Fairfield RTC Chairman Criticizes State Rep. For Budget Votes

FAIRFIELD, CT — In a recent press release, Fairfield Republican Town Committee Chairman James Millington called on State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-132) to “explain to the people of Fairfield why she voted YES in favor of Governor Malloy’s union contract deal that locks in union benefits for State employees for the next 10 years and why she voted YES on last year’s budget implementer to cut education funding to Fairfield.”

The state’s union deal locks in “one of the most crippling cost elements of the state’s budget for an extended period of time,” according to the press release

“The untenable union deal reached in Hartford will have a negative effect on the Town of Fairfield and the level of financial support we receive back from the state, which is already pennies on the dollar,” Millington said in the release.

Read more from the press release (and McCarthy Vahey’s response) below:

Although McCarthy Vahey and her partisan supporters proudly boasted in public forums that she voted against the budget bill, this type of pablum only tells part of the story. While McCarthy Vahey did vote NO against the initial budget bill, when the detailed outline of the budget came to a vote of implementation, she contradicted her earlier budget vote with an affirmative YES—thereby, supporting its narrow passage along party lines.

All the more egregious, the budget implementation bill fully outlined education cuts to Fairfield and included the additional taxes that GE, which re-located its headquarters from Fairfield to Boston, strongly opposed. If McCarthy Vahey was against the budget, she should have voted NO on both the budget and implementer bill plain and simple!”

“Once again, McCarthy Vahey has chosen to vote alongside the Democrats in Hartford and in a manner that hurts Fairfield when it matters the most. Our community deserve an explanation from her on these votes as one our state representatives in Hartford,” declared Millington.

To date (Aug. 7), McCarthy Vahey has not made any public statements clarifying her support of the union agreement or her previous vote on the budget implementer.

Does McCarthy Vahey not understand that it is wrong to tell the people of Fairfield one thing and then to go to Hartford and do something else?

Millington calls on McCarthy Vahey to explain her votes and answer the three questions below:

1. McCarthy Vahey claims to be in an important leadership role in her caucus—then why is she not advocating that Fairfield receive its fair share of state aid for education?

2. Does McCarthy Vahey really think the union agreement is a good deal for Connecticut taxpayers and the Town of Fairfield? If so, why?

3. Why did McCarthy Vahey vote on the budget implementer last year that cut Fairfield education funds?

“At this point, we simply just don’t know the answers to these important questions because McCarthy Vahey has remained silent,” concluded Millington.

The people of the Town of Fairfield look forward to McCarthy Vahey’s response.

McCarthy Vahey told Patch that she will “continue to work together with constituents, fellow legislators and local leaders to find real solutions and fight for Fairfield. I will continue to meet with and talk to constituents by phone or in person. I can be reached at (860) 240-8585 or cristin.mccarthyvahey@cga.ct.gov.”

McCarthy Vahey also included an update she sent out to constituents. Read it below:

While we are all deeply concerned about North Korea’s nuclear weapons, violence and tragedy in Charlottesville and, here at home, the absence of a state budget, I believe, as our founders did, in the promise of our nation and the strength, ingenuity and resolve of its people. As your state representative, I remain determined to move our town and our state forward as we navigate through this difficult time.

The latest development in our state budget process occurred at the end of July when the Senate joined the House in approving the 2017 State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) Agreement. This agreement, which I supported, is expected to generate $1.6 billion in savings over the next two years, and up to $24 billion over the life of the agreement.

According to an independent analysis completed by The Pew Charitable Trust, the agreement will

· reduce total pension cost,

· mitigate risk to the state in the event of shortfalls in investment returns, and

· shrink state employee pension liabilities over time.

The agreement imposes a three-year wage freeze and three furlough days in 2018, and delays a longevity payment, all of which will result in $385.2 million in savings for FY 2019.

Another $300 million in savings for FY 2019 comes from changes to both employee and retiree healthcare. Pension savings are generated by raising employee contributions by 2%, and introducing a hybrid defined benefit/defined contribution plan for new employees.

The approval of this agreement was a critical step in closing the state’s $5 billion projected short-term deficit and lowering long-term costs. The full SEBAC agreement can be found HERE.

A negotiated labor agreement is brought before the legislature for an up or down vote only. It cannot be amended. Each of the 187 legislators, including me, might have written a slightly different agreement had we been able to do so. But by state statute, it is the Executive branch that negotiates with the state employees, and the legislature votes yay or nay. I am grateful to the employees for their participation in the process and for the concessions they made. At the same time, there are aspects of the agreement I do not like.

Pension liabilities for both our state employees and our teachers will play a significant role in budgeting for years to come, which is why I continue conversations with the Pew Charitable Trust and fellow legislators regarding further steps to address these issues. You can read the Pew analysis and policy recommendations HERE.

The budget remains unresolved. The Governor has promised to make further cuts to communities like Fairfield. I will continue to fight for our funding and push for a vote as soon as possible.

Finger-pointing does not resolve the issues or promote discussion - we must focus on solutions and resolution.