Harding says any tolls package would 'devastate' metro Danbury

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – State Rep. Stephen Harding (R-107) says he is “not open to” a reduced tolls plan from Gov. Ned Lamont consisting of just 13 to 18 gantries across Connecticut “for the pure reason that it would devastate this area.”

CT Mirror and CT Hearst have reported that Lamont (D-Greenwich) is about to announce a proposal for the limited gantries, which would be dedicated to aging bridges, and loans of about two percent from the federal government.

Harding of Brookfield and other state legislators from the metro Danbury area have said over the recent years that, among other things, tolls would deter some out-of-state customers from shopping at the Danbury Fair Mall, which reportedly attracts 40 percent of its customers from outside Connecticut.

Lamont told Brookfield Patch in February 2018 – just 34 days after formally announcing his bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination – that he supported tolling and although estimates indicated it take six years to implement; he would seek to expedite that timetable.

Months later and throughout the remainder of the campaign he said he would only seek tolls on out-of-state trucks.

Then in February he presented a full-scale proposal with about 50 gantries.

The plan was never voted on in the General Assembly, primarily because there were not at least 18 votes in support of it in the 36-member state Senate.

Ryan Drajewicz, Lamont’s chief of staff, reportedly has devoted considerable time in recent months to a 10-year plan which would include the limited number of gantries that would be largely dedicated to aging bridges and the low-interest loans.

However, CT Hearst business columnist Dan Haar has stated that the loans won’t come close to providing the funding that will be needed.

“Financially tolling is as close to a must-do as anything I can imagine in government spending,” he stated.

Former independent gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel of Hartford, who formerly chaired the state’s Transportation Strategy Board, has said, “Electronic tolls need to be part of the discussion.”

There were discussions of considering the package in a special session. CT Mirror reported this spring that sources had indicated 14 of the 22 Democratic senators supported the tolls package, four were adamantly opposed and four were persuadable.

State Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) has said he was willing to at least have discussions on the latest proposal, which the governor is expected to present in the near future. He has traveled with Drajewicz to Washington to speak with federal officials about the low-interest loans.

CT NewsJunkie has reported that State House Minority Leader Themis Klarides (R-Derby) is against it, even though Lamont has indicated the tolls would be eliminated after 10 years.

“When has the state ever gotten rid of a revenue stream,” she said.

The state Transportation Strategy Board was tackling the issue during former Gov. John Rowland’s (R-Middlebury) third term – more than 15 years ago – and an ad-hoc panel appointed by former Gov. Dannel Malloy recommended a 30-year $100 billion package in 2015.

“At the end of the day, the transportation infrastructure needs to be addressed,” Harding said.

Harding - whose district includes all of Brookfield, the Stony Hill section of Bethel and a slice of northern Danbury – said Lamont’s actions on the tolling plan since he announced his bid for governor last year is a prominent example of the governor’s “lack of consistency” on issues.

“His policy direction has been all over the place,” the state representative explained.

He said he agrees with recent comments made to Danbury Patch by state Rep. Bob Godfrey (D-110) of Danbury that although Lamont has a “friendlier disposition” than Malloy (D-Essex), he hasn’t been as effective in his interaction with legislators.

“Malloy seemed to have more staff that understood the legislative process and were involved in the legislative process,” said Harding, who was initially elected in 2015. However, he added that there has been improvement since Jonathan Harris, a former gubernatorial candidate, state commissioner and mayor became a senior adviser this summer.

“I don’t question his intelligence,” Harding said of Lamont, who has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and a master’s degree from Yale.

“Logically, there was going to be a learning curve,” he conceded, “and the governor is tackling a number of issues.”

On another topic, Harding, an attorney and a member of the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, recently participated in a public hearing that attracted considerable attention from the Connecticut Restaurants Association and organized labor regarding the provisions for paying a minimum wage to servers.

The Yankee Institute has reported that restaurant owners – following guidance from the state Department of Labor – applied an 80/20 rule in which workers that devoted at least 80 percent of their services in which they would be tipped could be paid less than the minimum wage.

Lawsuits claim restaurant owners were underpaying their employees by applying a tip credit which allows them to pay less than the minimum wage, according to the Yankee Institute.

An amendment was approved by the General Assembly in the closing hours of the regular session in June that retroactively made the Department of Labor’s guidance state law and ended the lawsuits.

However, Lamont vetoed that amendment.

CTNewsJunkie has reported that organized labor and some members of the General Assembly’s Progressive Caucus oppose the revised language now under consideration since it makes it more difficult for servers to initiate class action lawsuits and recover attorney fees through the court system.

The Connecticut Restaurants Association (CRA) has stated it doesn’t eliminate those provisions, it just makes them more difficult to pursue, according to CTNewsJunkie.

The CRA has stated h that it represents 8,000 restaurants, employing 119,000 people with annual sales of $8.2 billion.

“We want to help the restaurant owners who have been subject to a lot of regulatory changes,” Harding said of his support for the revised language.

“I think helping small business owners is something we’re looking to do,” he said.

On a separate subject, Harding said Lamont has started to deliver on his campaign pledges to get more residents employed.

Harding said the governor signed legislation this spring to improve “vo-tech education and employment opportunities,” which the state representative indicated he supports.

Brookfield Patch reported in February 2018 – about a month after Lamont had formally entered the gubernatorial race – that there are far too many jobs going unfilled in Connecticut because there were not trained applicants.

Former Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele (R-Stamford) was making similar comments about a decade ago.

Lamont said last year, “A Degree from a technical high school or a community college in advanced manufacturing will get you an initial higher-paying job than if you had a degree in Sociology from Yale.”

On a local issue, Harding said one his prime objectives for the 2020 session will be securing the reimbursement funds for the new $78.1 million Huckleberry Hill Elementary School.

He said he remains encouraged that the state Department of Administrative services will approve the money – which could reduce municipal tax costs to just $63.3 million – in December and forward that recommendation to the state Bond Commission for consideration in 2020.

Regarding fiscal issues, Harding said he agrees with Sacred Heart University Government Professor Gary Rose, the author of “Connecticut In Crisis,” that the state will not reverse its downward economic spiral until the taxes on individuals - income and sales - are reduced.

“There’s no doubt that the income tax has an impact on our residents leaving the state, particularly senior citizens,” he said, noting that some of the parents of his friends have departed Connecticut.

However, Godfrey has said the class that is not leaving the state is the wealthy.

He has said Connecticut has 20 percent more millionaires now than it did in 2011 and the number of billionaires has increased from 11 to 17.

Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, has proposed a wealth tax. University of California at Berkeley economists Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez, who are advisors to her campaign, wrote in their newly-released book, “The Triumph of Injustice,” that the wealthy are now paying the lowest tax rates in the United States since the 1920’s.

CBS’ “60 Minutes” reported earlier this year that Greenwich billionaire Ray Dalio, the owner of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world, has said the wealthy should pay higher taxes.

Would Connecticut benefit from a wealth tax?

“I think it is not viable at the state level,” Harding said.

He said in “a 21st century economy” the rich can move to another state very easily.

Harding explained that some years ago the New Jersey Legislature had to meet in special session to revise the budget after one of the wealthier residents left the state.