Congratulations to Ansonia residents!!
On August 27th,the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved four charter revision questions that will appear on the November ballot for voter approval.
These proposed revisions are targeted at saving the city and taxpayers money.
All of the revisions are important, though it is the Republican-backed “Responsible Referendum” proposal that has attracted the most attention. Simply stated, it will give voters the right to vote on the city budget if a net tax increase of 3 percent or more is proposed.
Consider the net tax increases imposed by the unelected Board of Apportionment and taxation over the past two years: a 7% increase (2013-2014) and a 6% increase(2012-2013).
Also recall that net taxes increased10.3% for the 2008-2009 budget.
The Responsible Referendum would have required those three budgets to be approved directly by voters, or else reduced substantially.
We, the people, may FINALLY have a say in how our dollars are spent!
I would like to congratulate Ansonia Republicans on both the Charter Revision Commission and Board of Aldermen for ensuring that the Responsible Referendum is up for voter approval this fall. The persistent efforts of Aldermen Charlie Stowe, Phil Tripp, Joan Radin and John Marini, along with Commission members Pat Henri and Janet Waugh, are to be commended. I myself am honored to have been a part of the Charter Revision Commission and to have supported the initiative.
Of course, the greatest credit must be given to the Ansonia residents themselves, who showed up in staggering numbers at the Charter Revision public hearings in support of the Responsible Referendum. The public’s support was critical to persuading Ansonia Democrats to support the proposal. In fact, Democrats in the Charter Revision Commission had uniformly opposed placing the Responsible Referendum on the November ballot, voting against it three times.
Even now Ansonia Democrats appear leery of giving residents the right to vote on the budget, with some Democratic aldermen openly doubting that voters will approve the measure!
I know the people of Ansonia will prove the doubters wrong. Giving residents the right to vote on city spending is a huge step towards building a more responsible city government. It is clearly the voters who will win at the ballot this fall.
Lorie Vaccaro
Member, Charter Revision Commission
Candidate for 2nd Ward Alderman
Talk about spin! It’s amazing how election time pumps up the chests of the candidates and the claims of “we did this”… and “we did that” get shouted across the media. I was personally there at those Charter Commission Meetings. At one point the commission unanimously voted to the table the referendum proposal because the commission (republicans, democrats, and unaffiliated) did not have enough time to properly research and develop the law. (read for yourself – all the minutes are publicly available.)The proposal was brought back in an 11th hour vote. The majority of the commission worked together in response to the public outcry and developed a reasonable law. This was NOT just a Republican effort. Voters, please take the time to read the minutes of this and other commissions before making your vote this November. There seems to be a lot chest beating and hot air being expelled. We want candidates who are willing to work together for the greater good of this city, not work towards who is going to get the credit.
William Luneski
Member, Charter Revision Commission
Unaffiliated Voter
Thank you, Bill. Well said.
Ultimate credit for placing the Responsible Referendum on the ballot must be given to the residents. Their overwhelming vocal support persuaded former opponents of the proposal to “let the people decide.”
However, it can fairly be said that the Ansonia Republicans were the driving force behind budget referendum initiative. That’s not “spin.” It’s simply fact.
Republican Alderman Charlie Stowe advocated for the idea of a budget referendum from the very outset of the charter revision process. He brought the proposal to the Commission’s attention at its first public hearing, and persistently pushed the Commission to recommend the revision to the aldermen. He continued to fight for the referendum revision even after the idea seemed to have been side-lined.
Republican Commission members Lorie Vaccaro and Pat Henri also played a key role in the process, formally reviving the Responsible Referendum proposal. They argued that there was no reason to delay the budget referendum revision – it could be enacted even while the Commission continued to contemplate additional, more complex, changes to the budgetary system.
Yes, the budget referendum was brought back in an “11th hour” vote. This simply underscores how close this proposal came to NOT being passed to the ballot this fall. That vote was called by Mr. Vaccaro and Mr. Henri, and supported by all Republican members of the Commission and one unaffiliated member: Mr. Luneski.
It was opposed by all Democrat members.
Democrats on the Board of Aldermen eventually came around to support the proposal after hearing directly from the residents at a public hearing. However, they were not always so warm to the idea of a public referendum on the budget.
In fact, interested readers can check out this Valley Independent article from March 19, 2012, when I initially called for changes to the budgetary system – including a budget referendum system:
http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/archives/entry/should_ansonia_aldermen_have_more_control_over_the_budget/
I essentially agree with Bill: moving Ansonia forward is much more important than who gets credit for what.
Yet I also believe voters have a right to know which party is truly serving their interests.
John Marini
7th Ward Alderman