting the vulnerable. This economic downturn means we can’t afford to waste time getting on with the business of building a much smarter future.

In light of Governor Rell’s recent budget announcement, what is your view on the state's finances?

    The two key nonpartisan agencies that advise the legislature and the governor are in close agreement that in two years the state’s deficit could approach $6 billion.

    We depend on considerable revenue from Fairfield County’s financial community. That money is dropping dramatically with each passing day. Housing starts have become housing stops. And as great as lower gasoline prices are for consumers and businesses, the reduction also means a big decline in the state’s wholesale and retail gas and diesel tax revenues. And on and on it goes.

    We need to devise a cost-cutting strategy that protects essential services and still paves the way for recovery and future growth. It’s a tall order, but thus far, the legislators and government professionals I’ve met all seem to be on the same page. Everybody gets it.

How will education be affected by these cuts?

    I’ve always said that Branford only gets chump change from the state’s Education Cost Sharing [ECS] process (about $450 per child), so that loss can be managed, but the governor has asked each agency to reduce budgets by 10 percent and that means cuts by the state Department of Education will approach $300 million. That will impact special education and adult education and important grants. It puts real additional pressure on Branford taxpayers.

Any good news from Hartford?

    Crisis must create opportunity, so, as that old saying goes, I’m convinced there’s a pony. Connecticut’s budget has allowed a structural deficit that depends on too many bonds and volatile revenue streams such as capital gains windfalls. The system is overly property tax reliant and can frustrate small business owners. This is an opportunity to stimulate regional cooperation and to rebuild Connecticut’s budget from the foundation up. Plus, it’s a new day in Washington with a federal agenda that should finally support Connecticut goals like clean energy and affordable healthcare. Our Congressional delegation is exceptional and our president elect welcomes new ideas and change. His book, The Audacity of Hope, champions savvy optimism–and what has ever been more successful than American optimism?

Connecticut is ranked dead last by entrepreneurs as a state to conduct business in, any ideas in Hartford to promote business and job growth?

    Brainpower and skilled labor are two huge Connecticut assets. Our state has biotech, alternative fuel vendors, companies that install geothermal and manufacture tri-generation systems, and myriad other emerging industries. We need to encourage innovation. Congressman Joe Courtney told me that he was able to help an Enfield company sell its pliable solar panels to the Department of Defense for use atop military tents so service personnel can power their electronics. That company is now hiring 200 people. That’s the kind of economic model we need to replicate.

Anything other than the economy on the agenda or horizon. or has this situation superseded everything else?

    The economy, of course, forces us to revisit spending priorities, but the budget needs a surgeon, not a butcher. We must safeguard our kids education, stimulate job producing programs such as infrastructure construction projects, grow green industries, and protect the vulnerable and the new vulnerable—people who have done everything right but who are experiencing real economic crisis for the first time in their lives. We are an American community and must respond by working together to get through the tough times and create better days ahead. We’ve certainly done it before.