Trumbull RTC: 'Mary Beth Thornton Discovers Fiscal Responsibility'

It is nice to see Mrs. Thornton embrace fiscal responsibility 6 weeks before an election. Her platform looks familiar, as most of the initiatives she is proposing have already been pursued and implemented by our first selectman over the course of the last two years.

Mrs. Thornton talks a good game regarding fiscal responsibility, but her years on the Trumbull Town Council demonstrate that her campaign rhetoric does not match her record.  As a member of the Town Council, Mrs. Thornton voted with the Baldwin administration 98.7 percent of the time and supported average annual tax increases of six percent.  During the Baldwin years, when Mrs. Thornton was a Democratic leader on the Town Council, Town debt more than doubled.  Mrs. Thornton voted in favor of $73 million worth of bonding for a high school renovation, without asking one single question, and voted for $48 million in bonding for sewer construction, again without asking one single question.

Last year, with home foreclosures and unemployment at record highs, Mrs. Thornton wanted to bond $7 million to build a swimming pool, at a time when residents were already being squeezed to their limits.

Give the promises Mrs. Thornton has made to various union leaders, and the number of union leaders running on her ticket, there is no way she will be able to hold to her promises while keeping taxes down. During her first six years on the Trumbull Town Council, Mrs. Thornton did nothing more than rubberstamp the tax and spend policies of the Baldwin Administration.  Now, Mrs. Thornton speaks of fiscal responsibility. She can try and run from her record, but she can’t hide.   

As for money spent on legal opinions, Mrs. Thornton makes no mention of the nearly $2,000 worth of taxpayer money wasted on her frivolous freedom of information complaints which she subsequently withdrew. Perhaps there would not be such a need for legal advice if Trumbull Democrats had not left the Town in need of extensive legal advice as a result of the policies that had been implemented.

The Herbst administration has led Trumbull in a fiscally responsible manner and has a proven track record of success, including:

• Identifying $1 million in operational savings in the first 100 days of the term, due in large measure by reducing bonding and identifying efficiency in government;
• Reducing town debt by $9 million and refocusing priorities in other areas, especially road paving and infrastructure improvements;
• An average annual tax increase of 1.91 percent among one of the lowest two year averages in Fairfield County. This was done while increasing funding for education, public safety and infrastructure;
• Implemented the first ever defined contribution plan in the Town’s history, which will bring down the Town’s unfunded pension liability. Also, the average increase in annual contributions to the pension fund has been $500,000 a year, $300,000 more than the average annual contribution under the Baldwin Administration;
• As the federal government saw their credit downgraded by S&P, and 13 Fairfield County Towns were put on a negative watch, Trumbull maintained their bond rating. All three rating agencies cited the Town’s strong management practices;
• Economic Development has improved dramatically over the last two years in Trumbull, with the Grand List growing $93 million, an increase of nearly two percent, exceeding neighboring Shelton.

This record demonstrates leadership, progress and results.  But there is more to do:

• Continuing to address the town’s pension problems and our unfunded liability;
• Striving for a AAA bond rating;
• Continuing to grow the Grand List, which in turn will stabilize residential property taxes;
• Developing a realistic capital plan for our elementary and middle schools;
• Continuing to identify efficiencies on both the Town and BOE side which will further reduce operating expenses

Jack Testani

Trumbull Republican Town Committee Chairman