Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Gettr, Truth Social, Twitter
Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails, established in 2017, have been a lifeline for our state’s financial stability—building a $3.3 billion rainy day fund and slashing pension debt by $8.6 billion. Yet, Governor Ned Lamont’s recent $55.2 billion biennial budget, unveiled on February 5, 2025, takes direct aim at these protections. By targeting the "volatility cap," which has wisely redirected surplus revenue to savings rather than spending, Democrats could unlock $1.4 billion annually for new programs. Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney has cheered this as a chance to “invest,” but it’s hard to ignore the echoes of past deficits that plagued us before these guardrails took hold. Fortunately, Greenwich Republican State Senator Ryan Fazio and State Representative Tina Courpas are strongly pushing back on this latest destructive nonsense from Hartford.
Meanwhile, here in Greenwich, this state-level dangerous shift casts a shadow over our own budget season. The town’s proposed 2025-26 budget is trending toward a 4.50% or higher spending hike—well above last year’s $443.3 million, and well above the (already the highest suggested increase in decades) 3.6% guidelines issued by the BET and the higher guidance presented by First Selectman Camillo’s Office, fueled by Democrat calls for expanded services and projects and inefficient and inappropriate spending. That could mean a mill rate increase of 5.5% or more—and well over a 5% increase to your tax bill—with the town revaluation of property values additionally coming up later this year. And beyond the increased financial burden on taxpayers, unchecked spending risks eroding the unique character of Greenwich, from the charm of Greenwich Avenue to the character of the community we all cherish.
James Madison, in Federalist No. 57, argued that leaders should embody wisdom and virtue, pursuing the common good with accountability. Our Republican elected officials have the opportunity and the responsibility to provide strong fiscal guardrails for our town, too. Greenwich Republicans—holding the Chairmanship of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, the First Selectman’s office, and influence across town—have a chance to live up to that standard by advancing and defending the Republican principles and policies that have greatly benefitted our town for over a century. The state’s Democrats may see the budget as bottomless, but it’s a path that will leave us exposed and far worse off for it. Locally, we face a similar test: will we let spending creep upward, or will we drive responsible spending like DOGE is doing at the federal level with widespread support.
This is where Republican principles—fiscal restraint, protecting community identity, ensuring tax dollars deliver—really shine. Winning elections isn’t enough if we don’t govern with conviction. Our town needs our elected Republican officials to stand firm against pressure to mirror the state’s spending spree, to prioritize the long-term health of Greenwich over the haranguing of a very vocal progressive contingent. As Abraham Lincoln said,
"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."
With this year’s budget, Greenwich Republican elected officials have an important decision to make—maintain the fiscal guardrails that make Greenwich great or support a large tax increase and a continued march down a slippery slope toward the high property taxes of our neighboring towns in Westchester. Let’s urge our Republican elected officials to reject the Democrats’ risky playbook, trim the excess, drive greater efficiency and safeguard our town’s future.
To echo Maximus from Gladiator: Hold the line, Greenwich Republicans—Hold the line!
Joe Solari is a Republican State Central Committee Representative for Greenwich and the 36th Senate District of Connecticut, and a Member of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee.
