Connecticut Could See Property Tax Hikes in Summer

The state's unions are negotiating on a package of concessions, but Connecticut's municipalities have had mixed success in similar negotiations with unions for their local workers.

Currey, a former state representative, is among many city and town leaders who once sat on the General Assembly they now say is too tightfisted with municipal aid.

Former four-term Bridgeport state Sen. Bill Finch, who became his hometown's mayor in 2007, says the situation is much more bleak than he realized when he was at the Capitol.

"It's a shock when you become mayor of a Connecticut city because there's no 'there' there," said Finch, whose city recently cut 222 jobs through layoffs and attrition to help close a multimillion-dollar deficit.