Fonfara Gets to Work
Park Street Library
For decades, the Park Street neighborhood had a small, underfunded library. The lack of a cultural hub for this area left kids without vital resources for their development, including technology and a central gathering space. When the community voiced their concerns, John went to work, delivering $12 million to build a new, state-of-the-art library that now serves Hartford's children and adults.
Minority Owned Business Support
After watching minority-owned small businesses wait for years for overdue small business loans, John intervened, creating a 5-year, $25 million fund that provides assistance to minority-owned businesses in Hartford and throughout Connecticut.
Saving Hartford from Bankruptcy
Five years ago, with the city on the verge of bankruptcy, John worked closely with Majority Leader Matt Ritter, Mayor Bronin, and Gov. Malloy, to devise a plan to help stabilize the City’s finances. By securing $500 million in state funding, steep tax increases and painful cuts to services have been averted.
Growing our Rainy Day Fund
After several decades of the State failing to properly fund State employee and teacher pensions, Connecticut residents were spending over half of every tax dollar to pay off billions in debt – money that could have been used for transformative investments in early childhood education, job training, and reducing urban poverty. John had seen enough, and he stepped in. As Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, John authored legislation that not only helped the state pay down billions of dollars in retirement debt, but also created a $3.5 billion dollar rainy day fund–the largest in state history.
Ending Hartford Being the State's Dumping Ground
Every month for decades, thousands of trucks brought municipal waste from all corners of the State to the trash plant in the South Meadows to be burned, polluting our neighborhoods and causing health problems for nearby residents. John worked to permanently close the plant and secured nearly $100 million from the State to clean the site to its highest and best use.
Keeping our Neighborhoods Safe
During his time serving in the state legislature, John has helped ban the sale of over 150 gun models, stopped the sale of gun magazines with more than 10 rounds and “bump stocks,” and helped create a universal background check system in the state, making Connecticut a national leader in gun safety. But he also knows that without adequate prevention measures, we can expect gun violence to continue in our city. That is why he is committed to not only dealing with the crime of today but breaking the cycle of violence by giving young people in Hartford more access to opportunities.
