A tale of two cities: leaders from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities came to praise Malloy's budget, GOP mayors and selectmen came to rip it - Capitol Watch

A tale of two cities: leaders from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities came to praise Malloy's budget, GOP mayors and selectmen came to rip it - Capitol Watch


"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Municipal leaders from across the state gathered in one room of the legislative office building to heap praise on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget.

A few feet away and a half hour later, Republican local officials came together to criticize the governor's proposal.

"We certainly want to applaud him for the enhanced revenue options that he's providing in the budget,'' Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said. "We want to thank him for his forthrightness and candor in today's speech. But let's be clear about what's been proposed.''

Boughton and the other Republicans say Malloy's plan to give .10 of the 6.35 sales tax on retail purchases won't offset other potential losses. "While it's nice to say all these different revenue streams may back fill that dollars [lost], we're still not sure about that,' said Boughton, who was his party's nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010.'

And Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham said Malloy's budget has plenty of pain for the state's residents. "This budget helps ... municipalities but hurts the residents that live in those towns and cities,'' he said."

mayor jason mccoy