Mayor, Democrats Trade Barbs Over Budget As Election Nears

EAST HAVEN, CT - It looks like the political season is in full swing in East Haven as the countdown continues to the November mayoral election.

Mayor Joseph Maturo put out a press release Friday putting the blame squarely on the Democrats for turning what he said was his plan which he said would call for a modest tax decrease into instead a plan for a modest tax increase.

At a special meeting on Thursday, the East Haven Board of Finance, by a vote of 4 to 1, returned Maturo's proposed 2019-2020 budget with a .05 mill cut instead into imposing a .20 mill increase. Mayor Maturo said, "Although I appreciate the hard work and advice of our Board of Finance, I am disappointed that the board is recommending a tax increase at a time when the Governor has recommended one of the largest tax increases in the State's history."

The vote was passed on party lines, with Democratic board members Richard DePalma, Richard Esposito, Jr., Marc Conte, and Noreen Clough carrying the majority over the lone present Republican board member, Beth Purcell.

Ralph Vitale, also a Republican, was absent from the meeting.

But Conte on Friday said Maturo's budget was unrealistic and would have put the town in violation of state guidelines by underfunding education.

"This is just an election year ploy by the mayor," said Conte. "He is not concerned about the town's future.

But Maturo, who has yet to announce whether he will be running for re-election, stood fast.

"I am proud that my fellow Republican Beth Purcell held her ground and had the courage to vote 'no' on the Democratic-proposed tax-increase budget proposal. I understand that there are still some questions regarding this budget that need to be fleshed out, but I am committed to keeping taxes stable in this budget for the benefit of all of our taxpayers."

Maturo added, "Although I am absolutely opposed to the recommendation to raise taxes, I think some of the cuts proposed by my Democratic colleagues warrant some consideration. We are going to take a look at recent year-over-year trends in our utility costs to see if their recommendations on cutting utility appropriations are realistic. I am also going to consult with the Finance Director and Town Attorney to determine if the proposed cuts to the contingency and self insurance funds are responsible."

Under the Town Charter, the Board of Finance must return the budget with its recommendations to the Mayor no later than March 23rd of each calendar year. Within eight days of receipt, the Mayor is required to present his proposed budget to the Town Council. Maturo is scheduled to deliver his 18th combination "State of the Town" and "Budget" address on Thursday, March 28th at 7:00PM at East Haven High School.

Maturo noted, " I am going to be looking very carefully at the Board's recommendations to determine which, if any, may be responsible to include in my budget presentation to the Council next Thursday."

Conte, the chair of the Democratic party, noted that the Democrats didn't just vote to increase funds.

"We proposed $650,000 in cuts - one of which was to legal counsel, mainly due to the lawsuits that taxpayers are responsible for due to the mayor.”

Maturo has promised to make a decision soon on whether he'll be seeking another term; one other Republican - Big Steve Tracey - has already announced he's running. No Democrat has yet announced.

Conte had one last parting shot for the mayor.

"If he had attended any of our meetings - he never did - he would have known the issues."