Criticizes state budget and defends closure of UConn Torrington
By Wiley Wood

State Senator Kevin Witkos addresses Norfolk residents who came out to Haystack Pizza to meet him an discuss state issues. Photograph by Bruce Frisch

At 10 a.m. on a recent Saturday morning, cars were parked along Route 44 west of town and filled the lot at Haystack Pizza. Inside the restaurant, getting coffee from the counter and helping themselves to doughnuts and Danish pastries, were about two dozen people who had come to meet State Senator Kevin Witkos (R-8) and hear him speak.

Not surprisingly, the first topic he addressed was the budget. Connecticut faces a $220 million deficit in the fiscal year ending June 30. “Why is there a deficit after two of the largest tax increases in the history of the State of Connecticut?” Witkos asked.

A member of the Republican minority in the state legislature, Witkos pointed out that the current budget was widely opposed, particularly in the business community, and barely squeaked through despite large Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

Witkos directly blamed the budget that was passed last spring for General Electric’s relocation out of state, to Boston, Mass.

The problem with the budget is structural, said Witkos. It relies too heavily on revenue from sales tax, a highly variable and volatile source of income. The stock market’s performance is not responsible for the revenue shortfall.

“The governor has come out and said, and I agree with this message, that we cannot tax our way out of the deficit,” said Witkos, adding that higher taxes on the wealthy will simply drive them out of the state. He reports that 5 percent of taxpayers already pay 62 percent of taxes, and that if two specific individuals with a combined net worth $22 billion left the state, “it would have a drastic effect on our economy and the revenues we receive.”

“We all agree that we have a beautiful state,” said Witkos, “it’s just too damn expensive. The question is: how do we right-size the government? And that’s what’s happening right now at the state capitol.”

Witkos advocates spending cuts and supports the governor’s efforts in that direction. He opposes a Democratic initiative to close the gap by dipping into the state’s rainy day fund, largely depleting it and leaving next year’s looming $900 million deficit unaddressed.

In the question and answer session, Witkos faced sharp criticism for advocating the closure of the University of Connecticut’s Torrington campus. He cited the low enrollment (159 students), the high cost ($5.1 million) and the declining population of 19- to 24-year-olds in the area.

Bill Brodnitzki, a Norfolk resident, said the senator’s stance was unhelpful, that the Torrington campus was a resource for the area, that it attracted young people and that more investment was needed.

Witkos, the ranking Republican senator of the Higher Education Committee, said that while the legislature decides how much UConn gets from the state, the university’s board of directors decides how it is spent. He pointed out that two other UConn campuses in Waterbury and West Hartford service the area.

Kaelin Hester, a freshman at UConn’s Torrington campus, retorted that for students in Sharon and Salisbury, the commute to Torrington was already 40 minutes. The added distance to Waterbury or West Hartford would push their commute to over an hour.

“Cuts are always difficult,” said Senator Witkos.