An Open Letter to the Residents of Bristol and Plymouth

Connecticut’s Democratic Speaker of the House recently visited Bristol to tout his support for Bristol Hospital.  [“Speaker speaks up: Legislators tour, share support of Bristol Hospital”, Jan. 13]

We were not asked to join the tour.

Instead of focusing on developing bipartisan solutions to the number one problem in Connecticut  –  the state budget – the Speaker held a press conference to launch partisan attacks on us.

That was disappointing.

Attacking Republican legislators for not voting “yes” on the second highest tax increase in Connecticut’s history demonstrates how disconnected Democrat legislators are from taxpayers in Bristol and throughout Connecticut.

Over the past five years, the Speaker, legislative Democrats, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy have approved the two largest tax hikes in our state’s history.  Thousands of families and businesses have moved out of Connecticut – a clear indication that people believe our state is moving in the wrong direction.

This trend reflects a loss of confidence in the Democrat leadership, and as result, they are worried about losing the majority in the state House and Senate.

The Speaker’s allegations that Bristol’s Republican legislators are not vocal and strong supporters of Bristol Hospital – and its employees – is obviously untrue. We are known by our residents for our years of personal involvement and advocacy for the Bristol Hospital family. Our legislative actions reflect this fact.  Take, for example, our proposal to eliminate the state tax on hospitals and restore 100% of hospital funding.

We would also remind the Speaker that the bill which Democrats passed in December only puts back $5.1 million of the $5.8 million in the cuts Gov. Malloy proposed for Bristol Hospital.

The Speaker is welcome to come back to Bristol anytime, but make no mistake: we will continue to stand up for and speak out on behalf of our communities.

We will also continue to press for long-term structural budget solutions which put our state back on a sustainable path and protect services for our most vulnerable residents.

As your legislators, we will let you – not the Democrat leaders in Hartford – decide who best represents your interests.

Sen. Henri Martin

Rep. Cara Pavalock

Rep. Whit Betts