Posted inMoney, Politics

With an eye on legislature, Bronin makes pitch to suburbs

It wasn’t necessarily the way Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin wanted to start a conversation with the suburbs about what it would mean to the region if the capital city goes broke. But the Metropolitan District Commission’s unexpected levy on its member communities for a reserve fund in case Hartford cannot pay its bills is getting Bronin invitations to the suburbs to talk about the city’s challenges.

Posted inCities & Towns

Bottling plant a wake-up call on state water

For decades, Connecticut residents have taken water for granted. But approval of a water bottling plant in Bloomfield, the coming of the state’s worst drought since the 1960s, and several other water controversies in recent years have put the spotlight on both the state’s lack of an overall water plan and questions about the transparency and accountability of the Metropolitan District Commission, the Hartford region’s big water and sewer agency.

Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics

Public water, private profits: A fight over MDC’s tap water

Niagara Bottling’s plan to buy and bottle lightly treated tap water in Bloomfield is high octane fuel for a debate at the Connecticut General Assembly and the Hartford region’s water authority about the ethics and environmental impact of what is projected this year to become the most popular packaged beverage in the United States – the ubiquitous, single-serve, plastic bottle of water.