Projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others.
What, you may ask, does all this have to do with anything?
I would propose that the Ansonia Democrats are suffering an extreme case of psychological projection.
Under Democratic leadership taxes in Ansonia increased consistently until we shouldered the ninth highest tax burden in the state of Connecticut. Meanwhile, taxpayer funds were stashed away in the city’s general fund while improvements to city infrastructure and capital were all but ignored. It ended with a massive 11 mill tax hike that devastated both residents and business owners.
Yet the impulse to raise taxes has never subsided in the Ansonia Democratic Party. For the past three years its most outspoken members have called for increased city spending and expressed a desire to see the tax rate raised whenever service cuts are proposed. The remaining Democrat members of the Board of Aldermen have voted for departmental increases that would have resulted in higher taxes. And most outrageous, the Democrats have suggested that Mayor Cassetti rely more on local taxpayers and less on grant opportunities that have helped keep taxes down.
At one point, the Ansonia Democrats used their Facebook page to demand that the Mayor propose cutting one of Ansonia major grant funded projects to help the state budget! (See Ansonia CT Democratic Party Facebook post dated October 3, 2016 at 5:44pm).
That’s why it’s bizarre to see repeated “essays” authored by Ansonia Democrats now concerned about increased taxes and city spending. The latest such piece is now trouble about “major” potential tax increases. And all of the worry seems to stem from the city’s use of its overfunded taxpayer reserve and the borrowing from the recent capital improvement projects. This, despite the fact that our general fund is still higher than comparable communities and that our debt service cost, despite the newest round of borrowing, remains constant (the new debt merely replaced the old debt).
Of course, just ask the Ansonia Democrats what the solution to these supposed problems are.
I think I know what their answer will be. It’s a two-step process that goes something like this:
1. Elect Democrats
2. Major tax increase
Of course that’s just my “projection.”
Lorie Vaccaro
2nd Ward Alderman
