Letter to the Editor

Cris Carillo


New Britain has been plagued by a heat wave for the past couple of weeks, and
I have seen the ways that it has affected local children and families.
Instead of spending their summer vacation outside in the Chesley Park pool,
the children in my neighborhood have been locked indoors, and the pool is
empty.

As I go from door to door talking to residents and walk around my
neighborhood, one consistent question I am asked: Why are we facing tax
increases when the services we use and enjoy are being cut? What is
increasing our costs to the point that we have to cut budgets like Park and
Recreation just to sustain other services? Are the costs of providing
services so high that we need to cut popular programs for our youth in
order to remain functional?

What I explain is that unfunded mandates from the state legislature is a
significant reason for these tax increases. Many of these mandates are
well-intentioned. However, they often fail to meet their stated goals
because the legislature typically does not provide the funds needed for
implementation by cities and towns. As result, cities like New Britain are
forced to increase taxes to its residents to cover the shortfalls.

Instead of helping the City of New Britain by demanding adequate funding
for education and other city services or fighting to stop these unfunded
mandates, some members of our state delegation seem more focused on
meddling with our city budget and placing their own political aspirations in
the forefront, instead of looking out for the genuine interest of taxpayers.

If elected as the State Representative for the 24th District in New
Britain, I will not get involved in the petty political games that we have
all become a victim of this year. Instead, I will spend my time in Hartford
fighting for the taxpayers of New Britain. This great city needs proper
representation and state-level leadership to help alleviate the ever
increasing tax burdens residents face. Our state legislators cannot keep
writing checks that we have to pay. They cannot continue to tax us more and
more. Send me to Hartford, and I will tell them that the well has run dry.

Cris Carillo
Candidate for State Representative
24th District
www.Carillo2010.com