At last Monday’s Commission on Aging meeting (COA), State Representative Mitch Bolinsky came and presented the hard work he has been doing for senior citizens across the state, but his work was met with some harder questions.

After consulting with Natalie Griffith, Director of Human Services, Bolinsky accepted a grant for $100,000 to assist Newtown Senior Center in obtaining transportation. That grant was roped into House Bill 5523 that was voted on in May. The line item for Newtown Senior Center was on page 33.

When Bolinsky arrived at the senior center on July 15 to present the check to COA, Commissioner LeReine Frampton asked him, “Why did you vote against the bill?” Bolinsky then explained that following significant revisions to the bill, it became something that he no longer supported as it “diverted $80 million from Special Education Excess Cost Grants — an expense that will impact every school district in Connecticut.” At the meeting, he said, “They were going to take [the money] out of nonprofits; instead it was put into a different account.”

Bolinsky also opposed the $700 million bill as he is “a flat no on anything that raises taxes. I have been for twelve years. So if need would have been, I would be perfectly willing to forgo the $100,000 in favor of not having 3.5 million people in the state of Connecticut be subject to a tax increase.”

Bolinsky assured the commissioners that if HB 5523 were to not pass, he would have secured funding for the senior center transportation enhancements elsewhere.

The bill passed through the House with 103 Yes votes, and 48 No votes.

Therefore, Bolinsky, along with representatives Marty Foncello and Dominique Johnson and First Selectman Jeff Capeci presented COA a check for $100,000 to obtain transportation for the senior center. Johnson, Foncello, and Bolinsky are all members of the Aging Committee that “worked through two very big bills in the legislature.”

Those two bills include Governor’s Bill 5046, “which dealt with regulatory, authority, and standards in nursing homes to literally make them better places for those that are there,” Bolinsky explained, and Speaker’s Bill 5001, “which dealt with something we call ‘aging in place,’ which is a near and dear subject to everybody in this room.”

Bolinsky described 5001 as a visionary bill that will allow seniors to receive skilled and unskilled care in their home; the bill will also “compensate relatives that give up their full-time work to care for their relatives. All of it will represent significant savings to the state of Connecticut, on one hand, but on the most important hand, it allows people to be cared for in their own homes by the people that love them,” Bolinsky said.

Foncello also discussed his work for veterans in the state of Connecticut that include tax exemptions for totally disabled vets on their homes or cars. It will go into effect for this year’s taxes.

“If the veteran passes away, the spouse gets to keep the benefit. So this is a really good benefit for vets,” Foncello told the crowd.

COA Updates

During the meeting itself, Griffith updated commissions other COA business. The Newtown COA was selected by the CT Age Well Collaborative to host a “Daring Dialogue” program, which seeks to build a more inclusive community and address topics of ageism and ableism head on, she said. The first meeting of the recruitment team and Age Well was Tuesday.

The senior center’s Patio Project is coming to fruition as it received approval from the Fairfield Hills Authority and has signed contracts with Giglio Landscaping. Now, they’re awaiting a start date and hope to enjoy the end of summer on the new patio, Griffith reported.

Griffith also shared that Friends of Newtown Seniors will be hosting another round table discussion at Newtown Senior Center with Executive Director of Nunnawaulk Meadows Mary Salley. That discussion will take place on July 23 at 3:30 pm.

Griffith gave the COA members insight into the grant process as she recently applied to the AARP Flagship Grant. They were not awarded the grant but are trying to apply for the Livable Communities Grant, which focuses on respect and social inclusion.

Members suggested hosting intergenerational events with the senior center and Newtown High School students, but no concrete decisions were made at the meeting.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.