Cafero Addresses Small Town Leaders at Capitol Conference

HARTFORD — House Republican Leader Larry Cafero today told a large group of mayors and first selectmen what they already knew: the General Assembly has done very little, if anything, to remedy Connecticut’s fiscal woes and give towns an idea of how much state aid they’ll receive. Cafero attended Town Leaders Day, an event put on by the Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST.) Among the topics discussed were state education funding and Tuesday’s passage in the House of probate court consolidation legislation.Heading into the event Cafero, of Norwalk, was the only state elected official on the list of legislators that would speak. But as Cafero took aim at budget inaction from majority Democrats, drawing applause at various points, in strolled Senate President Don Williams to make his party’s case. Williams claimed that the legislature, despite Cafero’s assertions, had indeed taken steps to address the state’s budget woes. Compared to Cafero’s comments, the words from Williams rang hollow with the crowd. He talked about “accountability” and “honesty,” and he threw out a dizzying series of deadlines and criticisms of Gov. M. Jodi Rell but offered few specifics along the way. Cafero, on the other hand, talked about the legislature’s inability to do what local leaders needed most: provide a state budget early so towns and cities could build theirs. Cafero drew applause from the crowd a few times before heading back to the House chamber to participate in the day’s legislative session. But Republican Sen. Andrew Rorabackof Goshen stopped by and countered the budget-related comments from Williams, reminding folks in the room that it’s Democrats who control the Capitol. What’s more, the Democrat super majority had proposed significant tax increases, Roraback explained.