The Common Council will hold a Public Hearing on the Mayor’s Proposed General Fund Budget, Capital Improvement Program Budget and Special Revenue and Enterprise Funds Budget for the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, 27 West Main Street.
Having received the Mayor’s proposed $269.5 million budget and a proposal for a 39.59 mill rate Common Council Democrats are working to adopt a budget plan that makes smarter investments in the community’s needs and minimizes the tax burden on working families and seniors after last year’s double-digit increases in property taxes.
The public hearing is an important part of the process for citizens to share their concerns, ideas and priorities about how the city will maintain essential services within the limits of anticipated revenues for the year that starts on July 1.
“Individuals seeking to join the public hearing remotely may join by calling 1-339-209-6176. The public may attend the hearing in person or view a live broadcast online via the livestream link: https://www.newbritainct.gov/meetings
For additional information
Contact Council Majority Leader John McNamara. 860-416-0665
Residents of New Britain’s Ward 4 will have an opportunity to discuss municipal issues and neighborhood concerns on Saturday, February 10, from 10 a.m. to noon at Spottswood A.M.E. Zion Church, 35 Crestwood Lane.
Ward 4 Alderman John McNamara, the Common Council Majority Leader, will host his first neighborhood meeting of the term to hear from residents and to provide an update on the city budget process and efforts to improve stormwater and sewer mains.
“I encourage citizens to join me for coffee and conversation. Meeting in the ward is a good way to get their perspectives on issues that city government can address,” said McNamara, who was elected last November to the Common Council and plans to hold seasonal meetings to encourage citizen participation in Ward 4
Ward 4 encompasses the neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University extending to Farmington Avenue and out to Brittany Farms and Batterson Park. The ward includes the Saint Francis (12), Holmes School (13) and Pulaski School (14) voting districts.
For more information: John McNamara, 860-416-0665; john.mcnamara@newbritainct.gov
Democrat John McNamara has received the endorsement of District 1199, the SEIU Union for health care workers, for a seat on the New Britain City Council from Ward 4.
McNamara is a former Democratic Town Chair and previously was elected Chair of the Board of Assessment Appeal and served as the Building Commission Chair in city government. He is running in Ward 4 in neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University and extending out to the Brittany Farms and Batterson Park area. This year 15 Common Councilors will be elected from five wards, replacing a hybrid Council comprised of five at-large and 10 ward members.
In gaining the endorsement McNamara said he fully supports Recovery For All, a labor and community coalition working for a more progressive, statewide tax system “to stabilize unsustainable municipal finances and reduce reliance on property taxes that are hitting homeowners and tenants especially hard this year because of new assessments.”
In Connecticut, over 26,000 workers are members of District 1199. The Union represents nurses, certified nursing assistants, personal care attendants, technicians, clerical employees, service and maintenance workers, and other workers in a variety of health care settings including state services, nursing homes, home care, hospitals and community programs for the developmentally disabled.
“I am grateful to District 1199 for the endorsement and I pledge to support the union in its efforts to improve the wages and benefits of its members who deliver vital health care services in New Britain and throughout the state,” said McNamara.
SEIU Local 1973 Represents Faculty And Staff At Community Colleges
The Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4Cs), representing faculty and staff at the state’s 12 community colleges, has endorsed John McNamara for a seat on the New Britain Common Council in the November 7th Election.
The endorsement was made October 14th by the 4Cs union’s Delegate Assembly after the union’s political action committee recommended McNamara citing his “dedication to community colleges and commitment to state employees.”
The union, Local 1973 affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, represents over 4,000 higher education employees in Connecticut at community colleges – now CT State – and the University of Hartford.
In receiving the endorsement McNamara said his priorities for New Britain include providing every child with a high quality education by increasing municipal and state aid to schools and ensuring that economic development and affordable housing initiatives deliver benefits and opportunities for all residents. He favors stronger partnerships between community colleges and municipalities like New Britain for early college opportunities and workforce training.
McNamara said he fully supports Recovery For All, a labor and community coalition working for a more progressive, statewide tax system “to stabilize unsustainable municipal finances and reduce reliance on property taxes that are hitting homeowners and tenants especially hard this year because of new assessments.”
