Alderman Louis Salvio Sets City of New Britain Financial Issues Straight!

Mayor Erin Stewart was elected in November of 2013. Prior to that date, she held only one position in city government, a seat on the City Board of Education. Thus, she had no vote on the passing of the 2013-2014 City Budget. Nor did former Mayor Timothy Stewart. From November of 2011 thorough to the Municipal Election of November of 2013, the City’s finances were controlled by the Mayor Tim O’Brien Administration and the 13 Democrat Common Council.

The following list of actions that occurred under the O’Brien Administration and the then Common Council had nothing to do with Mayor’s Erin or Timothy Stewart:

• reached the limit of the city’s bonded indebtedness
• produced budgets with overinflated revenues
• $ hundreds of thousands of dollars given to cronies for “no show/no product jobs or products, e.g.; bloated his office staff
• waived taxes in perpetuity for the HRA property that, using today’s rates would produce $300,000 annually; and used HRA to pay for phantom city positions
• gave $ tens of thousands of dollars in raises for department heads, directors (acting or real)
• dismantled the Dept. of Municipal Development thus creating problems with disposition of HUD funds
• the phony 2013-2014 was passed gleefully by the then Common Council with the profuse approval of 12 of the13 Council Democrats

The list above represents only a fraction of the financial distress of New Britain produced by the O’Brien Administration. And yet, New Britain Democrat “leaders” continue to play the blame game. Our entire State Legislative Delegation was complicit in this scenario and yet, voters reelected all of them.

Today’s Herald points out what Mayor Stewart has had to do to try to right New Britain’s financial ship. In the meantime, it is the innocent taxpayers that will suffer.

Lou Salvio, Alderman