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Norwalk: Democrats Vote On Pass Through Budget


by turfgrrl


February 22nd, 2008 · 12 Comments

Just when you think political stereotypes are out dated, the Common Council Dems decided that keeping an eye on property taxes was too hard and they voted down a proposal to cap the Norwalk budget at 4.1%, or the rate of inflation.

“(The cap) was a number that the leadership of the council came up with,” said Carvin J. Hilliard, Finance Committee chairman, afterward.

The committee recommended the cap on a 4-2 vote along party lines, according to Hilliard, a Democrat.

Republican Douglas E. Hempstead tried unsuccessfully to set the cap lower by lowering the net increase to the Board of Education from 4.5 percent to 4.1 percent.

“I used my usual formal of 4.1 percent, which is the Consumer Price Index for Fairfield County, and I looked at the fact that (the school district) has declining enrollment,” Hempstead said. “I made a motion to give (the Board of Education) an increase of $5.8 million.”Hilliard was among several committee members voting against the motion.

“I just don’t think it serves the citizens of Norwalk. It doesn’t serve the kids. The Board of Ed is a separate entity and the taxpayers have to hold the Board of Education accountable,” Hilliard said.

Hamilton’s recommended budget stands at $275,224,208, up 4.9 percent from spending approved for fiscal year 2007-08. That includes $164.4 million in education spending, including debt service related to buildings overhauls and employee benefits, and $110.8 million for city departments for fiscal year 2008-09.

True to his word Mike Geake abstained and did not vote for the budget likely because there was no recommendation for a finance director for the BOE. But it will be up to the BET and Republican leadership to whittle down the cap some more since the Dems have abdicated any kind of fiscal restraint.

source: The Hour, 2008-09 draft budget remains at $275.2M, February 22, 2008

Tags: Norwalk

12 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: Democrats Vote On Pass Through Budget”



  • 1 Anon // Feb 23, 2008 at 7:53 am

    A beautiful campaign issue for us Republicans in ‘09. The Democrat Party is the gift that keeps on giving.

  • 2 nwlk taxpayer // Feb 23, 2008 at 10:01 am

    Unbelievable! Here we go again giving away the taxpayers money. What are they thinking? Setting a cap would be so fiscally responsible wouldn’t it? What a joke! Are we going to fall under Sal Corda’s rants again? What are the dems thinking? Thank God at least one of them has some sense. Thanks Doug for trying to do the right thing but as usual with the majority on the Democrats side the committees are stacked against you.

  • 3 Anonymous // Feb 23, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    tax and spend liberal democrats. 5 percent tax increase when working stiffs are losing their jobs. the dems should think twice or they will be out of office next year.

  • 4 Anonymous // Feb 23, 2008 at 7:32 pm

    Why do these guys continue to be re-elected? Where do they come from, and just who are they representing? How many of them rent and don’t pay any property taxes?

    They have a fiduciary responsibility to us, the taxpayers. It looks as though they are as inept as the BoE. Who are they kidding?

    I’m glad to see Mr. Hempstead and Mr. Geake representing the taxpayers. They probably are watching their own property taxes rise, while their services decline.

    Shame on the other guys! It’s sad to say that the Dems don’t represent their own people anymore, only the machine that brought them here and got them elected.

  • 5 Anonymous // Feb 23, 2008 at 8:41 pm

    Hey, the same taxpayers they are screwing are the ones that voted them into office.

  • 6 always watching // Feb 24, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Let’s not forget what happened last year with the education budget.
    When the Corda budget was cut by $6 million, he claimed the “sky would fall”. It did not and “Chicken Little” was able to still run the school system. Does anyone really think Corda has changed his methods? He still overstates enrollment, pads expenses, inflates insurance costs, buries cushions in various salary accounts,etc. Tom Hamilton’s modest $678,000 reduction doesn’t even come close to what should be taken out of the Education budget. Let’s see if our councilmen and council women have the strength to set an appropriate cap for their taxpayer constituents. And let’s see if the Board of Estimate and Taxation does their “independent” evaluation or buys into the Corda/Moccia ‘backroom” deal (you come in under 5% and you’ll get 4.5%).