“The 4Cs endorsement is especially meaningful to me knowing that the faculty and staff represented by the union deliver education and training for many first generation college students and make sustainable jobs possible for working families,” said McNamara.
McNamara is running in Ward 4 in neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University and extending out to the Brittany Farms and Batterson Park area. Voters go to the polls at Saint Francis Church (12), Pulaski Middle School (13) and Holmes Elementary School (14) in Ward 4. This year 15 Common Councilors will be elected from five wards replacing a hybrid Council comprised of five at-large and 10 ward members.
Active in New Britain political and civic life for 35 years, McNamara is a former Democratic Town Chair (1994-2016), recruiting and endorsing candidates at the local, state and national levels. He represented the 6th State Senate District (2016-2020) on the Democratic State Central Committee.
In New Britain, McNamara was elected to the Board of Assessment Appeals in 2013 and previously chaired the city Building Commission. He is a recipient of the Connie Wilson Collins Service Award for Labor and Industry.
McNamara worked as Institutional advancement director at Capital Community College (now emeritus) for 22 years before retiring in early 2022 and previously held a similar position at the University of Hartford raising funds for scholarships, student services and obtaining federal grants, including an Hispanic Serving Institutions grant for the community college in 2020. At Capital, McNamara served on the 4Cs Delegate Assembly.
Previously McNamara was a reporter covering local/ state government in MA and CT. He holds a B.S. degree in Journalism from Boston University and currently contributes stories to the New Britain Progressive . He created the NBPoliticus blog in 2006.
The 4Cs endorsement comes after endorsements from other labor organizations including AFT Connecticut and CSEA Local 2001.
McNamara, nominated in July by the Democratic Town Committee, has also been endorsed by New Britain’s legislative delegation: Reps. Manny Sanchez (24), Bobby Sanchez (25), Peter Tercyak (26), Gary Turco (27) and State Senator Rick Lopes (6). He is supported by the Black Democratic Committee of New Britain.
A 38-year resident of the neighborhoods he wants to represent on the Common Council, McNamara is married to Patricia (Cacace). The McNamara’s have two grown children, Michael and Cara, and two grandchildren. More information is available at https://mcnamara4council.org/contribute
Democrat John McNamara has been endorsed by Connecticut’s American Federation of Teachers (AFT Connecticut) for a seat on New Britain Common Council in the November 7 Municipal Election.
McNamara is a former Democratic Town Chair and previously was elected Chair of the Board of Assessment Appeal and served as the Building Commission Chair in city government. McNamara is running in Ward 4 in neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University and extending out to the Brittany Farms and Batterson Park area. This year 15 Common Councilors will be elected from five wards replacing a hybrid Council comprised of five at-large and 10 ward members.
AFT Connecticut, a 30,000-member labor organization, represents teachers, school related personnel including paraprofessionals, state employees, healthcare workers, and higher education faculty and staff in the public and private sector. Teachers and paraprofessionals in the New Britain School District are represented by Local 871, the New Britain Federation of Teachers (NBFT).
McNamara received AFT Connecticut’s support because of his “commitment to working families and advocating for issues that are important to AFT Connecticut’s members.”
“I am grateful to AFT Connecticut for the endorsement,” said McNamara. “New Britain needs advocates on the Common Council to provide every child with a high quality education and to ensure that education gets a fair share of local and state aid. Funding for public education needs to be equitable regardless of zip code.”
McNamara said the endorsement reflects his support for economic development and housing initiatives that deliver benefits and opportunities for all residents. “We need to make New Britain affordable for working families and retirees,” said McNamara. “That means fighting high property taxes and fees caused by revaluation and curbing excessive tax breaks for out of town interests.”
McNamara has also been endorsed by the Service Employees International Union’s CSEA Local 2001, the Black Democratic Committee of New Britain and New Britain’s legislative delegation including Reps. Manny Sanchez (24), Bobby Sanchez (25), Peter Tercyak (26), Gary Turco (27) and State Senator Rick Lopes (6).
