Senator Joe Markley’s Town Hall Eye Opening

Senator Joe Markley (R-Southington) and Representative Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) fielding questions at Town Hall budget discussion in Southington.)

Southington, CT – The Town Hall meeting on Wednesday March 16 in Southington was an eye opener for residents and lawmakers alike.

Fifty concerned citizens packed the town hall chambers and followed along with Senator Joe Markley (R-Southington) and Representative Rob Sampson (R-Wolcott) during a power point presentation on the state budget.

Senator Joe Markley was very straight forward with the crowd, “My main motivation is to make government smaller. It’s unsustainable and we must make changes.”

The state is facing a deficit of nearly $6.2 billion dollars over the next two years. The lawmakers pointed out, it has taken some time to get into this fiscal crisis, showing on a graph that state spending has grown from $1,509 to $5,364 per person during the last twenty years.

Residents in the audience expressed concern when they saw the Governor’s list, of proposed taxes put up on the power point screen.

Cynthia Lombardo a real estate broker from Southington said she’s most upset about the $500 property tax being taken away, “Home owners have already given so much.”

And Jim, a business owner from Cheshire, took issue with the administrations ‘First Five’ initiative to give tax credits to the first five businesses that bring 200 jobs to the state.

Jim said, “What about the rest of us who are working our butts off? I’m trying my best to hold onto what I have left.”

Senator Markley will be hosting more town halls during the next several months. Including, one in Wolcott on April 4th for more information click on www.senatormarkley.com