The Business Council of Fairfield County has scheduled its annual breakfast with legislative leaders for March 25 at the Stamford Holiday Inn.
Scheduled guests are Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, and House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk.
For political junkies, this should be good.
Stamford-Mayor-turned-Governor Dannel Malloy’s first budget will be the hot topic of discussion.
And while the Republicans have made their views clear – too many taxes, not enough cuts - everyone is wondering what Democratic leaders plan to do with Malloy’s proposal for closing the $3.2 billion deficit.
Some observers expect Democrats may balk at tax hikes on the middle class and at Malloy’s reliance on what critics consider an unrealistic $2 billion worth of union concessions.
Malloy, a Democrat, has criticized both the General Assembly’s Democratic majority and his successor, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell, for failing to make tough decisions and saddling him with a fiscal crisis.
The Business Council’s Lisa Mercurio said Malloy is not expected to attend and was not invited to speak.
“For the past 20+ years it has been an event to hear exclusively from the legislators on what they are focusing on, since the Governor’s budget has already been released,” Mercurio told me in an e-mail.
I think Malloy needs to show up at this thing so we can cut right to the chase. When Donovan and Williams take questions from the audience, the governor can raise his hand and ask, “Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, will you vote for my budget? If not, why?”
Thank you, Gov. Dannel Malloy, this is the first time I have ever seen in print a criticism of the General Assembly budget. It is ever so much better to have the true facts on the table. Good luck with handling this fiscal crisis. We are all anxious to have success.