A new year has arrived in Connecticut, and that means new stories … and the continuation of some old ones.
While we at CT Insider don’t have a crystal ball, we do have some ideas about what might dominate the headlines in 2024. Here are a few to watch.
An election year
Nationwide, no story will be bigger in 2024 than the presidential race, and while Connecticut won’t be a swing state in November’s general election, that doesn’t mean voters here won’t play a role — or that there won’t be other races to watch.
For one thing, Connecticut voters can participate in the state’s Democratic and Republican primaries on April 2, after the legislature voted this fall to move the date up four weeks. Sure, neither race looks particularly competitive at the moment, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump leading their respective contests comfortably, but if either one tightens for any reason, Connecticut could make a difference.
Come fall, Connecticut will vote not only for president but also for six of its seven congressional representatives, with all five incumbent U.S. Representatives on the ballot, along with Sen. Chris Murphy.
The race to watch will be the fifth-district rematch between Rep. Jahana Hayes, a Democrat, and Republican challenger George Logan. Hayes narrowly defeated Logan in 2022, and their race will likely be close once again.
Closure in Bridgeport?
Before Connecticut can hold its 2024 elections, one city must finish its 2023 contests.
Amid voter fraud allegations stemming from Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim’s campaign’s alleged harvesting of absentee ballots in the November municipal elections, a judge ordered a new primary election pitting Ganim against fellow Democrat John Gomes, to be held on Jan. 23. If more than one candidate remains following the primary, the city will hold a second general election on Feb. 27.
So far, Ganim has defeated Gomes twice, in a September primary and the November general election, but he’ll have to do so again at least once — and possibly twice — to stay mayor.
Either way, by spring the city should be able to move beyond endless scrutiny of absentee ballots.
What’s next for the state police?
A Connecticut State Police fake-ticket scandal dominated headlines in 2023, and it won’t likely go away in 2024.
To recap: Nearly a year and a half ago, CT Insider reported that state troopers had fabricated hundreds of traffic ticket records, prompting an audit that revealed the problem was even more widespread than suspected. Public outcry followed, top officials stepped down, and multiple investigations were opened.
In the coming year, Connecticut residents may get more answers about what exactly the troopers were up to, how widespread the problem was and how such sweeping misconduct was possible.
Entities currently investigating the scandal include the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Transportation, an independent team led by former U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly and the state police themselves.
Housing debates rage on
With each year that passes, Connecticut’s housing crisis seems to worsen, and the debates over what to do about it seem to intensify.
Connecticut has some of the highest housing prices and lowest vacancy rates in the country, a function of high demand and, apparently, insufficient supply. For some people, this means it’s difficult to buy a home or rent one in an appealing neighborhood at a desirable price. For others, such as the estimated 1,000 residents homeless this winter, it means there’s nowhere to live at all.
Some housing advocates argue Connecticut towns must do more to promote new housing, especially affordable housing, to escape the crisis and lower rental costs. Local officials, though, often push back at that suggestion, arguing that dense new housing would disrupt the character of their communities.
Gov. Ned Lamont has taken a middle ground, seeking to promote affordable housing where possible, without eroding “local control.”
During the 2023 legislative sessions, lawmakers considered a bill that would have required towns to build a designated amount of affordable housing, but the measure was ultimately defeated.
Affordable housing is almost certain to arise again as an issue in 2024 legislative session that starts in February, during election season and at numerous points in between.
Fiscal cliffs threaten education, nonprofits, more
Across Connecticut, officials at major institutions are losing sleep over the impending loss of pandemic-era relief funds set to expire in 2024, leaving holes in budgets statewide.
K-12 education? Deficits, cuts and layoffs could be on the way as federal money dries up, barring additional help from the state legislature. Higher education? The Connecticut States Colleges and Universities system has already announced a 5 percent tuition hike, along with program cuts. Nonprofits? Already reducing programs and fearful they’ll have to slash more.
Expect ample discussion of these fiscal cliffs in the 2024 legislative session and brace to witness the effects of them in the months and years to come.
Maternity wards closing statewide
In recent years, a startling number of rural Connecticut hospitals have announced intentions to close their maternity wards, ending labor and delivery services. This has prompted an outcry from many local residents and advocates, who view the hospitals as abandoning the communities they serve.
In 2024, some of these units may close for good, while others could still be saved by a state oversight process. Maternity wards facing closure include:
- Windham Hospital, which stopped performing births in 2020 and whose plan to cease labor and delivery permanently was approved earlier this month by the state Office of Health Strategy, following an initial denial by the same regulatory agency.
- Sharon Hospital, whose owners have appealed an OHS decision denying a request to close the birthing center there.
- Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, which has requested to close its maternity ward and is awaiting approval to do so.
Within the next year, Connecticut could have as many as three fewer maternity wards, leaving “maternity desserts” in many of the state’s rural regions, forcing pregnant women to travel 20 to 40 minutes to a hospital with a birthing unit.
A hospital merger in limbo
Speaking of hospitals and ongoing stories likely to make further headlines in 2024, Connecticut has seen a strong and sustained wave of medical care consolidation in recent years, as Hartford HealthCare and Yale New Haven Health have bought up smaller competitors, as well as independent private practices.
That has culminated with Yale New Haven’s proposed purchase of three flailing hospitals owned by for-profit Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc., including Waterbury, Rockville General, and Manchester Memorial hospitals, in a deal that has already spent more than a year in regulatory limbo.
Will the sale finally go through in 2024? The sides are negotiating to finalize the deal, as the Office of Health Strategy scrutinizes the details. While Yale New Haven Health has requested public money to help finance its purchase, Lamont has said that will not happen.
Meanwhile, Prospect’s financial dealings have drawn scrutiny from Connecticut’s attorney general, who is investigating the California-based hospital system.
The situation, messy as it is, should be resolved one way or the other in the coming year.
To electrify or not?
Connecticut’s transition from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones hit a snag in November when Republicans, and at least one key Democrat, opposed a regulation that would bring the state in line with California’s standards for auto emissions.
Opponents of the regulation say they’re worried about the cost of electric vehicles, as well as the range they can travel before running out of charge. Proponents say costs are already coming down and chargers will continue to become more common.
One key Democrat said party leaders are considering a special legislative session in January to codify the new standards in law and clarify concerns raised by Republicans. If not, the subject will likely come up when the regular session starts in February.
Either way, the question of electrification won’t be going away.
