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Hugh Bailey

@hughsbailey.bsky.social
685 followers 1.4K following 746 posts

Policy director, Open Communities Alliance, Connecticut

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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Lamont vetoed the initial housing bill because Republicans and people in Fairfield County (same difference) told him it was the courageous thing to do. Inspiring!
ctinsider.com
Inside Ned Lamont's text messages: Vetoes, the WNBA and running again
CT Insider obtained about three weeks worth of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's text messages about housing, reelection, and the WNBA.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Persistent labor shortages and slowing population growth. I wonder if there's anything we could do about that? www.ctpost.com/business/art...
“Manufacturing continues to be one of Connecticut's greatest economic strengths, with companies finding ways to innovate, increase productivity and grow to meet demand even with ongoing workforce challenges,” Chris DiPentima, the CBIA’s CEO and president, said in a written statement. “Connecticut's growth is encouraging. And with more than 86,000 open jobs, the state must address persistent labor shortages and slowing population growth so we can sustain this growth and not give companies reasons to look outside the state to meet growing demand.” No mention of housing in the story
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Something fun from Hearst CT. An advertorial for Rob Sampson that looks almost exactly like a news page. Surely the "Sponsor Content" label will be enough to tell low-information news consumers that this is an ad. No note at the end or anything. Great! storystudio.ctinsider.com/2026/09/01/s...
storystudio.ctinsider.com
Senator Rob Sampson: Defending America, Rebuilding Connecticut - StoryStudio – CT Insider
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Why does the western side of town deserve a 6-story, 176 unit building?” Macri asked Mr. Tesei. I don't know, there's a housing crisis? Will never get over the way Greenwich people talk about their town greenwichfreepress.com/news/governm...
greenwichfreepress.com
P&Z Responds to 6 story, 176 Unit 8-30G Building Proposed to Replace Putnam Green
A proposal to redevelop Putnam Green in Byram with a six story building and 176 residential rental units received feedback from the Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission late Tuesday night. News of t...
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I love amphibians and all but seriously what are we doing here
newstimes.com
Developer redraws controversial 300-unit project in Newtown around breeding pool for frogs and fairy shrimp
“All [development] activities proposed are over 100 feet from both the wetland and [breeding] pool,” Shapiro’s ecological consultants said.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Ryan Fazio took a look at the state's housing crisis, examined the data, and came to the conclusion that the key to solving it is "expanding local zoning control" Truly a leader for our times www.courant.com/2026/09/20/c...
courant.com
CT governor’s race gets testy amid clashes on nearly everything. ‘He’s making that up,’ claim made.
The candidates cannot even agree on whether their race for governor is close or not.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Or as Ryan Fazio calls it, single digits
ctmirror.org
Quinnipiac poll has Lamont with double digit lead over Fazio
Gov. Ned Lamont and Sen. Ryan Fazio will face off in two televised debates. Neither would happen before early voting begins on Oct. 19.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Meanwhile in New London, a local restaurant is saying it prefers to keep "a block-long stretch of broken sidewalks, vacant and vandalized buildings, overgrown lots and what appear to be abandoned cars" rather than new housing in the area. Maybe they shouldn't get veto power here?
courant.com
Popular CT restaurant is opposing proposal for 235 apartments nearby. Others say it’s a ‘phenomenal opportunity’
The developer that’s built luxury apartment complexes from Wilton and Cheshire to New Haven is proposing a 235-unit complex near New London’s waterfront that would create a complete makeover for what’...
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
So sad for Stonington that they now have to allow affordable housing on the site of this closed nightclub with a weedy parking lot. Think of what they're sacrificing!
ctpost.com
Town known for its New England seaside charm ends fight to deny housing plan with affordable units
The deal shaves just three townhouses from the plan and requires minor concessions by the developer in exchange for Stonington’s unconditional approval.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Even if not, it's always good to be mad at him anyway
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Let's just move Waterbury a few miles east. Easier than rerouting a highway, I guess
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Building giant highways through the middle of cities and along riverfronts was one of the worst infrastructure decisions we ever made, so glad to see we're locking it in place for the next 75 years
