The Milford-Orange Times is continuing its election-year tradition of asking the candidates to respond to questions about what they would do for the residents of Milford and Orange if voters elect them. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Q: What will you do if elected to help make your district a more affordable place to live? Be as specific as possible.
State Sen. James Maroney, Democrat, District 14 (Incumbent)
James Maroney
Over the last eight years, Connecticut has paid down an additional $11 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. That saves nearly $1 billion a year in payments that came due because, for 30 years, governors and legislatures of both parties did not pay the appropriate amount. Combine that discipline with Treasurer Erick Russell’s restructuring of state investments, and our pensions have gone from roughly 30 percent funded to nearly 70 percent. That is what made the 2023 income tax cut possible, and it is what will let us keep investing in our state and delivering some relief to make day-to-day life more affordable. If fortunate enough to be reelected, here is where I would focus that relief.
For many people, the largest tax burden is the property tax. These are local taxes, but the state needs to do more, both to fund our towns and to help them reduce costs, and schools make up the largest part of most town budgets. We increased the base Education Cost Sharing amount, which increased funding for every city and town, and added money to excess cost reimbursement for special education, but we still have more to do. The governor’s blue ribbon commission on the ECS formula will be the basis for updating that formula. When we update how the money is allocated, we also need to increase the total, so there are no winners and losers and every town receives more. Special education and transportation costs are straining local school budgets, so we need to help districts provide in-district services and reduce transportation costs when an out-of-district placement is necessary.
For young families, the Early Childhood Trust Fund will soon provide free early childhood education to families earning less than $100,000 a year and cap the cost for every family at 7 percent of income. Next, Connecticut should recognize families in our tax code with a child tax credit, especially as federal policies drive up costs for families who are already struggling.
For seniors, many of whom are on fixed incomes, we removed the income tax on retirement income for individuals earning less than $75,000 and married couples earning less than $100,000. In doing that, we inadvertently created a marriage penalty, because most federal brackets for couples are double the individual level. If reelected, I will work to eliminate that marriage penalty and to eliminate the income tax on Social Security entirely.
For most seniors, though, the property tax is the biggest burden. The income caps for the circuit breaker program, which provides property tax relief for seniors, have not been adjusted in years. We should raise them and increase funding to towns to match, so towns don’t have to raise taxes on everyone else to make up the difference.
Finally, electricity. The energy legislation we passed last year made Connecticut one of the only states in the country to actually reduce energy costs, but we still have more to do. We don’t produce our own natural gas, so lowering generation costs means investing in more renewable energy together with grid-scale battery storage. Once a wind or solar project is built, the energy it generates costs nothing more. The catch is that the wind doesn’t always blow and solar doesn’t generate at night. Batteries store energy when it is cheap or plentiful and release it when demand is high, or renewables aren’t generating. Nevada and Illinois have invested heavily and seen it lower costs. We have also started investing in grid-enhancing technologies, which help us get more out of the power lines we already have, and we should expand these investments as the pilot programs succeed.
Our country is in the middle of an affordability crisis, and we need to be innovative to deliver real savings for families. No party has a monopoly on good ideas, so we have to work together. Campaigning is easy, and governing is hard. Eliminating taxes and sending checks may sound good, but those promises often aren’t achievable. If I’m fortunate enough to be reelected, I will keep working in a bipartisan way and put in the hard work necessary to deliver complicated solutions to difficult problems.