Hugh Bailey
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hughsbailey.bsky.social
Hugh Bailey
@hughsbailey.bsky.social
570 followers 1.2K following 570 posts
Policy director, Open Communities Alliance, Connecticut
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hughsbailey.bsky.social
We should be so lucky, Stephen Harding.
“I truly believe that this is going to be a bill that we look back upon as a monumental step in the implementation of statewide zoning efforts,” said Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield.
November 14, 2025 at 7:50 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Now that's a ringing endorsement from a fellow party member if I've ever heard one.

ctmirror.org/2025/11/14/c...
Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, said after the housing veto and discussions over spending in the wake of federal cuts, he wonders whether Lamont “is even in touch with the reality of what the people in the state of Connecticut are experiencing. “I think the number of people who are experiencing unhoused status and homelessness is increasing in our state. For a state which is one of the richest per capita in the United States and also of the richest country in the world, to allow that to happen and not have an intervention, and despite multiple advocates, community members, reaching out to the governor, and his unwillingness to address this in a meaningful manner is painful to me,” Anwar said Thursday, of the veto.
November 14, 2025 at 7:50 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
A few things. One, the governor loves to say stuff that has been proven false. At this point, whatever.

Two, how about those mayors that want to put it nowhere? What does this bill do about that? Unclear, at best.

Towns have always been able to take the lead. They don't, which is why we're here
“We’re building more housing today than we have in the last five or 10 years, but not fast enough,” Lamont said. “This bill makes sure we build housing where mayors want to put it. Mayors take the lead, and the state will be their partner to make sure it gets built.”
November 10, 2025 at 3:50 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Voluntary participation! Man, I wish someone had thought of that before.
If approved, the measure would reestablish Connecticut’s housing agenda on voluntary participation, measurable incentives, and infrastructure support. It would direct the Department of Housing to coordinate regional assessments through councils of governments, create funding tiers for towns that expand zoning near transit, and streamline small-project permitting under 16 units.
November 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
A good example of small towns still, even in supporting the new bill, using infrastructure as a reason why their hands are tied. There's a lot you can do, in fact
A criticism of the earlier bill was that it was too prescriptive. Mary Calorio, regional town manager for Canterbury, Chaplin, and Pomfret, said the new version “balances statewide goals with local realities.” “The original housing allotment didn’t fully consider infrastructure—water, sewer, transportation,” she said. “This bill supports a regional approach calling for a comprehensive housing-needs assessment for every region. Housing needs don’t stop at our town lines.”
November 10, 2025 at 3:46 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
But what if the mandates were what we need?

CT's New Housing Proposal Heads To Special Legislative Session ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/11/10/c...
With a special legislative session scheduled this week to pass a bill aimed at addressing the issue, Gov. Ned Lamont, legislative leaders, and a coalition of local officials gathered in East Hartford to unveil what they called a reset: a bipartisan housing proposal that replaces the mandates of the vetoed House Bill 5002 with incentives, infrastructure investment, and regional planning.
November 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
It's cool to work in the Ganim administration and make vague references to "Bridgeport's reputation" holding the city back. I wonder what that refers to?

ctmirror.org/2025/11/03/m...
Bridgeport is moving in the right direction with balanced budgets, higher credit ratings, and exciting new development projects. But there’s no doubt that Bridgeport’s reputation has been a drag on its success. Understanding this reality, the Charter Revision Commission made ethics reform a centerpiece of charter revision, turning what is currently a single paragraph in the charter to an entire chapter.
November 3, 2025 at 4:07 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
A lot going on in this story, but I just want to focus on this quote from maybe the most anti-housing Democrat in the state.

