With taxes increasing over the past five years, Hamden mayoral candidates pledged to tackle the town’s problems. While Democrat Lauren Garrett and Republican Ron Gambardella agree that something needs to change, their thoughts on the solution are different.
As HQNN reported, Hamden’s property tax and mill rate has gone up by 13.7% since 2016. The town is ranked No.1 in Connecticut as the most indebted town.
Ron Gambardella
The first thing Gambardella will do in regard to finances when he takes office is to conduct an operational, forensic financial audit for Hamden to determine if the funds being distributed to different areas are appropriate.
The highest expense Hamden has, Gambardella said, is salaries for the town workers. He said he will look at that and make some adjustments.
“I don’t mean labor by simply cutting, slicing and burning. That’s not what I’m talking about,” Gambardella said. “What I’m talking about is looking at work rules, providing additional flexibility to a decision-making process. Right now, it’s so rigid that the only way you can solve a problem is simply by adding more personnel.”
When it comes to the town’s budgeting process, Gambardella said he will implement a “performance-based” process, in which all departments will start with no money and they then have to evaluate and justify how those dollars will support their goals.
“Zero-based budgeting simply means you start out with zero and don’t take last year’s numbers and assume that that’s going to be what it looks like going forward,” Gambardella said. “Zero-based budgeting means you build it up from scratch and you justify every single dollar you add to the budget.”
Gambardella explained he will have each department propose its budget along with a 2-5% reduction of the fund.
“What that means simply is this, what are the implications of a reduction to the proposed budget,” Gambardella said. “Then the legislative house can later go through light item analysis, and most of which, they’re new legislators, and they have no idea how budgets are operated.”
“What that means simply is this, what are the implications of a reduction to the proposed budget,” Gambardella said. “Then the legislative house can later go through light item analysis, and most of which, they’re new legislators, and they have no idea how budgets are operated.”
This will allow the council members, whom Gambardella said lack expertise to make wise decisions, to decide whether or not the town is willing to take a risk by reducing 2-5% in the budget. Gambardella said it’s a more productive conversation.
He also pledged on his campaign website that he will not propose, and will veto, any budget bill that will raise tax rates even more.
The Republican candidate also said he will encourage residents to be involved with the process by submitting their issues or concerns, with a goal to enhance transparency and civic participation.
With a master’s degree in business administration, Gambardella said he is the best person to solve the Hamden financial crisis.
“When you look at qualifications and what’s best, required and needed by the town, I believe that my qualification speaks for itself,” Gambardella said. “So you could even talk a good game, but when it comes to actual expertise, that’s what I bring to the table.”
In a statement after Garrett’s win in the Democratic mayoral primary, Gambardella wrote that her victory meant that it was time to “save Hamden.”
“Lauren Garrett is a radical progressive with political views that put Hamden’s residents and its economy in danger,” Gambardella wrote. “Her views on Hamden’s broken finances are simple: raise taxes, increase spending.”
(Photo contributed by Lauren Garrett)
Lauren Garrett
Garrett, like Gambardella, is critical of the previous mayoral administrations. On her campaign website, she dissects the missteps of the current administration led by Mayor Curt Leng, including the nearly $300 million incurred in long-term debt and the recent debt restructuring.
Garrett plans to end “the platitudes” and grandstanding around Hamden’s high taxes; she has pledged to develop a five-year plan for the town’s economic growth, along with a capital plan with priority rankings for projects and reduce costs for non-essential services.
Garrett’s laundry list of proposals would also come with a host of political reforms. Garrett said that she would end the practice of offering political supporters jobs, and giving friends generous government contracts, while giving the town Finance Director unrestricted communication with the Hamden Legislative Council and recruiting an economic development director to help Hamden win grants.
“We need a new path forward. We need to stop awarding contracts based on political connections,” Garrett said, in an interview with the Hamden Patch in early September. “Our contracts for service need to get sent out to bid in a competitive bid process. We need to negotiate costs for savings. We need to stop giving out excessive, voluntary raises to department heads.”
The Garrett campaign’s promise for economic development focuses on the revitalization of current, or old, assets and incentivizing people across Hamden to participate in the development.
Garrett cites a need to work with educators on planning Hamden’s recovery, as well as incentives for residents to establish businesses and encourage in-house innovations.
“We need a new path forward. We need to stop awarding contracts based on political connections,” Garrett said, in an interview with the Hamden Patch in early September.
She also wants to partner with nonprofit groups to train and provide Hamden residents with opportunities for jobs, improve public transportation and renovate the Keefe Community Center.
The two candidates will run against each other in the general elections on Nov. 2. Independent candidate Al Lotto recently dropped out from the race, citing “venomous opinions” and private pressure to drop out.
The Lauren Garrett campaign could not be reached for comment.