To fully understand Sunday’s lead story (“Lamont Has Lead Over Elliott” by Christopher Keating), some context is in order on several key points.
First, of course Gov. Lamont is better known than Rep. Josh Elliott. Lamont has the benefit of incumbency — any Connecticut resident who does not know his name at this point has been in a cryogenic freeze for the last eight years.
Second: he has the power of the purse. Sixty million dollars is an obscene amount to spend winning elections. The electorate should be tired of the millionaire class speaking for and governing the rest of us.
I am personally very fond of Ned Lamont — he is friendly, cordial, and fun to hang with — he deserves credit for accomplishments during his first term. He did a great job protecting us all from Covid, and for that we should be grateful. Additionally, early on, he stuck his neck out for the environment, advocating for tolls and the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). Again, he deserves genuine thanks for his bold stances on those two climate protection proposals.
But that was then. More recently, he waffled on housing, favors gas expansion, and is too willing to compromise when a bold stance is needed. In Keating’s article, Lamont seems to take credit for ideas that Progressives in the Legislature — including Josh Elliott — introduced and fought for, e.g., paid family leave, higher minimum wage, and child protections. Sure, he signed those bills into law, but it was liberals like Elliott that forced his hand.
He doesn’t “hurl political zingers”? Republicans in the Trump Administration — and the State GOP leaders who aid and abet them — deserve to be criticized. Trump is turning our country into a fascist state and Connecticut Republicans act as though it’s not happening. Lamont does not get points for playing nice with them. Elliott, on the other hand, is not afraid to “get into a scrap.” Don’t we deserve someone willing to fight? A leader who will push hard for tax equity, for the environment, for working families, for young people’s future, and for our state and country?
And finally, tacitly criticizing consultants is a tricky game. Perhaps the governor should hire one who can point out that Westport and West Hartford are hardly the yin and yang of the state. With a median household income of $236,892 and $124,150, respectively, these wealthy towns are a far cry from Hartford, for example, whose median household income is just $41,841. (According to DataHaven, 2023.) A governor must govern all the state. It’s time for someone willing to act boldly on behalf of all 3.7 million Connecticut residents, regardless of who their friends and donors are.
Christine Palm of Chester served for six years as state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly.