Allan Appel Photo
This time, no one could accuse Malloy of breaking his pizza vow.
Governor Dannel P. Malloy came to vote-rich Bella Vista bearing not only 30 boxes of pizza but two proposals to help keep seniors in their homes, plus one swipe at his opponent’s public-transit credibility.
The 30 – 2‑1 triple punch was delivered at the elderly complex Monday afternoon as the governor, in a tight election against Republican opponent Tom Foley, made yet another stop in New Haven, this time to highlight policies to benefit senior citizens.
Pamela Burgos said Malloy has her vote due to his expansion of the rent rebate program.
In front of 40 people sitting and standing on the sun dappled plaza in front of Bella Vista’s Building C, the governor promised that – if re-elected of course – he’ll propose an expansion and increased eligibility for his circuit breakers tax relief program, which helps qualifying seniors pay their property taxes.
His proposal would increase benefits on average by $250 and increase income=limit eligibility for single seniors from $33,500 to $40,000 and for couples from $40,000 to $50,000.
“Some of you sold your homes because it was too expensive” to maintain, he said.
The governor also proposed a new tax break for those caring for elderly parents: a state tax credit — currently one does not exist – that would be 25 percent of the federal tax credit. It’s “another program keeping people where they want to be,” he added.
Eight-year Bella Vista resident Lou Grimaldi.
The governor reserved his most passionate remark for another subject near and dear to seniors: public transportation. He told the crowd, who were both listening and also eagerly awaiting the promised pizza—that earlier in the morning he’d attended a transportation forum where he and Tom Foley spoke separately. (Malloy’s previous campaign visit to Bella Vista sputtered awaiting the promised pizza”>when seniors grumbled that he had never brought them the pizza he’d once promised them. This time no one could deny that he was feeding the house a whole lot of pie.)
The transit gathering had taken place at the Best Western Hotel in North Haven earlier Monday morning, convened by the Connecticut Construction Association. Click here to read the Keith M. Phaneuf’s coverage of that event.
Paraphrasing his opponent, the governor said: “He [Foley] said he’d cut bus lines that would require a subsidy. Every bus line requires subsidy! Where does this guy live.”
Foley’s spokesman could not be reached for comment before this story was published. At the debate, Foley specifically criticized the malloy administration’s construction of a busway connecting New Britain to Hartford. Foley said he’d consider ending operating subsidies for that system. Click here and here to read and watch the candidates discuss the bus system in recent Independent interviews.
Malloy’s state transit chief has called the system “wonderful” and “convenient”; Foley argued in the interview that state policy should not be encouraging people to commute by bus rather than by car.
Frozen Food Unfrozen While Waiting For The D12
As people moved into the Victoria Room of Bella Vista’s Building C Monday and the governor passed out paper plates for pizza, he added, “You make sure your friends and neighbors know Tom Foley is not a friend of transit.”
Bella Vista Alder Barbara Constantinople (pictured with the governor) praised the governor’s remarks, especially those related to transportation.
Malloy promised in the Independent interview two weeks ago to improve the bus system. Constantinople gave a suggestion: the D12 CT Transit bus that runs along Route 80. Many of her constituents find it runs far too infrequently, sometimes only once an hour, she guesstimated. “There should be more than one an hour. They can’t be out there with their frozen food,” Constantinople said of seniors who shop at the stores along Route 80. She said the seniors find that their frozen foods are unfrozen by the time they get home.
“He’s got to work on straightening out the Route 80 lights” to enable longer crossing time for slower passed pedestrians, Constantinople added. She said the road also needs more sidewalks.
State Sen. Martin Looney warmed up the crowd, with state Rep. Robyn Porter.
The governor said he couldn’t respond to Constantinople’s specific instance, but said that is precisely the kind of issue he anticipates will be part of a more vigorous and regular discussion of transit in the cities. “We have a lot of buses running. We need to study how commutation patterns have changed. I’ve instructed [state transit chief James P. Redeker] to work with the mayor’s office,” he said.
He called for transit patterns not to be revisited once in 20 years, but as an “open dialogue, on a regular basis” that reflect shifts in locations of schools, places of work, senior residences.
Citing the move of Gateway Community College from the edges to the downtown of the city, he called that an instance of the government needing “to be reminded that things change.”
After serving people he hoped would be voting for him in November, the governor had two still-hot slices from Townsend Avenue’s Joey D’s, one with pepperoni and one with tomato and eggplant.
Then the governor moved on to his next stop, the Surfside Senior Housing complex in West Haven, where he planned to reprise his senior proposal announcements.