Truck-only tolls; colleagues mourn Orange
Truck-only tolls: A new wrinkle in the transportation financing debate at the state Capitol came Tuesday when House Democrats proposed truck-only tolls at a dozen sites across Connecticut. The latest twist revisits an idea Lamont had campaigned on last year before dropping the concept in February, saying it would not raise enough money for needed transportation repairs. House Democrats estimate truck-only tolls would raise $150 million a year, far short of the $320 million Lamont’s most recent plan would raise with tolls charging all vehicles at 14 locations in the state near bridges in need of repair. But truck-only tolls would likely be more palatable both to the public and among Democratic legislators, some of whom worry that a vote for highway tolls could doom their reelection chances. “Tolling trucks has nothing to do with tolling cars — this is a completely separate issue,” said House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, DHartford. Republicans remain opposed to tolls, even if they are limited to trucks, and Senate Republicans have released their own transportation finance plan that relies on dipping into the state’s rainy day fund in lieu of tolls. Lamont and legislative leaders are expected to meet Tuesday to discuss the various options that have been presented. resign in February, ahead of the next legislative session, to focus on her treatment. “She had an undeniably witty sense of humor and a charming character that brightened even the gloomiest of days,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, who ordered state flags to half-staff in her honor. Colleagues said Orange was particularly keen on issues that affected first responders. She was also a leader of the legislature’s sportsman’s caucus. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Orange was a legislative staffer when he was the House chairman of the human services committee in the early 1990s. “Linda had a knack for working with people and achieving real results — it was apparent back then,” he said.
New Yorkers say I-684 toll targets them: State lawmakers in neighboring New York say Lamont is unfairly targeting their constituents with a proposed toll on the 1.4-mile stretch of I-684 that cuts through Greenwich. “In effect, it would create a ‘New York’ tax on our constituents who must transverse this small section of Connecticut in their drive within New York State,” four lawmakers wrote to Lamont Wednesday. According to documents from Lamont’s transportation plan, 85% of the revenue from the Greenwich toll would come from out-of-state drivers. “Governor Ned Lamont is focused on ensuring that Connecticut residents get the best possible transportation plan,” said Max Reiss, a spokesman for the governor. But the New York lawmakers countered that drivers would travel on local roads in Connecticut and New York to avoid the toll “resulting in increased local maintenance and road repair costs.” State Sen. Alex Bergstein, D-Greenwich, supports tolls but opposes the one on I-684, calling it “taxation without representation.”
Himes’ profile rising: With a second week of televised impeachment hearings before the House Intelligence Committee, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes’ profile is continuing to rise. Himes, the No. 2 Democrat on the committee, led an impassioned defense Tuesday of Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Army officer and top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council who said President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “inappropriate.” Himes dismissed Republicans’ criticism of Vindman. “It’s what you stoop to when the indefensibility of your case requires that you attack a man who is wearing a Springfield rifle on a field of blue, above a Purple Heart,” Himes told Vindman. “I, sir, thank you for your service.” He said negative tweets the president has sent about other witnesses that have been called before the committee seem “like witness intimidation and tempering.” Himes was the first member of the state’s congressional delegation to call for an impeachment inquiry against Trump.
More oversight at MDC? Upset with a proposed 14% increase in water rates, state lawmakers are calling for additional oversight of the Metropolitan District Commission, the regional water and sewer authority that serves the Greater Hartford area. Water rates have risen roughly 25% over the past two years. State Rep. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, called the proposed rate increase “outrageous and unsustainable” and said that it “raises a larger issue about accountability and transparency” at the quasi-public MDC. “To me, it’s problematic that they’re a quasi-governmental entity, but there’s no real oversight on their proposed rate increases,” said state Rep. Tom Delnicki, R-South Windsor. Slap and Delnicki have proposed requiring the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the state agency that oversees electric, natural gas, water and telecommunication companies, to approve future MDC rate increases. William DiBella, chairman of the MDC’s governing board, said the rate increases are being driven by a $2 billion infrastructure upgrade approved by voters in MDC’s member towns.
New state agency would handle imprisoned youth: With the state’s prison where teens who have had their cases transferred to adult court are held under federal investigation, a national consultant recommended Thursday that Connecticut should create a new state agency to handle youths who are locked up. At the Manson Youth Institute, run by the state Department of Correction, minors classified as security risks were being isolated in their cells for up to 23.5 hours a day. Advocates argue that amounts to solitary confinement of minors, which is illegal in Connecticut. Jason Szanyi of the Center for Children’s Law and Policy acknowledged there may be political opposition to the creation of a free-standing authority to handle the detention of minors but said Connecticut could look to Massachusetts as an example of what can be done. Szanyi recommended against reopening the highsecurity Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown, which closed in 2018 after a controversial 16-year run.
New London Superior Court Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed’s nomination to be a federal judge sailed through the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. Jongbloed, 60, of Madison, was approved on a voice vote on the same day the nominations of two appellate court judges were the subject of an hours’ worth of criticism by Democrats and passed on a party-line vote in the Republican-controlled committee. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who serves on the committee, said the universal support for Jongbloed shows
“that we can find qualified nominees that are acceptable on both sides that represent the best of our profession.” … Connecticut scored higher than average in a recent national assessment of laws and policies supporting the LGBTQ community. The report, released Tuesday by the Human Rights Campaign, said Connecticut had a statewide average of 74 points, compared to a national average of 60 points. Some individual cities scored even higher, like Stamford with 100 points, Hartford at 99 and Norwalk at 97. State lawmakers passed three bills this year supporting the LGBTQ community: granting minors access to HIV prevention medication, banning the so-called gay panic defense and creating an LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. … Despite public criticism, Democrats on the West Hartford Town Council Tuesday decided not to reappoint Beth Kerrigan as deputy mayor, even though she was the second-highest vote-getter in the Nov. 5 election. The positions of mayor and deputy mayor typically go to the No. 1 and No. 2 vote-getters. But Kerrigan was passed over in favor of Councilman Leon Davidoff, with no public explanation. “People keep asking the question, ‘Why?’” she said. “We haven’t been given a reason why this is happening.” … In Simsbury meanwhile it was the decision of who will be deputy first selectman that had led to some consternation. Democratic First Selectman Eric Wellman reached across the aisle and chose Republican Sean Askham for the deputy spot. “I was really considering other factors much more heavily than political party,” Wellman said. “In that position, I’m looking for someone who can complement rather than duplicate the strengths that I bring.” Wellman has been praised for his choice and his effort to work in a bipartisan fashion, but some local Democrats were miffed about his pick. … Rep. Elizabeth Esty left Congress in 2009 amid criticism of her handling of sexual harassment allegations against her ex-chief of staff but she has resurfaced in Washington recently as an audience member at the impeachment hearings before the House Intelligence Committee. Esty has continued to maintain a social media presence and records with the Federal Election Commission show she had more than $580,000 in her campaign bank account at the end of September. She raised eyebrows earlier this year when she paid more than $95,000 to a Washington-based digital consultant that works for progressive Democrats and nonprofits. Esty, who left Congress on Jan. 3, “does not harbor any electoral ambitions,” her chief of staff, Tim Daly, said at the time.