Since the beginning of the second Donald J. Trump Administration, we have
lived in an era I like to call “The Age of Doge.” Announced in late 2024, this
advisory body has been torching waste, fraud, and abuse and the streamlining of
government operations, reflecting a cultural shift in how citizens view
government.
The interest in Doge increases every day, especially as more people
realize how badly government at all levels has been ripping them off over a protracted
period of years. Given the economic horrors of the last four years, no citizen
in his or her right mind wants to see more of their scarce dollars going for impractical
and superfluous governmental endeavors.
But alas, we have Connecticut.
For
many years. Connecticut Taxpayers are taxed for many failed programs
in the State of Connecticut. Connecticut continues to rank last or near
last in
many economic and business friendly categories while ranking as one of
the
highest taxed states in the country. Connecticut is a state where the
governor and
the legislature could not develop sound economic, energy and tax policy
if their collective lives depended on it. But Connecticut can fund shaky
non-profits, “quasi-publics” (whatever “quasi-public”
means) and “Funds” with regularity and by using your tax dollars. The
Community
Investment Fund Board is just one of a series of interesting agencies
that gets
to spend $875 million tax dollars and has shown little to no result in
helping
Connecticut out of its 35-year economic quagmire to date.
The Community Investment Fund Board (“CIF”) states the following
according to its website: "The CIF will award up to $175 million each
fiscal year. It will be awarded over two or more application periods per year.
If this catches your attention and you would like to send your local representatives a thank-you note, the fund
is a statewide program authorized in Section 32-285a of the Connecticut General
Statutes.
Of course, failure in Connecticut is often a team effort.
Several state entities work together to award CIF grants: The Department of
Economic and Community Development ("DECD") administers the program by overseeing
the application process, vetting applications, sending application summaries to
the CIF Board, and managing awards and reporting. As my friend and colleague Tony
De Angelo often says, the DECD should be abolished for non-performance, (but I
digress). In addition, the CIF Board and Office of the Governor review
applications and the summaries prepared by DECD and make recommendations to the
State Bond Commission. The State Bond Commission drives Connecticut further
into debt and ruin as it approves projects for grants. (https://portal.ct.gov/communityinvestmentfund/about-the-fund?language=en_US).
Below is a description of the applicable projects for funding:
Eligible Projects: Promote economic or
community development in the municipality where the project is located and
Consistently and systematically advance fair, just, and impartial treatment of
all individuals, including individuals who belong
to underserved and marginalized communities such as Black, Latino and
indigenous and native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; persons comprising
the LGBTQ+ community; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise
adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. (https://portal.ct.gov/communityinvestmentfund/about-the-fund?language=en_US).
Query if those working and taxpaying citizens burdened with fuel costs, food costs
and electricity costs are “otherwise adversely affected by
persistent poverty or inequality” and are therefore, qualifying. However, my
sentiment is they do not.
If you would like to add some cherries and sprinkles to this sundae of
failure, the CIF Board is led by "economic expert" co-chairs Matthew
Ritter, Speaker of the House and Martin R. Looney, Senate President Pro Tempore.
Being Connecticut politicians that could not start an economic fire with a book
of matches and a gallon of gas, they did the only thing they knew how to do. Give cash.
On March 11, the Board gave away a lot of cash.
Included in the giveaways were $2 million to help Planned Parenthood of
Southern New England renovate a property into a new home for its New London
health center. As I stated in a recent blog Planned
Parenthood of Southern New England's President and CEO Amanda
Skinner earned $434,095 and $18,574 in "other" compensation in
fiscal year 2023. This organization also has $57,330,020 in "net
assets" in fiscal year 2023. (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/60263565)
while also receiving an "emergency" funding of $800,000 from HB
7066 "An Act Concerning Interactions Between School Personnel And
Immigration Authorities, The Purchase And Operation Of Certain Drones, Grants
To Certain Nonprofit Organizations, And Student Athlete Compensation Through
Endorsement Contracts And Revenue Sharing Agreements." Obviously
the $57,330,020 in "net assets" they have is not enough to repair
this building in New London, they, being a poor charity and all.
$6.12 million was given to the Greater Dwight Development Corp. in New
Haven to help build eleven units of affordable housing and community space.
Linda Townsend Maier is the Executive Director of this organization and
receives $120,113 along with $3,023 in "other" compensation in fiscal year 2023. This organization also
has $2,809,764 in "net assets" in fiscal year
2023. (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/61414605). New
Haven keeps rebuilding and has little to show for it except for high taxes and
a high crime rate. But it is in the top 10 in the country in defying Federal
law in trying to protect illegal aliens from deportation.
