Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says Stamford lawmakers were wrong to approve a resolution that opposes his plan for highway tolls.
Stamford board members say the resolution was meant to send a message to Governor Lamont and state lawmakers that tolls would hurt the local economy.
Lamont does not agree. He says they took an easy vote that doesn’t solve the problem of the state running out of money for transportation infrastructure.
He was speaking at a bridge replacement construction site on I-95 in Stamford.
“Everybody wants us to fix this road, everybody knows we’ve got to go on a debt diet. If you have a better way, give me a better way. We have an honest solution where the numbers add up. Do they?”
Stamford Mayor David Martin supports Lamont.
“I, for one, was disappointed with that vote. I know it was not unanimous. But it was a populist vote that I disagree with.”
They wanted to highlight the importance of using tolls to help pay for such highway repairs.
Lamont says his toll plan would generate $800 million a year. He expects 40 percent would come from out-of-state motorists.