Municipal Government
Mayor’s Mill Rate Increase Will Hike Taxes An Average Of $204 On Single Family Homes
Republicans Falsely Claim A $44 Increase After Double Digit Increases This Year; State Stabilization Funds Add $10 Million To City Revenue For Fiscal Year 2025 By John McNamara The dust is settling on the making of the 2024-2025 municipal budget for the Stewart Administration and the closely-divided Common Council of eight Democrats and seven Republicans. […]
Stewart Vetoes Transparency Ordinances For Developer Tax Breaks And City Purchasing
New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart (R) has vetoed two new ordinance proposals approved by the City Council that would have provided that final versions of deals for tax breaks for developers and city contracts appear on the publicly-available Council agenda. One proposed ordinance approved by the Council and vetoed by Stewart would have required that […]
Democrats Seek Transparency On Contracts And Tax Agreements
Common Council Budget Review Begins For the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year This report is the second in a series to keep the community informed about Council business and to encourage public participation in city government from the perspective of the Democratic Majority Caucus. The details of municipal purchasing, tax and and leasing agreements will be reported […]
Bill For “Precise” Wording On City Charter Referendums Gets Hearing
New Britain Lawmakers, League of Women Voters Back Fair Ballot Questions By John McNamara. Legislation to ensure specific wording on local referendum questions has been proposed for a second year at the Connecticut General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE). The GAE Committee will consider House Bill 5494 that would establish “standards” for city […]
Watershed: New Britain’s 1989 Mayoral Campaign
The Municipal Campaign That Changed New Britain Politics For A Generation Introduction to Part 3 In 1989, Donald DeFronzo became New Britain’s 34th Mayor ending the late William (Billy Mac) McNamara’s six terms as the city’s top elected official, a modern-day record not matched until last November when Mayor Erin Stewart won a sixth, two-year […]
Democrats Invite Candidates To Run For City Offices
Staff Reports NEW BRITAIN – The Democratic Town Committee (NBDTC) is seeking candidates for all municipal offices for the November 7th election. This year New Britain voters will elect candidates for Mayor, Treasurer, Common Council (15), Board of Education (3), Board of Assessment Appeal (2) and Constable (4). “New Britain Democrats believe that local government […]
Divided Council Confirms Stewart Pick For Chief Of Police
By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The Common Council confirmed Mayor Erin Stewart’s nomination of Captain Matthew Marino to become the city’s 16th Chief of Police at its April 26th meeting. The decision appeared to split council members, with a majority in favor of the Mayor’s choice but members from both Democratic and Republican caucuses […]
Council To Vote On New Police Chief
Petitions Filed For Major Changes To City Zoning Map At April 26th Meeting By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The Common Council is scheduled to select a new Chief of Police at the Wednesday, May 26th regular meeting. Three members of the Police Department’s(NBPD) command staff have been selected as finalists. The vote may come […]
GoNetSpeed Wires New Britain For Fiber Optic With $5 Million In City’s Federal Covid Funds
Company Rolls Out New Internet Service At Introductory Rates To Homes, Businesses; Citywide Access Expected By Early Summer By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – A new internet service provider (ISP) is offering residential and business customers high-speed connectivity in all parts of the city thanks to a $5 million public subsidy. In June 2022 the […]
Alderman Ayalon Counters Mayor’s State of The City Address
Ward 3 Democrat Cites Administration’s “Extreme Partisanship”, Increasing Debt Service And Gentrification Moves By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – Alderman Aram Ayalon (D-3) , the Common Council Minority Leader, responded to Mayor Erin Stewart’s widely publicized State of The City address delivered on March 8th at the only scheduled regular council meeting last month. City […]