Politics & Government
Godfrey declares oil companies are responsible for soaring pump prices
State representative says with rising interest rates, Connecticut needs to maintain robust rainy-day fund
Bob Godfrey Steve Harding Chris Murphy
Richard Blumenthal Ned Lamont Matt Ritter Vincent Candelora
By Scott Benjamin
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DANBURY – State Rep. Bob Godfrey (D-110) declares that “oil company greed” is largely responsible for the highest inflation since Luke and Laura got married on “General Hospital.”
“They want to make up for the downturn during COVID,” he said in an interview with Patch.com. “Their crystal ball sees the end of gas-powered vehicle in the lifetime of a lot of people.”
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Said Godfrey of Danbury, who was initially elected to the state House in 1988, “The inability to solve unsolvable problems is a theme that I’m hearing a lot” from voters.
Gasoline prices are hovering around $5 a gallon. Inflation soared to 8.6 percent in May, the highest in 41 years.
“It is greedflation,” Godfrey remarked. “Corporations ripping off consumers.”
“It is not the state’s fault,” he added. “There is no state tax on gasoline.”
That tax was temporarily suspended starting in March.
Legislative Republicans are holding rallies across Connecticut to provide $746 million in tax relief beyond the $600 million in the $24.2 revised state budget that was largely approved along party lines this spring.
CT News Junkie has reported that the Republicans want to hold a special session of the General Assembly to reduce income tax rate from 5% to 4% for individuals making less than $75,000 and households making less than $175,000; reduce the state sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99% until the end of the year; eliminate a mileage-based highway user tax scheduled to go into effect next year and extend a current gas tax holiday to diesel fuel.
Said Godfrey, whose district largely entails area in or near downtown Danbury, “Some I like, some I don’t.”
He said he talked at “some length” in the House Democratic caucus this Spring about reducing the state sales tax.
“I would like to see a more progressive income tax, and that’s how I would pay for a cut in the sales tax,” Godfrey commented.
The legislator has noted in recent years that Connecticut has 13 billionaires – more than it had about a decade ago – and a growing roster of millionaires.
State Rep. Stephen Harding (R-107) of Brookfield recently told Patch.com, “The easiest and the quickest way to address that issue is by providing relief to residents.”
CT News Junkie recently reported that Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) has stated that the state has a $2.1 billion budget surplus.
Harding remarked, "When we have a significant surplus, we can return a significant amount of that money to taxpayers."
Godfrey commented, “The question that they haven’t answered is how to pay for it.”
He said that much of that surplus is due to federal American Rescue Plan funding from the pandemic, and "you can't spend that on tax cuts."
Godfrey said the state has more than $3 billion in its rainy-day fund, which may be needed if the economy declines as the Federal Reserve Board continues to aggressively increases interest rates.
“When Wall Street catches a cold, Connecticut sneezes,” he remarked - a reference to the large capital gains taxes that the state annexes from financial managers in the Fairfield County Gold Coast.
"Without that money, Connecticut's economy would be like Rhode Island, Kentucky or Nevada," former state Sen. Jamie McLaughlin (R-32), who now lives in Darien, said in a 2018 interview with Patch.com.
Godfrey explained, “We’re still dependent on Wall Street. So, we need to be careful.”
Godfrey, who was initially elected in 1988, will face Republican Eric Gleissner in the November 8 election.
Godfrey said that with a large rainy-day fund he believes that state is “in good shape for the next few years.”
He said he was pleased that the General Assembly allocated additional funds in the revised budget this spring for a number of non-profit providers, who have furnished more social services for residents in recent years.
“At the end of the session they were very happy with the direction that we’ve been going in,” Godfrey said.
Throughout his career in the General Assembly, Godfrey has been a leading advocate for gun responsibility.
He said that he is encouraged by the bi-partisan legislation that is currently being drafted in response to the shootings at the Robb Elementary School in Texas.
“It is incremental,” he explained. “This is the first [federal] gun responsibility law since 1994” when Democratic former President Bill Clinton signed a ban on assault weapons, which has since lapsed.
Godfrey praised U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Hartford) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Greenwich) for their prominent roles in writing the legislation.
The Washington Post has reported that, “The bipartisan framework couples several modest gun provisions — the closing of the boyfriend loophole, the federal grants for red-flag laws and expanded background checks for the youngest gun buyers — with new funding for mental health treatment and school security.”
“I’m hoping this is the beginning and not the end at the federal level,” said Godfrey.
On another topic, Godfrey expressed dismay over a “structural financial deficit” in which 99 percent of the reserves had been depleted at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. His district borders the university’s midtown campus.
The News-Times of Danbury recently reported that university President John Clark would be stepping down in July and Paul Beran, the former chancellor at the University of Arkansas, will become the interim president.
“I went ballistic,” Godfrey said when he learned about the structural deficit.
“I’m not sure why it took them so long to tell us about it,” he added.
On a related subject, Godfrey said that the costs at the four-year schools in the state Board of Regents system are “priced beyond what working families can afford.”
“They’ve become more commuter schools,” Godfrey exclaimed, noting that they long have had a large commuter enrollment, but that has again increased in the recent years.
He said that the universities may have to be more creative and might need to consider requiring students to take at least two credits of Cooperative Education work-study to graduate. Currently only a small number of students do Cooperative Education, which can help them prepare for their working careers, and since many of the Co-Op assignments have a salary that money can be used to help pay for their tuition.
On a separate issue, Godfrey said that he submitted legislation in February on the first day of the session to increase the pay for state legislators after some colleagues announced their retirements and cited the low salaries as being the reason.
“I put in a bill that I expected it to go nowhere,” he said.
The result was approval of an increase in the annual salaries for state House and Senate members from $28,000 to $40,000.
Godfrey said it was long overdue.
“I don’t know anyone else who hasn’t had a pay raise in 21 years,” he said.
Godfrey indicated the immediate result is that “it has made recruiting a lot easier” during the current election cycle.
He praised the cooperation between state House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-1) of Hartford and House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora (R-86) of North Branford during the recent regular session. Both of them took over their current leadership positions during the current term.
“They got along very well,” said Godfrey. “Vinnie always has been approachable.”
“Both caucuses have their crazy wings,” he commented. “Vinnie’s caucus is perhaps more vocal than ours. But Vinnie, I think, clamped down on some of the more extreme members of his caucus, and I think that led to fewer all-night filibusters.”
Godfrey had told Patch.com in January before some of the health restrictions were lifted that he was hoping to “schmooze more” with legislators and residents at the State Capitol after the regular session commended in February.
“It’s back, but not fully back,” he said recently, noting that only portions of the building are open. He noted that committee meetings during the recent session were done remotely.
“I think COVID has changed us permanently,” Godfrey remarked. “It was a shared experience, a bad experience. We have learned from it. We’re more careful.”
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