Officials in at least one Connecticut town reconsidered their membership in a municipal lobby group after the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities advocated the defeat of housing legislation favored by the community, the Connecticut Post reported this week.
Manchester’s reevaluation of its membership in CCM occurred after the municipal group encouraged Gov. Ned Lamont to veto H.B. 5002, a bill passed by both chambers of the state legislature and intended to bring down housing costs by addressing Connecticut’s ongoing shortage of homes.
The group, which represents 168 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, urged Lamont to veto the bill and then issued a press release applauding the governor after he did so.
According to Tuesday reporting by the Connecticut Post, Manchester officials drafted a letter arguing the bill was essential to the state’s economic future and necessary to reduce housing insecurity. The story described how Manchester debated the merits of remaining in CCM during a Board or Directors meeting earlier this month.
“We paid for them to fight against our own values, and I find it baffling that we should continue funding the opposition to policies that we support,” Board of Directors member Jerald Lentini said, according to the Post.
Other officials like Mayor Jay Moran and Deputy Mayor Sarah Jones also expressed concerns about the group’s actions on the housing bill, according to the Post.
“[I]t’s incumbent upon us to keep a close eye upon how CCM continues to conduct itself because we are contributing taxpayer dollars,” Jones said, the Connecticut Post reported.
According to the report, Manchester pays $35,000 for its annual membership in the municipal lobby group.
