Letter: West Hartford’s Future – Affordability, Not Washington Politics
Audio By Carbonatix
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To the Editor:
Four years ago, Donald Trump was not president, nor was he on the ballot. Yet the cost of living in West Hartford has continued to climb. That fact alone should remind us that the challenges facing our community are not being dictated from Washington, but rather from right here in West Hartford, shaped by the majority party’s vision for our town.
For years, the Democratic majority has pursued an aggressive agenda of growth and spending. Each year, property taxes have crept higher, leaving many seniors no longer able to afford to stay in the neighborhoods they have called home for decades. At the same time, young families and first-time homebuyers find themselves locked out of West Hartford’s housing market, where affordability has become a distant dream.
I have long supported the idea of smart growth, development that balances progress with fiscal responsibility, growth that strengthens the community while protecting affordability. But what we see today is not smart growth. It is unchecked expansion, fueled by budgets that spend recklessly without considering the long-term impact on residents.
The majority party points to the construction of new housing units and redevelopment projects as proof of progress. But progress means little when it comes at the expense of affordability. West Hartford may be adding units, but seniors are still being forced out, and young families still cannot see a path to building their future here. Development that ignores affordability is not progress, it is a warning sign.
This election is not about Donald Trump. He is not on the ballot. The issues before us are not about national politics but about local leadership. The real questions are:
- Can seniors afford to remain in their homes?
- Can young families realistically buy in West Hartford?
- Can taxpayers trust their leaders to manage a budget responsibly?
The truth is that West Hartford is growing at a rapid pace, but with little concern for who is being left behind. The continued tax increases and reckless spending decisions are making our community less accessible, less affordable, and less balanced.
Yes, investments in schools, infrastructure, and safety are important. But responsible leadership requires more than writing ever-larger budgets and passing the burden onto residents. It requires balance, foresight, and accountability. A beautiful street or new development is no comfort to the family who cannot afford to live here.
This November, voters have a choice. Do we continue down the same path where affordability is sacrificed in the name of unchecked growth, or do we chart a new course? One that puts residents first, focuses on fiscal responsibility, and ensures West Hartford remains a community where seniors can stay, young families can thrive, and the American Dream is still within reach.
West Hartford deserves smart growth, not reckless budgets. This election is not about Washington. It is about West Hartford and about making sure our town remains a place that is truly livable for everyone.
Alberto Cortes
Town Councilor, West Hartford
(Alberto Cortes is a Republican candidate running for re-election to the West Hartford Town Council)
West Hartford has AAA ratings from Moodys and S&P Global on the town’s general obligation bonds. These high ratings indicate that the town is a low-risk borrower. This is due to a diverse tax base, strong budgeting practices, and proactive management of long-term financial obligations like pensions.
U.S. News & World Report ranked West Hartford as the 19th best place to live in the nation for 2025-2026, and Niche.com named it the best place to live in Connecticut for the eighth consecutive year.
Oh, those wascally democrats! Giving us a proven higher quality of life! We need more platitudes from candidates like you, candidates who have the courage to ignore inflation, markets, and reality itself! More red ties, less thinking!
you sound like a guy who’s had your 10th booster. I’ll give people a pass on the first two. But after that any more Covid vaccines was a test of mental retardation. And let’s just say most Democrats failed.
You sound like a guy who has to keep 500 yards away from schools.
one more word Henry — there will be a f–ing lawsuit
Oh no,! I’m so scared! Kevin, you should stick to doodling on people, making them look like a bridge overpass that was tagged by a 14 year old.
While Blue Back Square was being considered, we were told it would keep our taxes low and possibly reduce them. I went to a meeting and asked how. We were told parking fees would pay for everything. I presented a conservative calculation and all I heard was silence…and that didn’t take into account that the infrastructure couldn’t support it. BBS was built and our taxes rose…a lot. Sadly, you’re not going to win this battle, so we moved and have no regrets. In fact, we’re very happy that the majority of the residents keep voting for the nonsense. We live close by where our taxes are low and let the residents pay for all the things we enjoy.
The late, great Nan Streeter, a Republican when Republicans had class and dignity, when I was proud to have been a Republican, was an advocate for Blue Black Square.
Mike you rule
We need you to move back so you can (#1) pay taxes and (#2) bring your common sense back to town.
See my long response further down — it didn’t attach properly to your comment
That’s perfectly repub. Enjoy things and make others pay for them. And then bitch about it.
“West Hartford’s too expensive!” cries the WH GOP.
Democrats add hundreds of new affordable units all over town.
“WHOA! Slow down there!” cries the WH GOP.
And to those Seniors in town, many of whom who rely on Social Security? It’s “government sanctioned discrimination against youth by people who didn’t take care of themselves or prepare for their future” says WH GOP on their Official X Account.
If you’re looking for fiscal responsibility and more of the prosperous, vibrant, caring community we have today, the answer is clear:
Vote Blue – Row A.
