Cristin McCarthy Vahey

Dear Neighbors,

This week, the legislature’s Appropriations and Finance Committees passed bills that together make up the legislature’s proposals for the state budget. The Governor’s proposal was put forward in early February.

The next steps involve ongoing negotiation between the legislative and executive branches to determine a final budget which will be voted on near the end of the legislative session in early June. You can see the Appropriations bill (the spending side) here and the Finance bill (the revenue side) here.

These bills are a step in the process and not the final decision. You can still speak up, advocate, and let us know what you believe should or should not be included in the state budget.

Given the uncertainty of significant funding decisions at the federal level, we expect to return in special session in the summer or fall to make adjustments. Where, how, and how much the federal budget decisions and cuts impact us would be the focus of that adjustment.

This past week, I have had an opportunity to tour the Fairfield Bellarmine campus in Bridgeport. Fairfield Bellarmine is providing two-year Associate Degrees, primarily to Bridgeport students, who are then supported in obtaining a Bachelor’s degree.

I also joined Fairfield’s 40^th Annual Holocaust Commemoration, remembering the murder of 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children.

Many thanks to our host, First Church and Pastor Vanessa Payne Rose. Thanks also to those who coordinated and attended the Holocaust Commemoration, including Holocaust survivors and the family members of survivors, law enforcement, teachers, students, elected officials, clergy from our local synagogues, and community members at large.

As one of the organizers shared, “When you hear a witness, you become a witness,” and Elie Wiesel’s words, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”

May we all remain aware of one another's pain, and act to end antisemitism and hate of all kinds. If you missed the event, you can watch a recording here.

While we are beginning to see downward trends in opioid use, Connecticut, like many other states, is still seeing far too many opioid overdoses and deaths.

Here in Fairfield and Bridgeport, we lost 103 residents to opioids in 2023 and 63 in 2024.

How do we continue to help save lives? By sharing information about the fact that “One Pill Can Kill,” providing Narcan/Naloxone training to all residents, and assuring those in recovery have proper resources. Please take a look at the attached flyer about what you need to know about prescriptions drugs and overdose as well as safe storage of medication. Though the flyer from Fairfield CARES is geared to young people, the message is applicable across all ages. The majority of our opioid deaths involve fentanyl, which is why the One Pill Can Kill campaign is so important.

What can you do to help?

• Attend a Narcan training and keep Narcan available. It saves lives. You can sign up for Catalyst CT’s online training here
• Safely store prescription drugs and dispose of unused prescriptions. Fairfield Police are hosting a Drug Take Back event this Saturday (see information below) and you can drop off your medication 24/7 in the police department lobby
• If you or are loved one are struggling with opioid use disorder, know there is help available. Check out https://liveloud.org/ for more resources and information. You are not alone.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. As always, please feel free to reach out directly with your ideas, questions, or concerns. You can reach me by phone at (860) 240-8585 or (203) 522-3037.

Take care,

Cristin McCarthy Vahey