Legislative Candidates Talk Affordable Housing, Economy In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Candidates for state representative and state senator met last Friday at the Greenwich Water Club for a forum hosted by the Greenwich Association of Realtors.

The event focused on real estate, land use and economic development in Connecticut. The candidates were given the questions in advance, and each had two minutes to respond.

Participating in the forum was incumbent state Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-36) and Democratic challenger Trevor Crow; incumbent state Rep. Kimberly Fiorello (R-149) and Rachel Khanna, a Democrat; incumbent Democrat state Rep. Stephen Meskers (150th) and Republican challenger Ed Lopez; and Democrat Hector Arzeno and Republican Peter Sherr, who are both vying for the state representative seat in the 151st District.

Affordable Housing 8-30g

The candidates were most aligned on the issue of affordable housing, particularly on state statute 8-30g.

The statute, which has been in place since 1989, requires all municipalities in Connecticut to have 10 percent of housing designated as affordable. Greenwich has yet to meet the goal.

All the candidates said 8-30g isn't the answer to Greenwich's affordable housing problem. They said local control over zoning is the best path forward.

"Hartford thinks that zoning is the reason we have a lack of diversity in housing in our state, not the decade's long lost years of economic growth," said Fiorello, who has served on the Planning & Development Committee in Hartford for the past two years. " I believe we need economic growth in order to have construction and housing growth. Defending local zoning is defending democracy and defending home ownership. Planning & Zoning, with town volunteers, is the democratic way, and home ownership is a path to generational wealth."

Khanna said the statute in its current form isn't effective.

"This is the only thing my opponent and I agree on. Additional housing in Connecticut is both a moral and economic imperative. People deserve a place to live and call home. We cannot sustain and grow our economy if we can't house our workforce," said Khanna, noting that housing at all price points is critical for economic growth.

She added that 8-30g's one-size-fits-all approach doesn't take into account the differences in density and access to mass transit in each community.

Lopez said the issue of affordable housing is important to him,and it's one of the reasons he's been so involved in Greenwich's Representative Town Meeting.

"Local solutions are better. What works in Bridgeport is not going to work in Greenwich. In the next legislative session, I will begin to work on stopping the one-size-fits-all approach to affordable housing," Lopez said. "I want to request a moratorium on 8-30g to allow Greenwich to implement local plans and efforts to better judge what does and doesn’t work."

Lopez said the character of Greenwich's neighborhoods have been attacked by legislators in Hartford through various zoning bills.

"I've repeatedly stated that I do not support state-imposed solutions to affordable housing. I believe that all of our solutions should be local in nature. The problem we face in Greenwich is both workforce and affordable housing," added Meskers, who is looking for his second term in office.

"Clearly we need a local plan and a local solution for affordable housing," Meskers said. "Our seniors and young families should find readily available, moderately priced, entry-level or senior housing. I'd to work to secure state funding for a locally sourced solution to our housing needs in our community."

The Economy & Attracting Residents, Businesses To CT

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Greenwich and other towns in the state saw an influx of new residents looking to escape city life.

The candidates were asked if the surge in new residents was a reversal of a years-long trend of losing people to other states, and they were asked what they would do to retain residents and businesses long term.

Sherr said that when he got out of college in the 1980's and got a job in Stamford, there were 10-12 Fortune 500 companies headquartered there. Now, he said, there's only one.

"It's very clear that the economic policies that we've had in Connecticut are not working and they're not the right policies to grow and attract kids to come here," Sherr said. "If we want to attract people here, we have to spark growth and have a much more robust economy."

A former member of the Greenwich Board of Education, Sherr said the goal should also be to bolster schools.

Sherr went on to say that people should not be fooled by "the few people" who moved in after the pandemic. He called it a short-term event.

Arzeno said he hears other people talking as if the glass is completely empty in Connecticut. He said the state is becoming more business friendly, and Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development David Lehman has done a good jo attracting businesses and employees.

"Residents want to earn a living wage, they want high quality public education, and the job training Connecticut has to offer. We cannot elect people who want to take that away," Arzeno said.

Fazio explained that Connecticut has been one of two states in the country with negative economic growth over the last few years.

"For the life of me, I don't understand why our state's economy should be in this situation," he said. "We have great people, strong communities, we have everything working in our favor, except for the leadership and policies in Hartford."

Fazio said there needs to be a change in direction with leadership in Hartford. He advocated for the reduction of taxes, and the streamlining of regulations and healthcare to reduce costs and improve access, and the reduction to the cost of utilities and energy.

"There is a better way. This state's economy could succeed like no other," he said.

Crow said the idea that Connecticut is moving downward is "absolutely wrong."

She said many young families have moved to Greenwich because taxes are relatively lower here than New York and New Jersey.

"We have great schools, we have a safe environment here. Young families come here because they know they can build their lives in a safe, beautiful community," she said.

Crow also pointed out that Connecticut is a safe-haven state for reproductive rights, and companies are looking to move to the state "because we have proper reproductive health care for all employees."

She also highlighted Connecticut's strict gun laws as a reason why residents are choosing Connecticut.