To the Editor:

There are currently 389 homes for sale in Newtown.  When we bought our home 12 years ago there were hardly any available. The capture of the Governorship in 2010 by Dan Malloy, coupled with the continuous control of the state house and senate by one party, is largely responsible for the economic decline of our state.  This, despite the largest tax increases in the history of CT in 2011 that Malloy promised would: balance the budget, stop state borrowing, and fix the underfunded state pension system.  Predictably, it did none of that despite Newtown residents sending over $60.5M in 2011 and $68M in 2012 in personal income taxes to Hartford (up from $48.5M in 2010.)  At the same time we were being taxed more, our average home value fell 23 percent and the state’s bond rating now stands three full grades below Newtown’s yet we are supposed to believe that things are getting better and that he won’t raise taxes or continue to borrow if reelected?  Other cities like Newtown are experiencing similar drops in school populations and a rising sentiment of residents who wish to flee a state in decline. 

The only way to reverse course is to change the folks in power starting with the Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer and other elected officials who continue to advocate for an ever larger state government at the expense of small local businesses and individual taxpayers.  A good start would be to limit growth of government to the growth of state population and GDP and lower the corporate taxes for all businesses.  The rollback of the many tax increases of 2010 is also necessary if we want to succeed because our current “highest in the nation” tax menu is forcing more people and businesses to leave and who can blame them?  Governor Malloy’s policies are not working and the state will not recover if he is reelected.

Finally, we are thankful to the other taxpayers of the state for the $50M grant to rebuild the Sandy Hook School but without the Governors tax increases; we could have built the school our own without any help at all by just being able to keep the increased taxes that were imposed in 2011.  In fact, most towns in CT could build a new school every few years or fund other town priorities by just being able to retain their own tax increases instead of sending more money to Hartford.

The choice in this election is simple for anyone wishing to remain in the state as well as those wishing to leave and that is to stop electing officials who cannot balance budgets without resorting to taxes, borrowing and deferring expenses as a first choice instead of policies that attract employers and residents.  Governor Malloy has had his chance and has failed.

Sincerely,

Joe Kearney

9 Daniels Hill Road, Newtown                    October 22, 2014