Rachel Khanna

As you may know, legislators came close to passing two onerous state bills this session that would have required towns like Greenwich to add a lot more density than our town residents would like, or our infrastructure could easily handle. The Greenwich House delegation, myself, and Representatives Arzeno and Meskers, spoke out and voted against these bills. 
 
While the Work Live Ride bill did not come up for a vote, the Fair Share bill saw partial success. An amendment turned the Fair Share bill into a study, which we fear may be a first step toward a mandate.
 
According to Freddie Mac, the United States is short about 3.8 million housing units, and according to CNN, the majority of people affected are middle-income buyers and renters. Connecticut is facing a housing shortage that is depressing our economy’s growth. 
 
The lack of available housing has significant effects on our communities: from families using up most of their income to meet housing costs or being forced out of their homes; to the shortage of teachers, police officers, and firefighters able and willing to work in our town; and to businesses being unwilling to locate in Connecticut because there is nowhere for them to house their employees. 
 
If we can’t keep attracting families and businesses to the state - if these families and businesses choose states like Massachusetts or New York over Connecticut - our economy will flounder and that will hurt all of us.
 
As a legislator, the challenge that we face is how best to address this crisis. I believe that local leaders and planning boards are in the best position to know how much housing Greenwich needs and where to locate it. But in order to be effective advocates against top-down housing requirements, we must be able to point to evidence that Greenwich is making progress in addressing housing needs. 

Weicker was a state representative from Greenwich from 1963-1969, representing the 154th District at the time, and as Greenwich's First Selectman. He was elected to Congress in 1968. After just one term in the U.S. House, he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

He was the first Republican to call for President Richard Nixon to resign during the Watergate scandal and served on the Senate Watergate Committee. He wasn't there to protect Nixon or the GOP. He was there to do what was right. He served 18 years in the Senate but lost his seat when he was defeated by Joe Lieberman in 1988.

He left the Republican party and ran as a third-party candidate (A Connecticut Party), getting elected Connecticut's 85th governor in 1990. He was the first independent governor in the state since the Civil War. Connecticut remembers him as the governor who instituted the state income tax in 1991. 

He was a veteran, a patriot, an advocate for the disabled and the marginalized, and a long-time public servant, as well as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Thank you for your service to the town of Greenwich and the people of Connecticut, Lowell. May you rest peacefully.

Eligibility requirements for the program include:

• Meeting financial need specifications
• Qualifying for and receiving a CHFA first mortgage
• Being a current resident of Connecticut and demonstrating residency for the most recent three years

The impact of this program will reverberate in the short- and long-term for Connecticut residents; not only will there be a new generation of homeowners, but these residents will begin the process of building inter-generational wealth to pass on to the next generation.

Other benefits of the program include:

• A 0% interest rate with no monthly payment required
• 10% of the loan balance forgiven annually until it is fully forgiven on the tenth anniversary
• Financing for up to 20% of a down payment and 5% of closing costs

During the 2023 Legislative Session, I worked with my colleagues to pass a new two-year state budget that stands up for consumers, including a freeze of scheduled increases on the diesel tax, which helps lower the price of groceries and other commodities while reducing the cost of doing business in Connecticut.

Fuel costs are a significant percentage of expenses not only for the trucking industry, but for all markets that rely on the sale of goods, which makes this a significant cost savings for businesses and consumers alike. 

Our state budget was crafted with middle-class tax relief and investments that grow our economy, protect our quality of life, and make Connecticut more affordable for everyone.

Please join me on Friday, July 21, at Modern Love Coffee Roasters (formerly known as Turning Point) 55 High Ridge Road, in Stamford, from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., for coffee and conversation.