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Weathered the Storm

Re-electing Rep. James Albis (D-99) to another term as East Haven’s state representative is the smart choice. In his time in the legislature, James has consistently ensured that East Haven receives its fair share of state funding, saving the town’s taxpayers money.

We are all aware that it has been a difficult budget year for the state. Many towns will see deep cuts in state aid in 2017. Given these circumstances, East Haven has weathered the storm well—maintaining approximately the same amount of state funding between 2016 and 2017—and that’s in no small part thanks to James’s leadership.

It’s not just this year. Since 2011, when James was first elected, East Haven’s share of state aid has increased by $2 million. Think about that. In the context of our town’s budget, that equates to an increase of two additional mills being paid by the state this year alone. Without the nearly $22 million that James secures from the state for our town’s budget, our mill rate would be well over 40. Those are real dollars that our property taxpayers are saving because of James’s efforts.

James has also successfully secured state bonding for East Haven projects over the years. Most recently, East Haven received a $577,500 state grant to replace the HVAC system at Momauguin Elementary School. James also helped to obtain funding in 2015 that increased the number of Smart Start preschool spots available in East Haven, which provide a great long-term benefit to our children.

James has a proven record of advocating for East Haven at the Capitol, and it would be in our town’s best interest to re-elect him to another term as our state representative.

Noreen Clough

East Haven

Noreen Clough serves on the Board of Finance.