Four acres is a lot of space. You're trying to make it sound like it's being jammed in to a tiny lot, but it's just not true

insideinvestigator.org/denials-and-...
“When you have a five-story, 75-unit building on a 4.3-acre lot, on a narrow street with no sidewalks and limited access ­— you know, that’s a public safety concern and a lot of people are upset and rightfully so,” said Allie-Brennan. He noted a fatal hit-and-run that occurred earlier this year up the street, saying adding more cars to the area would make it, “even more concerning.”
November 3, 2025 at 3:16 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
The thing to understand when people say stuff like this -- new housing will "destroy" Newtown -- is that the town is immense. It's the fifth-largest town by area in the state. Nearly 60 square miles. Most people won't notice anything

www.newtownbee.com/10302025/on-...
CT Gen Stat § 8-30g intention to provide “affordable housing” while the intent may be noble is going to destroy this town.
October 31, 2025 at 4:43 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Not really, but thanks for spreading a story that basically makes stuff up

ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/10/30/q...
October 30, 2025 at 1:48 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
"There's a lot of conversation on intent."

Indeed. How about zoning? Maybe towns should have to change their zoning to allow affordable housing to be built? Anyone considered that?
October 28, 2025 at 2:16 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
As the guy in the insurance company commercial says, "Let's give it up for that guy"

www.newtownbee.com/10272025/pz-...
Sam Grummons spoke next. He expressed support for the development, saying, “I’m here because the people most affected by your decision, they can’t be here tonight. They’re working second shifts at Danbury Hospital, they’re at home with the kids. They don’t have the luxury to take time off to come here … They’re the nurses, teachers, and police officers who make Newtown run. They’re the customers keeping My Place restaurant and Station 25 in business, and they’re being priced out. I’d like you to understand that for every delay and every denial, the people I just described — they’re the ones who pay the price.” Grummons continued, saying that P&Z has denied between 300-400 housing units that represent $2-4 million in tax revenue that funds the schools. He urged the commission to “identify legitimate concerns that should become conditions of approval.” He then said to “close the hearings, schedule the votes, make decisions. That is what leadership looks like. Make democracy work for all of us, not just a few of us.”
October 27, 2025 at 5:50 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Glad we're still having this discussion about whether raising taxes on the rich will cause them to flee the state

ctmirror.org/2025/10/23/c...

I mean, it's not like we have direct counter-evidence to that proposition anything www.wbur.org/news/2025/04...

They didn't leave MA, they won't leave CT
October 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
While we're at it, maybe editors could get this phrase out of every development story in Bethel? The town is growing at a negligible rate.
Bethel is so fed up with protected affordable housing proposals that it is planning to petition the state for a moratorium, for example
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Let's check in on Westport's first selectman race, because the governor says we need buy-in from local officials to get a housing bill signed.

So they all say we need a solution, but they all hate the only one on offer.

Promising!

06880danwoog.com/2025/10/21/s...
In the area of state mandates for affordable housing, all agreed on the need for solutions. They praised State Representative Jonathan Steinberg for voting against HB 5002, which would have taken local control away from zoning near transportation hubs. They also hailed Westport’s Affordable Housing Fund (though, as Moore noted, its current $1.5 million will not go far).
October 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
And my god if Eric Berthel isn't the worst person alive.

"The reality is that we may have more of a Bridgeport problem than a problem that is affecting all of Connecticut"

Bridgeport is part of Connecticut, Eric.
State Sen. Eric Berthel, R-Watertown, ranking member on the Education Committee, said he understood that further walking distances for students could lead to higher absenteeism, and said that busing students was “the safest thing to do.” But Berthel said he was concerned that creating a statewide walking distance maximum would force additional transportation costs onto the districts. “The reality is that we may have more of a Bridgeport problem than a problem that is affecting all of Connecticut,” Berthel said. Asked whether districts should be given more money to fund transportation, Berthel said the legislature needed to look more closely at costs and budgeting in the school districts before making the decision to allocate more money. He said the state has allocated more money per student in the largest urban districts than anywhere else in Connecticut.
October 17, 2025 at 1:49 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
This is some weird Trump-ian language from Lamont here. Reversing himself from one sentence to the next, totally vague, not clear he knows what he's talking about, the "by the way" thing.

