In a recent Connecticut Mirror piece about Zohran Mamdani’s historic victory in New York, Gov. Ned Lamont sounded to be in complete denial about both the moment we are living in and just how disappointing his own decisions have been since Donald Trump took office.
It amazes me completely that after seeing historic primary turnout, engagement from new voters, and massive activation of young volunteers coming together to defeat a corrupt and scandal-ridden candidate who Lamont himself endorsed, Lamont’s tone is anything other than “it’s time to scrap the old playbook.” This complete inability to read the room is unacceptable given the moment we are in nationally, and we must demand more.
As a working-class mother in Hartford and a member of its board of education, I find that this administration is, at best, ignoring residents in my city and, at worst, outright hostile to us.
Our governor continues to vehemently defend our state’s irrationally strict fiscal guardrails, which have made it virtually impossible for my school district to even dream of someday having fully funded schools for our children.
On top of that, he remains the main barrier to our state being able to raise equitable tax revenue, meaning that the state budget remains balanced on the backs of working people rather than on billionaires. In what world does it make sense for you and me as workers to be responsible for paying for our state’s many needs while Connecticut’s wealthiest residents continue to coast on capital gains and inherited wealth?
The governor’s recent vetoes of an affordable housing bill and a measure for unemployment insurance for striking workers, coupled with his threat of vetoing a bill that would have protected our immigrant neighbors from Trump’s ICE kidnappings, speak volumes. We’ve reached the point where we have to ask: “Can a governor of immense personal wealth genuinely be the voice fighting for working people in Connecticut?”
Right now, we face relentless budget cuts from the federal government, paired with federal tax breaks for the same super-wealthy billionaires that our state refuses to tax locally. Meanwhile, in my role on the board of education, I witness the way our state’s austerity leads to a lack of resources, overcrowded classrooms, and missed opportunities for the very students who need the most support.
By remaining loyal to the illusion of “responsibility,” we are creating entire generations of students who will struggle and come to believe that their government does not give a damn about them.
It’s time for our state’s leadership to truly listen to voices from places like Hartford, and to learn lessons from historic elections across the region. We need fiscal policies that are flexible, compassionate, and truly reflective of the significant needs of our residents in childcare, education, and healthcare.
We cannot afford a governor who is this out of touch; we need a leader who understands that true fiscal responsibility means investing in our people, our future, and especially, our children.
Shontá Browdy is a Member of the Hartford Board of Education.