Opinion
New Britain Progressive Opinion Page
On this page, you will find Op-Ed pieces, news analysis and other opinion in which the authors seek to inform on topics of interest to the New Britain community. If you would like to send commentary for consideration, please email it to [email protected].
Reader: New Britain opposed its urban highways—and it can do it again
By Thomas Broderick During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s the state of Connecticut disastrously gutted its cities by ramming urban freeways through their cores. Interstate 91 and Interstate 84 in Hartford, Interstate 95 (originally known as the Connecticut Turnpike) and Route 8 in Bridgeport, and Interstate 95 and the Oak Street Connector in New Haven […]
Reader: The Trillion Dollar Military Budget will Hurt Us All
By Joseph Wasserman Our nation must oppose the trillion dollar military budget proposed by the Trump administration. We do not need a military budget bigger than the next ten military powers put together . We do not need to be exporting weapons all around the world, engaging in endless wars and we not need the […]
How did we get here? – A Truck Stop Is the Wrong Vision for Batterson Park’s Future
By Neil P. Connors – Batterson Park Conservancy For more than a decade, volunteers, advocates, neighbors, and public officials have worked to bring Batterson Park back from the brink. Through cleanup efforts, community organizing, fundraising, and countless hours of volunteer work, people never gave up on the idea that this remarkable regional resource could once […]
Nuclear Weapons Deliver No Security, Only the Promise of Annihilation
By Joe Wasserman Members of Back from the Brink CT carried a poster into the Hartford office of Senator Chris Murphy on April 28th . The poster said the “UN Secretary General says Nuclear weapons deliver no security, only the promise of annihilation – Senator Murphy please cosponsor S. Res 323.” Senate Resolution 323 calls […]
Denigrating New Britain School Superintendent is Counter Productive
In her state of the city address 2021 the then mayor Erin Stewart stated: “What I will not do is blindly throw additional tax dollars into a massive bureaucracy that is failing our students” (New 8, March 18, 2021). In response, state representative and current mayor, Bobby Sanchez, said, “There is one obvious solution here […]
Racial Justice Coalition Questions Sanchez Budget Proposal
By the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, The New Britain Racial Justice Coalition (NBRJC) is raising serious concerns about Mayor Bobby Sanchez’s proposed FY27 budget, stating clearly that it reduces overall education funding while failing to meaningfully invest in libraries and community services. Despite public claims of increased support for schools, the full budget shows […]
Bring Common Sense to City Trash Bin Ordinance
With a recent proposal submitted to the City Council to increase certain city fines, including the one concerning when trash bins can be placed on the curb, now is a good time for the Council to bring a little more common sense to this quality-of-life ordinance – including making it easier on conscientious city residents. […]
Ald Candyce Scott: Proud to Introduce Resolution Celebrating Ramadan
By Alderwoman Candyce Scott, I want to extend a Happy Ramadan to the Muslim community of New Britain during this holy month! I introduced the first Ramadan Resolution to the City of New Britain three years ago and was so happy to introduce this resolution again this year. This resolution means a lot to me […]
Reader: The last guardrail is gone—and the Iran war shows why that’s dangerous
By Joseph Wasserman, As the war involving Iran continues to widen, it’s clearer more than ever that the world has entered a new nuclear era. Yet at the very moment when we need guardrails the most, the last remaining US–Russia arms‑control treaty—New START—has expired. For the first time in decades, there are zero binding limits […]