Patricia Dillon

We’ve been working long hours but I wanted to give you some very quick highlights of the session before the weekend, with details to follow.

1. Despite budget constraints, we were able to prevent serious damage to public higher education. Much detail work remains, but cuts to Southern and Gateway, among others, could have affected our future.
2. We inserted language to preserve New Haven’s status as a distressed municipality, which in turn affects environmental justice. By statute we were eligible for an extra five years, but it had not been enforced systemwide, affecting eligibility for several grants.
3. We restored some dollars that would have been cut in the budget- for example Youth at Work.
4. We are further along in planning for  Whalley Ave.
5. Housing took much time and there was some progress.

There’s more but enjoy your weekend!