Tesei: Greenwich Being 'Financially Assaulted' By Malloy Budget Proposal

GREENWICH, CT — First Selectman Peter Tesei was none too pleased with Gov. Dannel Malloy's budget proposal Wednesday.

Tesei said that the state has failed to fund the teacher pension liability and that the system should be capped and a new defined contribution fund should be created for teachers.

Malloy has proposed that municipalities pick up about one-third or $400 million in teacher pension fund payments per year. Greenwich would go from receiving $1.4 million from the state to owing $5.2 million under the plan.

The local legislative delegation proposed a house bill that would exclude retirement benefits from state and municipal employee collective bargaining.

"The bill would give municipalities control over pension funding challenges that are being

passed on to us by the state," Tesei said.

Tesei added that Malloy should come down to Greenwich and talk with local taxpayers, including the 15 percent of families who qualify for free or reduced lunches in town to, "explain his thinking to those who will be financially assaulted by this punitive plan.”