We also find that $1.6 million was given to Hartford to acquire and
redevelop three properties in its Homestead Redevelopment Corridor. According to its website, this corridor is described as
follows "The Homestead Avenue Redevelopment Plan aims to employ a mix of
land use strategies to transform this key thoroughfare in the Upper Albany
neighborhood. A shared community vision will be developed through community and
stakeholder collaboration. This vision will guide actions to accelerate
brownfield cleanup, revive vacant properties, facilitate new housing
opportunities, and implement placemaking strategies that showcase Homestead
Avenue and Upper Albany's distinctive character." (https://www.activatehomesteadave.com/about).
I was unable to find any financials with regards to this project on their
website. Meanwhile, it is sad and fair to say that the only thing Hartford has excelled at in the last four
decades are crime and economic desertion and decay, so throwing more money at a
sinking ship will solve nothing. There are many great game-changing economic ideas
such as making Hartford a Qualified Opportunity Zone or a tax-free zone with
added police and public safety support. How about funding real merit-based schools with real teachers
teaching real skills? (But since all those ideas are from the “Book of Trump,”
the Legislature avoids them like the plague regardless of the value they bring
to a city desperately needing value).
Unfortunately, the economic redundancy and paralyzed thinking is not just
limited to legislative Democrats. As quoted in the March 12, 2025 Hartford Business
Journal “A roughly $250
million plan to transform Enfield’s dying mall into a mix of apartments,
hotels, retail and restaurant space is in line for a $10 million state grant
after a state panel included the project among 35 grants tentatively approved
for $77.14 million in state bonding.
“…that could really be transformative for all of our communities as we
are seeing malls in general needing to be repurposed,” said House Minority
Leader Vincent J. Candelora (R-North Branford), a member of the Community
Investment Fund 2030 board. “A lot of them are dying around the state, and
Enfield is sort of leading the way potentially as to what that project should
look like. I think we have other malls down the road that might need the same
sort of redevelopment.” (https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/community-investment-fund-board-oks-7714m-in-grants-for-enfield-mall-redevelopment-other-ct?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Green%20Hub%20becomes%20major%20player%20in%20Waterbury%20%7C%20Tax%20pros%3A%20Don%20t%20wait%20to%20create%20business%20succession%20plan&utm_campaign=HBJ%20Today%20031225.
)Funny how other than borrowing money the question is never asked as to what “repurposing”
will mean in the final analysis, if it even gets that far? Stores? People are either
afraid to shop and/or shop at home. Housing? Who will live in overpriced
apartments in an anti-business state where businesses are leaving left and right?
Nonprofits? Great. Let us build more non-taxpaying properties in the State of
Connecticut. Funding for building the projects? If you are a banker, would you lend to such
a questionable project? I guess is not a worry with the CIF, which can crank up
taxpayer money in a heartbeat, can just borrow more, taxpayer again, be damned.
Of course, there were many other organizations
receiving funding from the Community Investment Fund. They included the typical
non-profit organizations to help feed people, help to community activities,
house people, street scapes, etc. What should amaze Connecticut taxpayers is
that in a $26.2 billion dollar state budget one should examine how much money
is already spent on social welfare services and programs. What is the net
result? More funding for the same types of programs with Community Investment
Fund spending along with the same results, which are lacking in results. Has
there ever been any critical thinking as to whether fewer organizations and
personnel could be reorganized to deliver a greater impact on services? The private
sector does it all the time. But this of course, is the Connecticut government.
(So, perish that thought).
But the beat goes on. Connecticut still has $100 to $150 billion dollars
in short- and long-term debt along with unfunded liabilities that just never
get addressed with the superficial all-purpose solution of reinstating the "fiscal guardrails" and repetitive rhetoric
on solving Connecticut's massive social and economic problems. We really should have none of these social and economic
problems with the money Connecticut Taxpayers have spent over the years. Yet we
do. Connecticut has state agency after state agency with catchy, feel good “SomethingCT”
type names and political nepotism continues as the norm with little results
since the advent of the 1991 "cure-all" state income tax slammed on
Connecticut Taxpayers, and such tax was the narcotic starting the state on the road to fiscal
ruin.
For now. 34 years and counting
Connecticut's decline is on view for all to see both economically and socially.
The old/new funding by the Community Investment Fund Board is just more of the
same. Throw good money after bad, drink to excess in the Legislative garage,
and cheer about it all the way to bankruptcy.