House Democrats go low in Southbury flooding, try to blame Republican for 1,000 year storm damage. Jahana Hayes remains in Chicago.

The state House Democratic Campaign Committee (HDCC) tried to exploit flooding from Sunday’s historic storm for political gain. Candace from the HDCC sent a text with a photograph of a flooded road, claiming “Southbury’s infrastructure needs an upgrade but our town’s current leadership seems to think ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ is good public policy.”

Republican Jason Buchsbaum is a member of the town’s Board of Selectman. He was on the ticket that inflicted a stinging defeat on Democrat Ed Edelson in 2015 as he sought a third term as first selectman. Buchsbaum and Edelson will face each other in the open 69th House District seat in the November.

Candace was not finished. She also complained that state government has spent millions on “our major cities, it’s time they did it for us too!” Candace may not realize that the House Democrats have enjoyed control of the House for 37 years. That’s plenty of time to have addressed the infrastructure needs of affluent communities like Southbury, though planning for a 1,000 year storm was never going to be high on anyone’s list of infrastructure projects.

With two people dead and the cost of the flooding still being assessed, House Democrats might want to take a break from campaigning in the disaster areas for a few days. Adding to Southbury’s slim inventory of affordable housing is likely to get more attention and funding.

Edelson’s four years leading the town probably included little planning for a 1,000 year storm.

Residents of Southbury and other towns may have wondered in their misery and fear where U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes has been since Sunday. She stepped up in front of the cameras on Tuesday night and showed them. She was in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention. Hayes, seeking a fourth term in November, cast the Connecticut delegation’s votes, 73 for Kamala Harris and 1 present. An exuberant Hayes announced the votes “for the first female president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.”

As July began, Hayes took a distinctly negative view of a Harris campaign for president. She did not agree with those of us who were certain the vice president would meet the moment. “Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) stood up before her colleagues during an all-caucus meeting to argue that putting the vice president atop the ticket” the Washington Post reported, “at this point in the election cycle would be setting Harris up for failure, according to two people familiar with the discussion.”

Hayes did issue a weather advisory Sunday as she headed for Chicago.

Published August 21, 2024.