West Hartford has been Democrat since 1981, and in those 44 years it’s done pretty damned well. And I say that as a conservative, but no longer Republican.
LISTEN TO THIS GUY!! This is exactly what I’ve been saying. I am very concerned that BBS is not sustainable. When out of towners come to park in the Center (OUR Center), West Hartford taxpayers are subsidizing them! We are literally firing our teachers while subsidizing out of towners to park at below-market rates!
Parking program loses about $1M/year
People driving Lamborghinis on a Friday night are paying $1.75/hr to park, and free after 10
We only collect about $200K/year in fines
A parking fine is $16 for nonpayment/overstaying, and $38 for never-enforced violations like “parking on a sidewalk”.
We lost 9.7 teachers in the latest budget to save about $1.5M/year
We are spending $12M ($10M over next 2 years) to refurbish our mostly-empty parking garages as a separate capital expenditure – this is not counting the $1M/year operating loss.
West Hartford residents: you all are subsidizing out of towners!
Raise the parking fees on out of towners
Make street parking more expensive than garage parking so people don’t congest the streets looking for a precious street parking spot. Make parking fees dynamic to match demand.
Give free parking time to residents (1 hour/day?)
Who knows – if residents start going to our own town center more, we might have more businesses that serve us, like getting another pharmacy!
Turn BBS around before it becomes a dead mall
Honestly I don’t care if we are the 19th best town in the country or even the 1st best town in the country if we are fiscally unsustainable, every new resident is a doctor/lawyer/business exec (do y’all really want more of me?), and everyone else gets squeezed out – including our kids. My daughter wants to be a vet. Can vets even afford to buy a home in West Hartford today? And by the way, side note, does the US World News Report measure if we are scared to let our kids cross the street or walk to school?
Mike Stricker is right. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We are punching ourselves in our collective economic nards. Stop doing it!
This was supposed to be in response to Mike Stricker’s post. Website seems a little finicky.
But also listen to Al Cortes too!!
Center Park Place will list in the range of 1.2M to over 2.8 M for preconstruction units.
According to the the Sunday Courant 9/21/25, an article stated that this is a tool for keeping retirees in town while freeing up under-used single-family homes . An elected WH official said ” This is an option for people who live in homes in West Hartford. They can stay in West Hartford and sell their home to a family that might live in a more modest house, and that frees up what could be a starter home for someone else”. ” The people who live here will support our retail shops, the hardware store and, yes the restaurants.” How many retirees on a fixed income can afford that option ? As long as I am living in my single family home AND paying taxes, it is not being “under-used” – ouch :(
Well-put, Anne. How many retirees are being forced out after having lived here for most of their lives? I’m struggling not to be one of them. but I’m not optimistic even after selling a townhome in a more expensive part of town.
Thank you Nancy. Many of my friends will be leaving this town after retirement. A town that they helped grow but there is no tax incentive for them to stay. https://www.tax.ny.gov/star/. This link might help CT seniors. I had sent this link to Senator Derek Slap two years ago and received no reply. I also made copies for our current town council members and dropped them at the town manager’s office and heard no reply….. I think there is a recurring theme here. I too am not optimistic.
The main issue I and I’m sure many others have with this article is that it’s vague talking points with no substance whatsoever. So you say you want to keep the town affordable and not grow with more housing. But you have voted to approve new apartment developments in town(which is something I appreciate you doing). But what are your specific policy ideas to make home affordable in town if you’re not to going increase the housing stock?
You make it seem as if only West Hartford has an affordability issue. But all towns in the area, almost the entire state and country have seen prices skyrocket in the past 5 years since Covid. You said above “the cost of living in West Hartford has continued to climb. That fact alone should remind us that the challenges facing our community are not being dictated from Washington, but rather from right here in West Hartford” You ignore the fact that the cost of living issue is a national issue which is being exacerbated by the tax increases/tariffs Trump has forced the American consumer to pay and will have to continue to pay.
You complain about seniors and families being unable to maintain the cost of living, yet you ignore the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP your party has made so Billionaires like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, etc can get a government handout in the form of a massive tax cut. That will make life harder for working families and seniors. So which is it, do you truly care about the cost of living for seniors and families or need to make it seem that way only when it’s election time? What are your plans for seniors and families if you don’t agree with the Republican cuts, you don’t list any of your ideas to solve the problem, just complain about “reckless spending.” What areas of the budget are you looking to cut…should we cut services by closing 1 or 2 fire houses, should we lay off teachers and increase class sizes to 30 kids per room, should we live with more pot holes in town and not pave broken roads, should we not offer health insurance to town employees??? Unfortunately you gave no specific policy ideas so one must assume those are your type of solutions but you know the citizens of West Hartford won’t be happy with them so it’s easier to complain in general terms about your other town council members.
