Timothy O'Brien (politician) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tim O'Brien (born June 13, 1968) is a Connecticut State Representative. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represents the Twenty-Fourth Assembly District, which includes parts of New Britain and Newington, Connecticut. O'Brien was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2002, having previously served as a member of the Common Council of the City of New Britain.
As a state legislator, O'Brien has been a strong advocate for reform to Connecticut's property tax system, an effort to change the fact that middle class and poorer taxpayers, particularly those in Connecticut's cities, pay a higher percentage of their incomes in property taxes than wealthy persons in Connecticut. O'Brien also advocates for extending healthcare benefits to all of the residents of the state, increasing funding to public schools, expanding Connecticut's prescription drug coverage and protecting workers' rights.
In the 2005-2006 term of the legislature,[1] O'Brien was the Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, and was a member of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee and the Education Committee. In the 2007-2008 term,[2] he left the Government Administration and Elections Committee and was named to the Public Health Committee and Judiciary Committee.
As Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, O'Brien worked actively for approval of Connecticut's sweeping 2005 campaign finance reform legislation. The campaign finance reform law provides for public financing of candidates for statewide and state legislative offices who agree not to accept large amounts of private campaign contributions and agree to limit their overall campaign expenditures. O'Brien also worked for the approval of state legislation designed to ensure voter-verified hard-copy records of votes for any direct-recording electronic voting machines to be used in Connecticut.
As a member of the New Britain City Council (Common Council) O'Brien worked for the change in the way New Britain City Council members were elected from an "at-large" system, to one that ensures that every neighborhood elects Council members by and from their own neighborhood districts. He also worked for the approval of a local law (ordinance) to provide minimum wages for the workers of companies doing business with or receiving subsidies from the city (living wage ordinance) and anti-slumlord ordinances.
O'Brien is married to Ms. Rhona Cohen O'Brien, and has a stepson named Eoin and a daughter, Olivia O'Brien.
Will the State of Connecticut have a special session to address a projected State Budget Deficit?
The State's Budget Office reported that before the April 17, 2012 income tax receipts are counted, they are predicting a $141.9 million deficit under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. It was the first time the Budget Office reported that the state would end the year in deficit even though state Comptroller Kevin Lembo and the Office of Fiscal Analysis have been reporting deficits since January 2012.
“Obviously I’ve told people not to spend money. We will counsel people to be circumspect in the expenditure of those monies which simply don’t need to be spent,” Gov. Malloy said. While he downplayed the budget deficit in a nearly 20-minute press conference with Capitol reporters, Gov. Malloy said he didn’t believe increasing taxes or borrowing would be necessary.
The bulk of the deficit identified by Malloy’s administration is its Medicaid account. Gov. Malloy reminded reporters that when he took office the state had a $3.6 billion deficit he had to solve in his first year in office. He said now the state is talking about a deficit below $200 million.
NEW BRITAIN — The State of Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the city of New Britain, and against New Britain-based AFSCME Council 4 in a lawsuit related to an increase in pay for foremen of Local 1186. Because of the 4-2 ruling, city attorney Mary C. Pokorski said the city will see a savings of between $300,000 and $400,000 dollars.
The lawsuit was six years in the making and dates back to year 2006 when the city began negotiations with the union, which represents 195 city public works, parks and recreation and administrative-clerical employees.
The state representative for the union New Britain-based AFSCME Council 4, Mr. Ed Thibodeau stated that the lawsuit related to an increase in pay for foremen of Local 1186; and that we are disappointed that the state Supreme Court would overrule the decision of an arbitration panel, a trial court and an appellate court.
When the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration ruled against the City of New Britain in this labor case, and ordered an upgrade of foremen with public works, water and parks to a classification of 5 percent higher than their subordinate employees. And when the state Superior Court and state Appellate Court also sided with the union, but in the end the state's highest court the Supreme Court ruled 4-2 in favor of the City of New Britain in this labor case.
At the CPOA meeting 04/29/12, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Trueworthy was asked one of the key questions of what the $30 million Structural Budget Deficit is- and where does it come from in the City's budget?
Trueworthy in his answer stated that the City's deficit is due, in part, to a self insurance fund that was underfunded and City's contractual obligations with the union's membership.
NOTE: Mayor O'Brien's proposed budget calls for up to 130 layoffs of city workers, a massive consolidation of City departments and no tax increase, as the City faces one of its most trying economic periods in its history.
Several Union Leaders have called for a "forensic audit" of the City's books going back some three years.
The " STRUCTURAL BUDGET DEFICIT " is a virus - imbalance generated by a budget gap between revenue ($) and spending ($) fostered by elected and appointed liberal & conservative public servants.
I'm sure Trueworthy failed to admit that he voted for those budgets where less was put into the self-insurance fund than was requested by the Finance Director.
Stewart must be to blame. He hypnotized all the Democrats on the Council to vote for the budget.
The reason why the state supreme court returned their correct verdict in the case was because the unions signeda document prior to negotiations that said the would not arbitrate this issue and then turned around and shoved in the city's proverbial ass shortly thereafter. If they hadn't signed the document they probably would have won. However that clause in the city's civil service rules is for non union employees that serve as department heads not supervisors in the same bargaining units! About time the city won a decision!
They should rename the CPOA...
ReplyDeleteI think RCCD (Right-wing Caucus of Caucasian Dinosaurs).