  • 7 Anonymous // Feb 24, 2008 at 10:03 am

    It seems as if Hempstead is trying his best to do the right thing but that the dems are once again crying foul and voting against a resonable cap. Doug was successful last time around and should be commended for his dedication to what is right. The dems are constantly siding with Corda on this subject and Corda plays it like a fine tuned violin. If this council doesn’t see through the BS then we certainly made the wrong choices in the last election. Corda holds hostage each and every student and taxpayer every year and this one will be no different. The BET and the Finance committee need to pick this budget apart like a chicken bone and take out the fluff. There are departments in city hall who need more than others to do what is needed for the infrastructure and other projects in Norwalk. Corda has proven time and again that all he cares about is those who kiss his @#$ and not the kids and not the teachers. They are secondary to his needs. Moccia has nothing to do with the ultimate decision. Its up to the council to do the right thing. Moccia can request all he wants but its the council who has the last word with their vote. I would assume after the performance last year that the Mayor understands that the taxpayers are not going to sit back and let the likes of Corda dictate how their hard dollars are spent.

  • 8 Equal Opportunity Cynic // Feb 24, 2008 at 10:57 am

    In response to #6 - I don’t think there was a Corda/Moccia back room deal. They are not overly fond of each other. But let’s not forget that there’s still a Democratic majority on the Bd. of Ed., so people who voted back in the very people who kiss Corda’s @## deserve what they get. The problem is that the REST OF US deserve better than having to pick up the tab for it. Corda keeps padding his spending on the 3rd floor and trying to screw the people who work hands on every day with the kids.

  • 9 Anonymous // Feb 24, 2008 at 11:11 am

    #8 Couldn’t have said it better myself! Too bad those that voted these bozo’s in office don’t follow what is really going on.

  • 10 always watching // Feb 24, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    #8 & #9-I agree that the democratic majority on the BOE is primarily responsible for reigning in Corda and they are failing at that task. However if you attended the BOE meetings and the BOE budget committee meetings, you would have “heard” how Corda emphasized how important it was to stay under 5%. And remember while Tom Hamilton is a VERY good financial man, “his” budget is the Moccia budget, since Hamilton coordinates the budget submission with Moccia and doesn’t submit a budget that doesn’t get the OK from the man he works for (nor should we expect him to). So I’ll repeat what I said above: “Let’s see if our councilmen and council women have the strength to set an appropriate cap for their taxpayer constituents. And let’s see if the Board of Estimate and Taxation does their “independent” evaluation or buys into the Corda/Moccia ‘backroom” deal (you come in under 5% and you’ll get 4.5%)”.

  • 11 Anonymous 4 // Feb 24, 2008 at 8:06 pm

    Always watching: “Let’s see if our councilmen and council women have the strength to set an appropriate cap for their taxpayer constituents. And let’s see if the Board of Estimate and Taxation does their “independent” evaluation or buys into the Corda/Moccia ‘backroom” deal (you come in under 5% and you’ll get 4.5%)”.

    I couldn’t agree with you more. I am a democrat, but I do split my ticket and voted for Moccia. I didn’t vote for the democrats on the BoE. Maybe the republicans did, I don’t know any Dems that voted for these idiots, excluding Mr. Geake of course.

  • 12 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 8:19 am

    These people were voted into office by the Norwalk voters and will probably get re-elected again by the Norwalk voters how quick we forget. There are so many officials in Norwalk that need to go like Corda and we need to put the right people in place that live in Norwalk and have a vested interest in Norwalk. The criteria to run a department for Norwalk should be that you live in Norwalk. We need a police chief that will police the department and the city. We need someone brought in from outside the Norwalk PD, not one of the good old boy’s. The police that police Norwalk should live in Norwalk you would see a big difference. Norwalk is not moving forward and it better reverse its direction before it’s too late.

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