Hi James! We have very actionable, realistic plans for all of your concerns. Last week we published our housing policy, which takes national best practices and adapts them to our unique market in order to bring back homeownership opportunities at reasonable prices – please check it out.
https://we-ha.com/letter-a-vision-for-affordable-homeownership-in-west-hartford/
Additionally please check out my comment about losses in our parking system. There is a huge amount of revenue being lost by subsidizing our Center and BBS parking, which is effectively a subsidy for out of towners. We are about to spend $5M just on the town garage escalators. That is crazy.
Our policy platform also includes the creation of a special ed insourcing roadmap – Glastonbury has done this and is saving millions of dollars a year.
Another point – and this is just coming from me and not the whole slate – I think we need to spend a lot less on consultants and less on reports in general. I don’t know the exact price tags but I know we spent hundreds of thousands on the Center consultants who did a lot of public outreach, and our leaders ignored their advice anyways. And they created a big fancy town center master plan that wasn’t really a plan at all – and they basically copied my homework on market pricing parking, which was one of the few actual recommendations they made. I don’t see the value in the bike network master plan either, I’m pretty sure town bike advocates would have done that for free. Another example: we had an over 150 page report just for Sedgwick Road shortly after there was a fatality, but no action! The report could have been 20 pages and the rest of that labor cost spent on getting infrastructure into the ground.
We feel that West Hartford can continue to invest in the things that matter such as education and public safety, while scrutinizing and eliminating things that don’t. We think we can bring back small scale unsubsidized housing instead of big expensive apartments. Please check out our plans! Thank you!
You sure seem to have a lot of disdain for the “out of towners”, the people who come here and patronize the shops and restaurants, spending their dollars on the local businesses whose taxes go into the town coffers and help pay for a lot of things that make West Hartford extremely desirable. You and many of the other neo-Republicans want to live in a successful, desirable town, but not properly fund it, or understand all of the moving parts that make it a place that educated, professional people want to live. I’m also going to assume that you and several others here who are so bent out of shape over BBS and its parking garage are only in your early 20s, because you seem to have no idea or memory that before it was built it was a collection of vacant/underused/outdated commercial buildings and abandoned car dealership lots.
In the meantime I hope none of your patients are out of towners, I would hate to think about the anquish that would cause you.
Hi Henry! I think I’ve made my points pretty clear. If you think the current annual losses in parking are acceptable, and if you think it’s totally unreasonable to run the parking system budget-neutral or ideally net positive, that’s cool. That’s why we have this great democratic system and a vibrant civic culture. You can vote for one of the other candidates!
If someone votes for me, they should know FULL WELL that I’m going to fight to make parking fair for West Hartford citizens. Because I don’t think it’s fair to subsidize out of towners while asking our children, or our police, or our firefighters, or our engineers, or DPW, to do with less!
If you have the chance, please read The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup. It is breathtaking the amount of financial loss (and pollution, and congestion) we tolerate through our parking policies while simply accepting them as the cost of doing business.
What began as a letter from Councilor Cortes has morphed into yet another soapbox for Democrat-turned Trump Republican Jason Wang. This is the same politician who touts the construction of more single family homes, which can only be done financially with taxpayer subsidies or by taxing non-residents and businesses in ways that are patently unconstitutional. Not that constituions seem to matter much anymore.
But let’s get back to Councilor Cortes. What he does not tell you is that he voted for most of those town budgets he now criticizes. Or that he has been a constant advocate for more spending even when he would not vote to pay for it.
Let’s all acknowldge that it is expensive to live in our town. Unfortunately, that’s the cost of great services, great schools and fiscal prudence that maintains our top-rated national bond rating. But it is also the burden on local residents and businesses of underfunded state and federal mandates. And as Councilor Cortes knows but will not say, it’s the added burden of Trump’s actions that are driving up consumer costs and driving down the economy right here in our state. No matter how the local Trump Republicans duck for cover, the facts are undeniable.
Has significantly growing our town tax base, increasing efficiencies and holding municipal spending below growth below te the cost of living been enough? Of course not. But the only ones doing something, rather than just talking about it, are Mayor Cantor and th Town Council Democrats with the support of a great town management team.
1.) I was not a Democrat. I was fairly apolitical and continue to care primarily about bipartisan issues like road safety. I looked into the DTC, was turned off by a number of issues including some major concerns we will soon make clear. Then I found that the RTC fit my leanings and values better.
2.) I am not a politician. I am simply exercising my right to run for office because I want to make our town better.
3.) We have offered a clear, achievable roadmap for unsubsidized homeownership opportunities. This is a roadmap based on national, bipartisan reforms – because people from all political viewpoints are concerned that the American Dream is becoming unreachable for even those who work hard and save. Please propose an alternative if you disagree with our plan.
4.) I can’t tell what you are on about, but are you trying to say that charging market rate for parking and offering a resident parking pass is unconstitutional? Which part of the Constitution was that in?