Rutigliano: Crowd ‘Buzzes’ During Trumbull Legislative Coffee Hour
TRUMBULL— Trumbull residents came ready to talk state issues over coffee with their State Representatives Dave Rutigliano, Laura Devlin & Ben McGorty Saturday at Best Edibles Deli in Trumbull.
During the hour of coffee and conversation, the Trumbull trio answered questions and listened to concerns covering a wide spectrum of state and local issues important to the community.
Rep. David Rutigliano said, “Let’s be straight people are mad and they have a right to be mad, the Democrats in Hartford are outright hostile to business in our state. Small businesses are the life bread of any state economy; they invest in a community and provide local employment, let’s stop the nonsense and treat them as partners not as the enemy. I want to thank each and every resident who joined us Saturday, your opinion matters and makes a difference.”
The topics discussed were: the state budget and the newly projected state deficit, the decision and by GE to leave Connecticut, the continued loss of state revenue due to people leaving Connecticut both property and income taxes, the current minimum wage, the possibility of an increased gas tax and the implementation of tolls, and the worsening problem of Connecticut’s long-term pension debt.
The local representatives of CARES (Community Addiction and Recovery Education and Support) spoke with legislators and told them about their services which include providing support to families suffering from addiction and spreading awareness with the goal of stopping the stigma associated with addiction. They have a local Trumbull group which meets once a week, visit www.thecaresgroup.org for more information.
“Talking to Trumbull residents, I sensed a real frustration with the direction of our state. I talked to a constituent who works at GE and he said his job is being moved to Norwalk, I told him this GE result did NOT have to happen. The majority party at the State Capitol refuses to acknowledge the state unfriendly to business. I want to reassure residents we are fighting for a better Connecticut and looking to move our state in a positive direction,” said Rep. Laura Devlin. “It was informative listening to the advocates of Community Addiction and Recovery Education and Support (CARES) about the state’s increasing struggles with opiate addiction and how we can all work together to stop this spreading epidemic.”
“I appreciate the time everyone took to come out and meet with us to discuss the many issues facing our state, particularly the state of our economy and budget, as well as the critical state of transportation difficulties throughout Fairfield County,” Rep. Ben McGorty said. “This session will be a significant crossroads for Connecticut. It is an opportunity to change direction and make our economy thrive once again. To do that, we will need the kind of meaningful change that it is clear area residents are ready for.”
Some of the local issues Trumbull residents brought to the attention of the state legislators were the lack of traffic lights on Route 111 and the plans to rebuild the Trumbull Library.
State Representative David Rutigliano represents the 123rd District of Trumbull. He serves on the legislature’s Labor, General Law and Finance Committees. State Representative Laura Devlin represents the 134th District of Trumbull and Fairfield. She serves on the Finance, Government Administration & Elections and Transportation Committees.
State Representative Ben MGorty represents the 122nd District of Trumbull, Stratford and Shelton. He serves on the Appropriations, Judiciary and Environment Committees.