Calling out for unity on the right
Tim Herbst wants to end culture of entitlement in Hartford, and be tough on crime
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy might be Tim Herbst’s most-reliable punching bag on the campaign trail.
But Herbst, the former eight- year Trumbull first selectman, is at least as high- profile, and as feisty, as Malloy, crisscrossing the state with daily events aimed at President Donald Trump’s fiercely loyal base, which Herbst believes will propel him to victory in the primary on Aug. 14.
Herbst’s name recognition expanded beyond western Connecticut during his close- but- losing run for state treasurer in 2014. In his current campaign, he has focused
on conservative strongholds, including the eastern parts of the state that helped him become the runner- up to Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton for the party nomination in the May convention.
“Government is about building a consensus around a core set of principles and ideals,” Herbst said recently. “So for me and my party, whether it be conservative Republicans or moderate Republicans, my job is to build consensus around the issues we all agree on and that resonate with Democratic and independent voters around the state.”
As Trumbull first selectman, Herbst, the son of two local teachers, was a lightning rod for controversy. There was a highprofile legal feud with local schools contractor Al Barbarotta, the CEO of AFB Construction Management, that led to $ 20,000 payment to the contractor in 2015.
A follow- up case, involving a defamation lawsuit, was settled in August 2017, the details of which were not disclosed.
In 2016, Herbst’s eventual brother- in- law, Jesse Jablon, charged that he was fired from his Trumbull municipal job because he was dating Herbst’s sister. He claimed Herbst portrayed rumors to prospective employers that Jablon was a drug dealer.
Trumbull taxpayers this year paid $ 25,000 toward a nearly $ 42,000 settlement with Jablon, who is now married to Amanda Herbst.
Cindy Penkoff, a Republican appointed to the finance board by Herbst, has recently been criticizing Herbst in Facebook posts that question his self- professed ability to work with others toward consensus on issues, calling him a “Dan Malloy on steroids,” in reference to the unpopular Democratic governor. She recalled angry, emotional encounters with Herbst during his tenure as first selectman.
In the summer of 2014, Penkoff and Herbst clashed over an email she sent fellow Republicans about information local officials received on a development plan. Herbst charged Penkoff did not correctly portray the town’s plan for a Walmart Supercenter.
The tax question
But in his travels around the state, Herbst’s message is one of support for Trump. He promises to get tougher on crime and proposes massive changes to pension- and- benefit programs for state employees and lawmakers.
Some of his opponents want to end the income tax, which Herbst calls impractical. He’d prefer a combination of cutting some taxes and growing the economy.
The town’s mill rate on taxable property was 24.07 when he took office in 2010, and it rose to 32.74 when he left in 2018, according to the state Office of Policy and Management. But as the grand list of taxable property in Trumbull rose over time, there were two tax decreases under Herbst.
He also succeeded in investing more resources into the town’s unfunded pension liability, an achievement he touts on the campaign trail.
Currently, the 37- year- old Herbst has been hammering Bob Stefanowski, of Madison — a former corporate executive whose self- funded campaign allowed him to launch TV ads early and gain an edge — for his long- time registration as a Democrat, as well as his contributions to Democrats, including former U. S. Sen. Chris Dodd.
He dismisses Stefanowski, former hedge fund executive David Stemerman, of Greenwich, and other political newcomers in the primary field.
“Business and government are two very different things,” Herbst said recently. “In business, very often you tell people what you expect and when they don’t do that, they’re replaced. In government it’s a little bit different because you’re working with a legislative body that has to have buy- in to the reforms that you want to pursue.”
Taking a knee
Last month, Herbst was highly critical of an eastern Connecticut selectwoman who took a knee during the pledge of allegiance before a meeting, out of opposition to the Trump agenda. Herbst’s vocal response helped make the story go national. The woman said she received many threats and she ended up issuing an apology.
David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut, noted that in the same town, a Republican Haddam school board member made a similar protest.
“If only the politicians manufacturing outrage over one elected official exercising her right to free speech were this incensed about police killings of black adults and children,” McGuire said. “Respect and love for America doesn’t require blindness to America’s failure to honor its promise of racial justice and equality, and elected officials have the right to exercise their freedom of speech by kneeling in protest during the Pledge of Allegiance.”
On the campaign trail, Herbst has been warning the next governor will inherit a projected $ 5 billion budget deficit over the next two years, along with more than $ 80 billion in unfunded retirement and health care liabilities, at a time when more people are moving from the state.
“I should also point out that we’re losing 55 people a day in the state of Connecticut,” Herbst says. “As the unfunded liabilities continue to grow, as revenues continue to decline because of this mass exodus, what’s happening?
“The budget deficit grows larger and larger every single year. If ever it was a time to elect proven reformers and Hartford outsiders that are committed to taking on the pervasive culture of entitlement in Hartford, completely committed to upending business as usual, it’s now.”