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Duff

Bob Duff Says State Legislative Priority Should Be Jobs

by turfgrrl on February 1, 2010 6:53 pm · 0 comments

The legislative session in Hartford begins tomorrow. Naturally, a press releas went out extolling the focus of the Senate this session. It’s about creating small business jobs. State Senator Bob Duff explained that the state of Connecticut needs to be serious about job growth, and particularly among small businesses in order to generate a healthy economy.

Okay, so how do these State Senators plan on doing it? Well here’s their very own news release outlining the issue:

Senate Democrats Start 2010 Session with Plan to Grow Jobs, Cut Taxes for Small Businesses, And Shrink State Government

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Debate Over Constructing New “Super 7″ Continues

by Harold F. Cobin on October 6, 2009 10:09 pm · 18 comments

WILTON — An eight-person coalition of opponents to constructing a new Route 7 expressway from Norwalk to Danbury spoke in Wilton Tuesday morning about why this “dead road,” as one described it, should never be built.

Led by state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-26th Dist., each took a turn in Wilton Town Hall presenting reasons why they thought the state should not go forward with its construction, which ranged from damaging wetlands and increasing air pollution to awaiting the results of widening the existing Route 7 and exploiting opportunities to increase service on the Danbury branch of the Metro-North Railroad.

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Southwestern Connecticut Leaders Want Study of Route 7 Corridor

September 24, 2009

A transportation policy and planning group of leaders from eight southwestern Connecticut municipalities reaffirmed on Thursday its recommendation the state conduct a study of uses for the right-of-way for the uncompleted portion of the Route 7 expressway.

After a discussion that resulted in a change in wording from “Support for the Route 7 Expressway” to “Support for the Route 7 Corridor,” the group unanimously approved a resolution calling for a “comprehensive, multi-modal investment study” of the proposed path for the expressway, which extends from Interstate-95 in Norwalk to Interstate-84 in Danbury.

The group requested the same study be conducted in 2007.

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Survey Measures Support for Completing Super 7

September 9, 2009

Results of a survey on the proposed extension of a new, multi-lane Route 7 from Norwalk to Danbury show more than half the residents queried support its construction.

Residents in 10 communities the expressway would run through or are close to its proposed route were contacted, with 53 percent of 486 respondents favoring the project.

The study was conducted by the University of Connecticut — Stamford Campus on behalf of a panel of politicians, civic leaders and a carpenters union labor-management program who support building it.

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Rell Playing Fast And Loose With Mass Trans Budget

September 4, 2009

The Hour reported earlier today that a budget cut itemized in the state budget will result in bus and train fare increases. The man who inspired solitaire play in the Legislature had this to say:

State Rep. Larrence Cafero, R-142, called that passage “another reason why I voted against this budget, and said some last-minute money juggling from the Democrats produced a $15 million shortfall in bus and rail subsidies.

“My prediction is there will be a rate increase (Oct. 1),” Cafero said. “Where’s that other $15 million coming from? I asked the author of the budget that very same question, and he didn’t have an answer.”

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New Connecticut Law Protects Seniors From Financial Fraudsters

August 24, 2009

Saying wealthy senior citizens are a seen as a gold mine to be exploited by fraudulent financial advisers, state Sen. Bob Duff, D-25th Dist., on Monday spoke about a new law that forbids someone from falsely claiming expertise in advising the elderly about financial products.

Speaking before a lunchtime audience at the Darien Senior Center, Duff said the law is targeted at persons who purport to have special training, education or experience in advising senior citizens about securities.

 

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Budgets And Battles In Legislature

June 28, 2009

One of the more interesting things said at yesterday’s town hall meeting about the budget was Bob Duff explaining why he voted against the Democratic budget. He said that not only did he vote against it because it shifted the burden of tax increases and service cuts unfairly to Fairfield County, but that he would also represent a vote against over riding Governor Rell’s veto.

Analysts of legislative politics pointed out that State Senator Andrew MacDonald, D-Stamford, also had concerns about the fairness of the budget. But he swayed to the majority vote when he was able to negotiate more money for Stamford in the Democratic line items. Brian Lockhart has the scoop:

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Hartford Legislative Transportation Committee Pushes DOT Hours Through

January 23, 2009

There are some additional details that today’s Advocate article reveals that could make this palatable, sort of.

Budget director Robert Genuario of Norwalk told the Appropriations Committee that the workweek resolution is not technically a raise but an increase in pay for an increase in work.

The expanded workweek is related to a separate agreement the administration worked out with the DOT that requires the union to waive several million dollars of disputed claims for retroactive pay, he said.

DOT employees who work more than 35 hours are compensated, but that money is not eligible for reimbursement on federal projects, Genuario said. He could not say how much federal money the state has lost.

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DOT Workers Want 5 More Hours

January 22, 2009

Remember the movie 9 to 5? That used to be the work week, and people used to get an hour off for lunch. These days, if you want that hour off for lunch its 9 to 6, or 8 to 5, or 8:30 to 5:30. And the three martini lunch? Only in Mad Men. Yet it’s not a surprise that in CT DOT land, where they are still working on plans to incorporate horse carriage lanes in the I-84 corridor, that they are just now getting around to looking at a forty-hour work week. Currently they have a thirty-five hour work week. And I’m using the term work week liberally here, because cruising by any DOT project makes you question the work part. And that’s even when they use sub contractors.

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CT DOT’s Latest Fiasco

November 11, 2008

Nothing like the scent of a good DOT story to kick off the 2010 Gubernatorial race. And it’s about route 7 too. Not the part that winds its way through southern, as in below I-84 country. But the above the I-84 highway, as in Rell’s hometown. Brookfield. Four corners. Listen to the story of a Governor named Rell, who still hasn’t managed to dig her way out of DOT disasters. Brian Lockhart reports:

The DOT confirmed Friday that improvements to Route 7, which connects Norwalk to Danbury and New Milford, have been delayed for months in Rell’s hometown of Brookfield because of an inaccurate land survey.

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