Not great!

ctmirror.org/2025/10/10/a...
He also said he was not ready to commit to adding a reworked housing bill to a special session that will likely take place later this year — even as he hinted that a deal may soon be forthcoming. “There are some other things that I thought would have made the bill better,” Lamont said. “They’re not big things. I think we got them resolved, by the way.”
October 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Listen, CT Insider, I know Lamont said this, but you could take the time to point out that **it isn't true.**

And we know this because of reporting **in the publication that you work for.**
www.ctinsider.com/politics/art...
Lamont disagreed, saying more housing has been built in recent years than in the decades prior.
October 10, 2025 at 1:39 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Wow, everyone's optimistic, great to hear, I know I feel better

PODCAST: When will Lamont announce he's running for governor of CT again? ctmirror.org/2025/10/06/p...
You know, these are two men who tend to offer an optimistic view of how things are going, but that is something that they hope to get done,
October 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
What do people think this means?

You don't live in a farm town in the middle of nowhere, you're in a very high opportunity suburb.

"... an extremely rural community"? That's why people are beating down the door to build housing there?

www.newtownbee.com/10032025/pla...
Rosen raised a few concerns about the grading and driveway during the winter. Mazzucco responded, “It is a steep driveway, and we are making some modifications to the entrance, as well as the parking areas. We’re trying to flatten them out with the retaining walls and some grading so it’s not as steep. We did eliminate, I think, a couple, maybe two or three spaces, when you came up the driveway … they weren’t really practical.” Rosen then requested that there be a bit more vegetation near the street to make the development “a little more subtle.” He then asked if the percentage of nonpermeable surface is changing with this new development. Mazzucco said he would get that information for Rosen. Widmann shared that she agreed with Rosen strongly, “We live in a rural community and the images, while they may be beautiful, represent to me a city dwelling versus a country dwelling. So, it would be a major change to our community to have something that dramatic on that corner with the stone walls and towering buildings when we live in … an extremely rural community, and I just would hope that you would take a little more of that into consideration.”
October 3, 2025 at 5:09 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
A lot going on behind closed doors but why are we taking this guy's word for it?

CT legislators want to fix housing, insurance, federal cuts. But after 3 months, they still don’t agree how www.courant.com/2025/10/01/a...
The housing market has remained hot in recent years as many buyers have engaged in bidding wars and thus paid more than the asking price. That includes all levels of housing – from small condominiums in New Haven to single-family homes in Greater Hartford to mansions in Greenwich. While lawmakers said in June that they would be negotiating with Lamont, Candelora said he has not heard much progress on the housing legislation. “I continue to hear that the housing bill has not progressed in any direction, so I don’t anticipate that we would be taking it up,” Candelora said.
October 2, 2025 at 2:21 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
I guess knocking on the door is out of the question?
A key sticking point between the commission and Vessel concerns the integrity of water wells owned by three neighbors of the development property in question at 48 and 50 Nashville Road. Vessel says those three wells could be compromised by construction, and as a result, the developer would offer those well owners the option of being hooked up to public water. The problem, commission members say, is Bethel doesn’t know who the affected homeowners are and therefore the town cannot ask whether the homeowners agree to the developer’s offer.
September 29, 2025 at 4:44 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Well, they're onto us. So much for that

Democrats criticize Lamont's HB5002 veto (but not this Republican) ctmirror.org/2025/09/29/d...
H.B. 5002 could be better named the “Democrats Hate Small Town Life in Connecticut Bill.” Among other things, it’s an attempt to mandate far left DEI housing policies into every city and town across the state. Many Democrats appear to believe that all local zoning ordinances are racist and discriminatory. Their solution for increasing the amount of low-income housing in Connecticut is to force the cities and towns to comply with state-issued mandates.
September 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
These same people will say with a straight face that political calculations had nothing to do with the veto.

What was it, then?

PODCAST: Some CT lawmakers quietly urged Lamont to sign housing bill despite voting against it ctmirror.org/2025/09/22/p...
September 24, 2025 at 2:19 PM
hughsbailey.bsky.social
Just say you don't want it, Ned, this is taking forever
September 17, 2025 at 1:58 PM