The following press release was sent Thursday by State Rep. Linda Gentile’s office:
State Representative Linda Gentile (D‑Ansonia & Derby) joined with fellow legislators and area non-profits at a recent press conference to emphasize her commitment to saving and creating jobs by opposing the Governor’s deficit plan which would result in the loss of 5,000 jobs in Connecticut.
“The Governor’s proposal made drastic cuts to vital services, without looking for ways to be smarter with taxpayer dollars,” Rep. Gentile stated. “While these are difficult times requiring difficult decisions, those choices need to be balanced, reasonable and include long term planning.”
Rep. Gentile and her fellow Democrats’ plan prevented the governor from cutting $84 million in aid to cities and towns, preventing Ansonia and Derby from having the make up the difference in property tax increases.
Besides adversely affecting towns, the governor also cut funding to hospitals, community and school based health clinics, and daycare centers.
“These cuts will have a devastating effect on our programs by forcing us to layoff staff, reduce our ability to offer services to those in need and close one of our daycare facilities, leaving parents without affordable childcare,” stated Richard Knoll, President of TEAM, a Derby based community action agency that manages over a dozen programs that seek to improve the lives of economically vulnerable families.
Rep. Gentile added, “I supported a plan that continues to invest in initiatives that will help grow Connecticut’s economy, ensures residents are able to receive proper care when they are sick, and unlike the governor’s proposal, protects residents from property tax increases and appropriately delays tax breaks for Connecticut’s wealthiest.”