Timothy O'Brien (politician)
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tim O'Brien (born June 13, 1968) is a Connecticut State Representative. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represents the Twenty-Fourth Assembly District, which includes parts of New Britain and Newington, Connecticut. O'Brien was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2002, having previously served as a member of the Common Council of the City of New Britain.
As a state legislator, O'Brien has been a strong advocate for reform to Connecticut's property tax system, an effort to change the fact that middle class and poorer taxpayers, particularly those in Connecticut's cities, pay a higher percentage of their incomes in property taxes than wealthy persons in Connecticut. O'Brien also advocates for extending healthcare benefits to all of the residents of the state, increasing funding to public schools, expanding Connecticut's prescription drug coverage and protecting workers' rights.
In the 2005-2006 term of the legislature,[1] O'Brien was the Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, and was a member of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee and the Education Committee. In the 2007-2008 term,[2] he left the Government Administration and Elections Committee and was named to the Public Health Committee and Judiciary Committee.
As Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, O'Brien worked actively for approval of Connecticut's sweeping 2005 campaign finance reform legislation. The campaign finance reform law provides for public financing of candidates for statewide and state legislative offices who agree not to accept large amounts of private campaign contributions and agree to limit their overall campaign expenditures. O'Brien also worked for the approval of state legislation designed to ensure voter-verified hard-copy records of votes for any direct-recording electronic voting machines to be used in Connecticut.
As a member of the New Britain City Council (Common Council) O'Brien worked for the change in the way New Britain City Council members were elected from an "at-large" system, to one that ensures that every neighborhood elects Council members by and from their own neighborhood districts. He also worked for the approval of a local law (ordinance) to provide minimum wages for the workers of companies doing business with or receiving subsidies from the city (living wage ordinance) and anti-slumlord ordinances.
O'Brien is married to Ms. Rhona Cohen O'Brien, and has a stepson named Eoin and a daughter, Olivia O'Brien.
Will the State of Connecticut have a special session to address a projected State Budget Deficit?
ReplyDeleteThe State's Budget Office reported that before the April 17, 2012 income tax receipts are counted, they are predicting a $141.9 million deficit under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. It was the first time the Budget Office reported that the state would end the year in deficit even though state Comptroller Kevin Lembo and the Office of Fiscal Analysis have been reporting deficits since January 2012.
“Obviously I’ve told people not to spend money. We will counsel people to be circumspect in the expenditure of those monies which simply don’t need to be spent,” Gov. Malloy said. While he downplayed the budget deficit in a nearly 20-minute press conference with Capitol reporters, Gov. Malloy said he didn’t believe increasing taxes or borrowing would be necessary.
The bulk of the deficit identified by Malloy’s administration is its Medicaid account. Gov. Malloy reminded reporters that when he took office the state had a $3.6 billion deficit he had to solve in his first year in office. He said now the state is talking about a deficit below $200 million.
NEW BRITAIN — The State of Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the city of New Britain, and against New Britain-based AFSCME Council 4 in a lawsuit related to an increase in pay for foremen of Local 1186. Because of the 4-2 ruling, city attorney Mary C. Pokorski said the city will see a savings of between $300,000 and $400,000 dollars.
ReplyDeleteThe lawsuit was six years in the making and dates back to year 2006 when the city began negotiations with the union, which represents 195 city public works, parks and recreation and administrative-clerical employees.
The state representative for the union New Britain-based AFSCME Council 4, Mr. Ed Thibodeau stated that the lawsuit related to an increase in pay for foremen of Local 1186; and that we are disappointed that the state Supreme Court would overrule the decision of an arbitration panel, a trial court and an appellate court.
ReplyDeleteWhen the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration ruled against the City of New Britain in this labor case, and ordered an upgrade of foremen with public works, water and parks to a classification of 5 percent higher than their subordinate employees. And when the state Superior Court and state Appellate Court also sided with the union, but in the end the state's highest court the Supreme Court ruled 4-2 in favor of the City of New Britain in this labor case.
ReplyDeleteAt the CPOA meeting 04/29/12, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Trueworthy was asked one of the key questions of what the $30 million Structural Budget Deficit is- and where does it come from in the City's budget?
ReplyDeleteTrueworthy in his answer stated that the City's deficit is due, in part, to a self insurance fund that was underfunded and City's contractual obligations with the union's membership.
NOTE: Mayor O'Brien's proposed budget calls for up to 130 layoffs of city workers, a massive consolidation of City departments and no tax increase, as the City faces one of its most trying economic periods in its history.
Several Union Leaders have called for a "forensic audit" of the City's books going back some three years.
Trueworthy has been the deputy mayor or majority leader for how many years? He put together how many budgets? And now things are amiss?
ReplyDeletePlease.
I heard that O'Brien was invited, but didn't have the balls to actually show up!
ReplyDeleteThe " STRUCTURAL BUDGET DEFICIT " is a virus - imbalance generated by a budget gap between revenue ($) and spending ($) fostered by elected and appointed liberal & conservative public servants.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Trueworthy failed to admit that he voted for those budgets where less was put into the self-insurance fund than was requested by the Finance Director.
ReplyDeleteStewart must be to blame. He hypnotized all the Democrats on the Council to vote for the budget.
The reason why the state supreme court returned their correct verdict in the case was because the unions signeda document prior to negotiations that said the would not arbitrate this issue and then turned around and shoved in the city's proverbial ass shortly thereafter. If they hadn't signed the document they probably would have won. However that clause in the city's civil service rules is for non union employees that serve as department heads not supervisors in the same bargaining units!
ReplyDeleteAbout time the city won a decision!