Michelle Coelho Urges Governor Lamont To Veto HB5002

**News Release Submitted by Danbury Board of Education member Michelle Coelho**

June 13, 2025

Michelle Coelho, former State Senate candidate and current member of the Danbury Board of Education, is urging Governor Ned Lamont to veto House Bill 5002—a sweeping housing bill that threatens to dismantle local decision-making, strain community resources and accelerate the affordability crisis across Connecticut’s 24th District, of Danbury, New Fairfield, and Ridgefield.

Despite bipartisan concern, HB5002 was advanced with the strong backing of current State Senator Julie Kushner—one of the bill’s most vocal advocates. This deeply flawed legislation strips local town and cities of their authority to manage zoning and forces “as-of-right” multi-unit housing provisions onto communities, bypassing meaningful public input, infrastructure planning, and environmental review. It also weakens the 8-30g affordable housing law by eliminating key thresholds and further penalizing towns that are already working in good faith toward compliance. Senator Kushner’s support prioritizes state control over local needs and disregards the real challenges facing communities like Danbury, Ridgefield, and New Fairfield.

“This bill isn’t about making housing more affordable—it’s about giving Hartford bureaucrats control over local communities,” said Coelho, who opposed HB5002 during both her 2022 and 2024 campaigns against Senator Kushner. “Danbury already meets its 10% affordable housing benchmark. Yet this bill would pave the way for unchecked overdevelopment that our schools, roads, and taxpayers simply cannot absorb.” With over three decades of professional experience in residential and multi-unit development—including her role on the original Rivington project in Danbury—Coelho brings deep expertise in permitting, environmental review, and infrastructure planning. Her background affirms her opposition to HB5002’s “one-size-fits-all” mandate, which she argues strips communities of the flexibility needed for smart, sustainable growth.

“Each town in our district has unique challenges,” Coelho continued. “Ridgefield, New Fairfield, and Danbury all face different constraints—from water and sewer capacity to school crowding and road access. HB5002 ignores those differences in favor of a state- driven agenda that dismisses local voices and practical realities.”

The bill passed the General Assembly despite bipartisan opposition from Mayors, First Selectman, local leaders, planning and zoning boards, and community organizations across the state. Critics, including Democrats and Republicans alike, have called HB5002 a top- down overreach that threatens to erode democracy and encourages irresponsible development.

“Governor Lamont was right to veto a similar bill last year,” said Coelho. “If he truly values fairness, fiscal responsibility and local input, he must do the same now and veto HB5002.”

CALL TO ACTION
Michelle Coelho is urging residents of Danbury, Ridgefield, New Fairfield, and all concerned Connecticut citizens to make their voices heard. Contact Governor Lamont and ask him to veto HB5002 immediately.

• Call: (860) 566-4840
• Email: governor.lamont@ct.gov
• Online Form: Contact the Governor