Malloy: give state support to cities, not towns that discourage growth

Gov. Dannel Malloy on Friday told members of a new commission on economic growth that state resources should be dedicated to cities that want to expand, not to towns like New Canaan. Gov. Dannel Malloy on Friday told members of a new commission on economic growth that state resources should be dedicated to cities that want to expand, not to towns like New Canaan. Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Malloy: give state support to cities, not towns that discourage growth 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says Connecticut’s future economic growth is in the major cities that need it, and not in suburbs that don’t want it.

“With the exception of Stamford, which had the advantage of being 47-and-a-half square miles, our state has not treated its urban environments well,” Malloy, that city’s former 14-year mayor, said Friday during a question period during the inaugural meeting of the state Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth.

He said Stamford had a larger tax base and could thrive despite neglect from the state.

“When you talk about major cities with populations over 100,000 occupying 16 square miles or less ... and then you assume somehow and some way they’re going to be able to pay through property taxes enough money to go it alone, or go it alone with too small of a contribution from state government,” that formula does not work, Malloy said. “And that’s what we’ve assumed since the end of the Second World War in our state, to our loss.”

Now, young people want to move into vibrant cities, he said.

“We could have urban environments that could attract the employers and attract the workforce ... in more than one city in our state,” he said. “We could certainly do it in New Haven. We certainly could do it in Hartford. Those dollars have to come from somewhere, and somebody has to make that investment and decide that that’s a sufficiently important investment to make.

Many of the suburbs, Malloy said, are a different story.

“People in New Canaan don’t want their community to grow,” he said. “People in Norwalk and Stamford are happy to have their communities grow. Why aren’t we supporting the communities that want to grow and have those jobs?”

Malloy warned that the state’s “normal flow of replacement jobs” from companies that first move from New York to Fairfield County and then expand to other areas of Connecticut, is being drastically hindered by the state’s transportation crisis, which needs an infusion of investment.

“For example, using the existing revenue structure for the Special Transportation Fund, where the gas tax is the primary source of revenue, would need a 28-cent (per gallon) increase in that tax alone to keep up with the debt-service costs to help pay for the Hartford (Interstate-91/84 junction) viaduct replacement and other related projects,” he said. “Another option would be to put tolls just on I-84, which could generate $200 million a year and act as a user fee to help offset the debt-service costs associated with fixing I-84 by the drivers who are actually using that highway.”

Bob Patricelli, co-chairman of the commission and former CEO of Women’s Health USA, said that with only two-and-a-half months to present private-sector suggestions on strengthening the state’s fiscal future, the panelists will have to limit themselves.

“We’re in business to propose structural reform,” he said.

The 13-member group has a March 1 deadline to report findings and recommendations to the General Assembly.

kdixon@ctpost.com