Harding optimistic that state officials will address crime wave

Brookfield CT

31 December, 2021

2:24 PM

Description

Stephen Harding Ned Lamont Bob Stefanowski Dannel Malloy Themis Klarides By Scott Benjamin BROOKFIELD – State Rep. Stephen Harding says that although he is disappointed that the General Assembly didn't hold a special session in 2021 to address the recent crime wave, he is optimistic that legislation will be approved before the 2022 regular session adjourns in May. "It is a big enough issue" that it will generate bipartisan support, said Harding (R-107) of Brookfield. Both the Republican state House and Senate caucuses have submitted proposals and called for a special session. The top two contenders for the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nomination – Bob Stefanowski and Themis Klarides – wrote columns for CT Hearst this summer. Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) held a news conference in October on the issue in which he stopped short of calling for a special session but indicated that an array of juvenile reform programs could be utilized to try to stem the problem, according to CT Mirror. How high have the crime rates jumped? In CT Hearst this summer, Stefanowski of Madison, who lost by about 45,000 votes to Lamont in the 2018 gubernatorial balloting, stated that, "Shootings, car thefts and other neighborhood violence are on the rise, and yet the governor has failed to use his executive authority to address them." CT News Junkie reported in September that Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics that had just been released "reported a mixed bag for Connecticut, reflecting a national rise in homicides, a local spike in car thefts, and slight decline in violent crime while the nation as a whole experienced an increase." The Democratic leadership in the General Assembly didn't call a special session. CT News Junkie reported this fall that state Sen. Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) said, "Let's not mistake the fact that Connecticut is still one of the safest states in the country. . . , "I think a lot of this is pandemic-related and you'll see over the year, this time next year we should see all those numbers come back down again." Why has there been an increase in some crimes? Harding, an attorney, said it is difficult to cite any one cause, but that he believes one of them is the pandemic, which has hobbled officials from providing mental health counseling to criminals. "We also have been too lax on some crimes, particularly violent crimes," added the fourth-term legislator, who represents all of Brookfield, the Stony Hill section of Bethel and a slice of northern Danbury. Klarides of Madison, the former state House Republican leader, wrote in CT Hearst that, "Governor Lamont has continued [former Democratic Gov.] Dan Malloy's failed policies that have released thousands of convicts through an early-release program aimed at lowering the state's prison population. The prison population has shrunk, but only because the state has simply let loose convicted felons, including many violent offenders who were serving time for some of the worst offenses." Malloy of Essex served as governor from 2011 to 2019 and reduced the prison population to its lowest level since 1994, according to news releases distributed by his office. Harding criticized some of Malloy's criminal justice reforms in a 2018 interview with Patch.com. However, he remarked in December 2021 that "it is hard to say" whether they have been a significant factor in the recent rise in crime activity. According to CT Hearst, the Republican state legislators want to, "Make mandatory fingerprinting of juveniles arrested for a felony, a Class A Misdemeanor, a charge resulting from loss of life or serious physical injury, a sexual assault, a serious juvenile offense, or an offense involving use of a firearm." "I think it will help police find individuals," remarked Harding. WTNH Channel 8 has reported that the state Senate Republicans want to increase "how long a juvenile can be held. Right now, after 6-hours they are released awaiting a court date." Harding explained that would "allow the judge to look at the situation." He indicated that "too many [juvenile suspects] are being released." On another component, The Yale Daily News reported that the Republicans want to increase "GPS monitoring for youth who are charged with violent crimes or are repeat offenders, tracking them 24/7 instead of the current 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tracking system." Harding said that system would better "help to track the on-goings" of those offenders. He also said he hopes that legislators will reconsider some of the police reforms that were enacted in 2020 – following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. He said that review should include a decision to end qualified immunity for the police. On a separate issue, Harding said that he disagrees with a plan by the Connecticut chapter of Education Reform Now, which according to CT Mirror wants to bill some of the wealthiest school districts and use the revenue to help the poorest school districts CT Mirror reported that Education Reform Now has stated that Connecticut is one of only seven states in which the municipalities don't contribute any funds to the pensions of the teachers in their public school districts. The state has completely funded those pensions since 1939. Malloy and Lamont have each suggested that the municipalities pay a portion of the pensions, which comprise about seven percent of the state budget, according to CT Mirror. CT Mirror has reported that the teacher pensions were structurally underfunded for decades and that there is more than $18 billion in unfunded liabilities. However, Harding said the state has "an obligation" to fully fund the teacher pensions. He explained that the two-year state budgets don't provide enough funding for many of the school districts when compared to the commitment made by many other states. "We are one of the highest property-tax states," he declared. On a separate topic, in 2019, Lamont's first year in office, he called for the state to establish a "debt diet" on its bonding to help address the unfunded liabilities. As recently as 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that Connecticut ranked second, behind Illinois, in the highest percentage of public debt. Harding said through the budget volatility cap that was signed by Malloy in 2017, the state directed $1.5 billion to help pay some of the pension debt during the fiscal year that ended last June. "[Lamont] has followed through with his 'debt diet' in some respects," the legislator said. "Particularly in his role on the state's Bond Commission. However, we can't effectively address the debt in our state, until we make structural changes to the pension plans of future hires." Harding has told Patch.com over the recent years that the new employees should be placed in a less-expensive defined contribution plan. They were put into a hybrid plan under the agreement that was signed in 2017 by Malloy. Harding has acknowledged that the hybrid package is less expensive than the previous defined benefits plan. CT News Junkie reported in 2018 that under Malloy the full-time state workforce was reduced by 13 percent. Harding said that a considerable number of state employees will soon be eligible for retirement benefits in 2022 and are expected to leave the work force. He said that offers an opportunity for the state to appropriately reduce the work force through attrition and "make it more efficient." References: https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/09/29/fbi-stats-paint-a-complicated-crime-picture-in-connecticut/ https://ctmirror.org/2021/10/2... Connecticut Senate Republicans unveil 'Safer Connecticut' plan to fight crime - Yale Daily News Ken Dixon: The case for Dan Malloy (ctpost.com) Lamont wants to slam brakes on state borrowing (ctmirror.org) Pension system worsens inequities in Connecticut schools, advocates say (ctmirror.org) Harding opposes Malloy criminal justice reform on drug dealers | Brookfield, CT Patch Dan Haar: Letter to Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman (thehour.com) OP-ED | Not Buying Republican Concern on Crime - CT News Junkie Klarides on 'Connecticut's Crime Epidemic' (ctexaminer.com) Malloy Reflects On Wins & Losses | CT News Junkie