A 38-year resident of the neighborhoods he wants to represent on the Common Council, McNamara is married to Patricia (Cacace). The McNamara’s have two grown children, Michael and Cara, and two grandchildren.
The Connecticut State Employees Association, CSEA-SEIU Local 2001 endorsed John McNamara, a Democratic nominee for New Britain’s Common Council in Ward 4, in the November 7th municipal election.
CSEA SEIU Local 2001 is a union representing Connecticut state, municipal and private employees and retirees and is part of the Service Employees International Union.
McNamara received the endorsement of the labor organization after sharing his priorities for the city. They include providing every child with a high quality education by increasing municipal and state aid to schools and ensuring that economic development and affordable housing initiatives deliver benefits and opportunities for residents.
McNamara said he fully supports Recovery For All, a labor and community coalition working for a more progressive, statewide tax system “to stabilize unsustainable municipal finances and reduce reliance on property taxes that are hitting homeowners and tenants especially hard this year because of new assessments.”
“I am honored to receive the endorsement from a union that represents employees providing critical public services for the health, education and safety of residents in New Britain and across the state,” said McNamara.
McNamara, a former Democratic Town Chairperson, was elected to the Board of Assessment Appeals in 2013 and previously chaired the city Building Commission. He is a recipient of the Connie Wilson Collins Service Award for Labor and Industry from the NAACP.
He worked as Institutional advancement director at Capital Community College (now emeritus) for 22 years before retiring in early 2022 and held similar positions at the University of Hartford and the Community Renewal Team (CRT) raising funds for scholarships, student services and obtaining federal grants. At Capital, McNamara was elected to the Congress of CT Community Colleges (4Cs) Local 1973, SEIU Delegate Assembly representing faculty and staff on the campus. McNamara has been endorsed by New Britain’s legislative delegation including Reps. Manny Sanchez (24), Bobby Sanchez (25), Peter Tercyak (26), Gary Turco (27) and State Senator Rick Lopes (6).
A 38-year resident of the neighborhoods he wants to represent on the Common Council, McNamara is married to Patricia (Cacace). The McNamara’s have two grown children, Michael and Cara, and two grandchildren.
New Britain’s Ward 4 is the area that includes the neighborhoods near Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) spreading north and west to Brittany Farms and Batterson Park. Voters at Saint Francis Church (12) Holmes Elementary School (13) and Pulaski Middle School (14) will elect three Council members from Ward 4 this year.
As a longtime resident of Brighton Street near Central Connecticut State University, John McNamara has been active in public and civic life in New Britain for more than three decades. His goals are to continue to give back to the community by being a responsive alderperson for the residents of Ward 4.
“I want to serve a community that has been good to me and my family for many years.”
Board of Assessment Appeal (Chair), Building Commission (Chair),· State Marshal Commissioner,
·Justice of the Peace, Democratic Town Committee, Congress of CT Community Colleges 4Cs, SEIU,
Educational Excellence Award, CT Community Colleges, Connie Wilson Collins Community Service Award For Labor and Industry (NAACP), Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International (Club No. 21)
To contribute on line scan QR code below or go to Donation Link
I am running for a seat on the New Britain Common Council from Ward 4 and am grateful to receive the endorsement of the New Britain Democratic Town Committee on July 20th.
My goals are to reach and listen to as many residents as possible to earn their vote on November 7th, to represent their concerns on the Council for the next two years, and; to serve a community that has been good to me and my family for many years.
The City Council is responsible for adopting a fair budget but unchecked spending (up 12.58% in one year) with double digit jumps in our tax bills are the result of one-party government.
The current Republican Council majority provides no checks and balances on a budget that far exceeds the rate of inflation. It took no action to reduce soaring tax bills after property revaluation.
While developers of downtown luxury housing get 26-year tax breaks, homeowners, tenants and small businesses get no tax relief from much higher assessments.
It’s time for a change and new voices on the Common Council in 2023 for accountability, transparency and strong oversight of the way City Hall spends taxpayer money.
New Britain Alderman John McNamara 