Opposition is mounting to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s push to install highway tolls. Protestors plan to demonstrate in five towns on Saturday. They hope to drum up an anti-toll petition that’s nearing 100,000 signatures.
WSHU’s Ebong Udoma met some of them on the first day of several demonstrations across the state.
About 50 people gathered on Paradise Green in Stratford last weekend to wave placards that say “Honk for No Tolls.”
Many motorists obliged.
Some leaned out of their car windows to sign the petition.
“I would urge this governor to start listening to the people.”
That’s Bob Stefanowski who ran on the Republican ticket for governor last year. He ripped into Democratic Governor Lamont, who had promised to only toll trucks.
“His campaign promise was to not toll autos. You now have a survey out there that says that 60 percent of people of Connecticut don’t want tolls. NotollsCT.org has almost 100,000 signatures of people opposing tolls. At some point elected officials have to do what their constituents want. And people don’t want tolls.”
Stefanowski has been working with Patrick Sasser, the founder of No Tolls Connecticut.
“Tolls are a tax. And it’s another tax on the working class, who are struggling to survive here in our state.”
Sasser says he’s happy with the response as they take their campaign across the state.
“The momentum is growing, this grassroots movement is really taking off.”
Cathy Politi of Fairfield is one of those who’s been inspired. She says she’s skeptical of what the state will do with the toll money.
“We are going to pay tolls, and that money is not going to go to the roads.”
Governor Lamont debunks that argument.
“Anything we do with tolling is subject to federal authorization. That money has got to go to transportation by federal law.”
Lamont says he remains confident that he’ll get enough support from lawmakers to get highway tolls approved this year.
“You know, I’ve got to bring some folks together to get this done. But I think it’s the right thing for the state, and that’s why I’m going to put my shoulder to the wheel to get it done.”
Republican lawmakers oppose tolls, so the folks Lamont will have to keep together are the majority Democrats. Half of them belong to the progressive caucus, who are concerned that tolls might be an undue burden on low-income residents. Ann Hughes of Easton, who co-chairs the caucus, says her members are sticking with Lamont.
“A lot of us campaigned on fixing our transportation infrastructure and passing that off as a debt to future generations is not acceptable.”
But demonstrators like Steven Kolenberg aren’t deterred. He’s a Republican member of the Stamford City Council who voted recently on an anti-toll resolution.
“They want tolls every six miles, they want them on every highway in the state. It’s such a clear cash grab.”
The demonstrators plan to have a big rally in Hartford soon.
In the meantime, rallies continue across the state with demonstrations scheduled on Saturday in New London, Manchester, Shelton, Groton and West Hartford.
