Hartford Superior Court Judge James Graham refused Wednesday night to grant a request by the Connecticut State Police Union for a temporary injunction stopping layoffs of 56 troopers, including 34 who will lose their jobs at midnight. And while a union spokesman pledged the bargaining unit would continue the legal challenge to the layoffs, Gov. […]
Keith M. Phaneuf
Keith has spent most of his four decades as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.
Malloy lays off defiant state police, correction supervisors
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said today he will lay off 56 new state troopers and 23 correction supervisors represented by the only two bargaining units to reject elements of a concession deal that would have provided job security for four years. And while Malloy insisted that the public would not feel the impact of the […]
More taxes, less staff force state revenue agency to get creative
State government will rely on income taxes more than ever to finance operations this year, but its revenue collection agency has less than 70 percent of the staff it did when the tax was enacted 20 years ago and could lose several dozen more positions this year. Kevin B. Sullivan, the commissioner of revenue services, […]
Labor peace fleeting as troopers, prison guards rally against Malloy
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had his moment of solidarity with state employee unions last week as a two-year concessions package won approval by a wide margin, but that unity began to erode Monday as unions representing state police and prison guards staged separate protests. Troopers insisted Monday that their “unique” status as public safety employees […]
Malloy ups pressure on unions as concession vote nears conclusion
With state employee unions about to enter the final week of voting on concessions, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration Friday stepped up the pressure with its first explicit statement that layoffs will continue in bargaining units that don’t agree to wage freezes–even if the overall package of health and benefit givebacks is approved. Malloy’s budget […]
Failure of new concession vote could pit Malloy against legislature
If unionized state employees reject concessions a second time, it could have repercussions beyond the deep cuts and layoffs Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered four weeks ago: It also could trigger a showdown between Malloy and the legislature over just how much authority the governor has to slash spending. Did lawmakers give Malloy unfettered authority […]
Study: Connecticut one of few states spending above pre-recession levels
Connecticut is one of just seven states that has elevated spending above the levels budgeted before the recent recession, after adjustments for inflation and federal assistance are made, according to a recent study by a nonprofit fiscal policy think-tank. But the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also reported that Connecticut has made […]
Malloy hedges on budget cuts as union voting nears the end
When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was announcing budget cuts in mid-July that would close prisons, courts, group homes, and agency offices, cut dozens of academic and social service programs, and eliminate 6,500 jobs, he said he couldn’t be dissuaded by union leaders scrambling to breathe new life into a dead concession package. Connecticut’s chief executive […]
Taxing the rich makes state revenue stream more volatile
Advocates for a more progressive state income tax won key battles in 2009 and again this spring as new top rates place even higher burdens on Connecticut’s wealthiest households. But that came with a price: Nearly 40 percent of the state’s chief revenue source now stems from a quarterly payment system that largely reflects the […]
Clarified concession deal puts retiree health care funds in lock box
State employees have never warmed to the idea of having to contribute a portion of their pay to help fund their retirement health care, and one of the arguments they make against it is the history of special accounts’ being used as a piggybank by legislators and governors when money is tight. But while all […]
DMV delays branch closings, layoffs, until after concession revote
The state Department of Motor Vehicles will delay planned closings of branch offices and other facilities in eight communities – and layoffs of department workers — until Aug 19 and 20 to await the results of a union concession vote that could make them unnecessary, according to a department statement released this afternoon. The announcement […]
Study finds Connecticut’s business tax burden is lightest in the nation
Despite its reputation as an expensive place to do business, Connecticut’s state and local governments imposed the smallest tax burden last year of any state when compared with its economic output, according to a new study released by a trade group for major corporations. The survey prepared for the Council on State Taxation found that […]
State pink slip count drops slightly due to new retirements
Though nearly 3,000 state employees still have received layoff notices, the number targeted to lose their jobs shrank slightly over the last week as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration begins the complicated “bumping” process of reassigning workers based both on seniority and skills. According to the latest weekly update from the governor’s office, the pink […]
State income tax hike hits paychecks starting this week
Depending on how much they earn, Connecticut workers could start noticing less in their paychecks at week’s end as state government starts collecting at special income tax rates to reflect new increases – and to apply them retroactively back to Jan. 1. But while Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his fellow Democrats in the legislature’s […]
ESPN receives $25M aid package to help launch 2nd digital center in Bristol
BRISTOL–Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday the state will invest more than $25 million in cable sports giant ESPN’s plans to develop a second digital center on its main campus here. ESPN, which has pledged to create a minimum of 200 jobs over the next five years, would be the third recipient of incentives through […]

