To The Editor:

All Democrats and unaffiliated voters: you have a choice in the August 11th Democratic primary to vote for someone new for governor. Connecticut needs a change.

Connecticut’s cities and rural areas are in financial crisis. Utility rates skyrocket while the monopolies that provide our power enjoy extraordinary profits. Connecticut sits at the bottom in the USA for house affordability, with record low inventory and severe lack of new construction. Our state infrastructure is crumbling. Our roads and bridges, water supply networks and wastewater systems are among the oldest in the country and beyond their intended engineering life cycle.

These are not signs of a healthy and happy state. And yet, all of this is happening while the State of Connecticut’s Budget Reserve Fund has sat at its maximum legal cap of nearly $4.5 billion for seven consecutive years. Connecticut is in excellent financial condition AND many citizens are struggling AND the State’s public works are falling apart? There is something wrong with this picture.

Being in the black is great. Paying down state pension funds is excellent. Governor Ned Lamont claims both as his victories. He has been a good fiscal watch dog, but the victory belongs more to a combination of strict fiscal guardrails passed by the state legislature in 2017 (before Governor Lamont was elected) and to unusually high revenue coming in from the federal government during COVID and then from the post-pandemic stock market boom.

Good state fiscal management is not just about saving money. It’s also about wise spending and wise planning for the future. It’s about making sure that everyone, including the wealthy, pay their fair share of taxes. A good governor looks at the reality faced by the citizens in his or her state and works actively and creatively, with the legislature as necessary, to make the adjustments necessary to improve the welfare of ALL state citizens.

Governor Lamont has been slow to acknowledge and address the financial crises of our towns and cities. He has resisted efforts to reform the state income tax system. He has failed to provide meaningful state leadership to solve the lack of affordable housing. He has not implemented recommended strategies to improve our aging infrastructure. He has not taken a strong stance to curb the soaring costs of electricity and health insurance.

Governor Lamont’s enormous personal wealth and his residence in Greenwich, one of Connecticut’s wealthiest towns, insulate him from the hard realities the rest of us face. We would be better served by someone who lives a life like ours and has our interests at heart. Josh Elliott is running for governor after years of service in the state legislature. He has a different vision for Connecticut, one that embraces all of us.

Consider your choices and vote in the Democratic primary on August 11th. If you are unaffiliated, you can register as a Democrat by August 10th to participate in the primary.

Anne Renner

Sandy Hook