Rep. Ben McGorty Defends Local Control, Votes ‘No’ on Controversial State Housing Bill

HARTFORD, CT – State Representative Ben McGorty (R–Shelton, Stratford & Trumbull) voted “No” on HB 5002, the omnibus housing bill that would strip towns of their zoning authority and hand decision-making power over to Hartford.

“Local leaders—not bureaucrats at the Capitol should be making housing decisions in Shelton, Stratford, and Trumbull,” said Rep. McGorty. “This bill treats every town in Connecticut the same, and that just doesn’t work.”

HB 5002 forces towns to comply with rigid state housing mandates, pressures them to rezone for high-density development, and threatens to withhold infrastructure funding if they don’t comply. The bill also allows certain housing developments to bypass local input entirely.

McGorty says the legislation ignores the unique character and needs of Connecticut’s communities, lumping small towns and large cities into the same one-size-fits-all policy.

“Our towns aren’t interchangeable,” McGorty said. “What works for Hartford or Stamford won’t work for Shelton or Trumbull. Local officials know their communities. They understand traffic, schools, septic systems, and neighborhood character, things the state never even considers when it mandates development.”

While McGorty supports expanding affordable housing, he says the solutions need to come from within each town, not be imposed from above.

“I voted ‘No’ on HB 5002 because I believe in local control, and I trust our towns to do what’s best for their residents. This bill would take away that trust, and I won’t stand for it,” he said.