Stalled Budget Talks Erode State Leaders’ Support

By Susan Haigh

Associated Press

HARTFORD –– The economy and the state’ s budget problems are eating into public support for state leaders, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

A survey of 502 state residents, conducted by the University of Connecticut Center for Survey Research and Analysis, shows the job approval ratings of Gov John G. Rowland and state lawmakers remain low.

The poll gives Rowland a positive rating of 27 percent. Lawmakers fare a little worse –– their positive job rating is at 25 percent.

“The chronic problem of balancing the state budget deficit, coupled with unfavorable economic times, have had a negative impact on the way people feel about the governor and the legislature,” said Poll Director Ken Dautrich.

A year ago the governor’s positive rating was at 56 percent. Two years ago, Mr Rowland’s positive rating was 65 percent.

“The poll numbers are certainly not [a] surprise,” said Rowland spokeswoman Michele Sullivan. “The public does associate the governor with managing the budget.”

Ms Sullivan said it is up to the legislature to come up with a budget. She said Mr Rowland has tried to help in the process, participating in the negotiations at times and offering ideas such as passing a one-year budget instead of a two-year budget.

There was no progress Tuesday toward a deal. Democratic legislative leaders met together to discuss the one-year concept and ideas to present to Republicans Wednesday afternoon when talks resume.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin Sullivan, D-West Hartford, said Democrats have come up with a new idea to pass a full tax-and-spending package for the first year of the budget and just a tax plan for the second year.

Democrats are concerned the state will not have enough revenue for 2004–05 if the state uses all the $250 million of expected federal aid in the first year of the budget. They want the GOP to commit to higher taxes in the second year, such as tax on people earning $500,000 or more a year.

Some Democrats prefer increasing the sales tax, while others want to focus on increasing the corporation tax.

Legislative leaders said Tuesday they were not surprised by their ratings in the UConn poll.

“On handling the budget crisis, nobody has anything to be proud of,” Ms Sullivan said.

Mr Dautrich said Connecticut politicians have suffered fallout from fiscal problems in the past. During the last major budget crisis in 1990 and 1991, former Govs William O’ Neill and Lowell Weicker had numbers hovering as low as 22 percent while the legislature was half that percentage.

The latest poll was done by phone and was conducted between July 14 and 21. It has a sampling margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.