ctpost.com
Two designs remain for Connecticut's future Mixmaster. Here's what happens next
One concept involves moving the Naugatuck River.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
24 homes on 11 acres. They still hate it. They still want nothing to be built. They still vilify anyone for trying. You cannot reason with this.
newstimes.com
New Fairfield neighbors protest Danbury pool contractor’s plan for 24 homes with affordable units
“Go walk that property and tell me if you think it fits 24 [homes],” said Monica Oswald.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
And Part 3. Just from today's Courant. Going great, CT
courant.com
Controversial plan for CT athletic training center now targets new site. What to know.
Opponents of a controversial training center proposal had said they were worried it would take as much as an additional five months to decide whether to move forward
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone part 2
courant.com
Contentious plan for senior housing in CT town won’t go forward. Mayor says he wanted to ‘clear the air’
He made the announcement in a Facebook video before the town council meeting.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone. Another car wash, who cares, but this style of opposition is toxic.
courant.com
Proposed car wash draws suburban CT community pushback. Part of it is over water use.
After getting mixed reviews from local regulatory boards, the proposal for a 7,275-square-foot car wash is scheduled for final decision.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Tens of thousands of people die on the roads every year but this guy cares only if there's an undocumented person he can rage at
ctpost.com
Ohio senator blames CT license policy for fatal crash. Lamont defends it
A Connecticut law that went into effect in 2015 allows people who can't establish their legal presence in the U.S. to obtain a driver's license.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I'm saying Ryan Fazio doesn't mean what the story said he said
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
How do I justify it? I don't.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"Fazio wants all students to get into the school they want, full stop." That's what the story says. Bridgeport students should be able to attend Trumbull public schools if they want? That's what Fazio thinks? No, he's talking charters and magnets. Of course he is.
courant.com
CT GOP gubernatorial candidate: All CT students should attend schools they choose
“ZIP CODE SHOULD NOT DETERMINE A STUDENT’S DESTINY IN CONNECTICUT,” Ryan Fazio’s education plan handout said.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I guess cringing through these statements from the governor is just the way it is from now on.
"We have more new housing being built in this state, more multifamily housing than ever before," Lamont said this week.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Quick question for Ryan Fazio: If your main goal is preserving what's already there, how does that change what everyone agrees is an untenable situation?
Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio, Lamont's challenger, focuses on preserving municipal control over zoning.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Excited for the next few months choosing sides between bad and much worse.
ctpost.com
How Lamont and Fazio would tackle Connecticut’s housing costs
The median price of starter homes in Connecticut doubled to more than $300,000 over the last 10 years.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I hope they're getting some good clicks out of it but man is ct post dot com going crazy on this trial
A whole bunch of links on a trial
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Bonus points for hitting every anti-housing cliche: one size fits all, top-down mandate, standing up for teachers and first responders. This one's got it all.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Finally, a Greenwich Democrat says we need to rethink 8-30g. Truly a bold stance! greenwichfreepress.com/letter-to-th...
greenwichfreepress.com
Oberlander: On 8-30g, It’s time to ask whether the policy needs to change
Greenwich Free Press (https://greenwichfreepress.com/letter-to-the-editor/oberlander-on-8-30g-its-time-to-ask-whether-the-policy-needs-to-change-252448/)
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"in center of heart" ... It's planned as far on the outskirts of town as exists. Headline writing, come on.
courant.com
Affordable housing plan: 176 apartments in center of heart of one of CT’s richest towns
Targeting one of Connecticut’s wealthiest suburbs, a developer is looking to use the 8-30g law to win permission for constructing a six-story building with more than 170 apartments in the heart of it.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The 2024 flooding was catastrophic, but what in the world does multifamily housing, of which the town has hardly any, have to do with it?
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
My town wants a 9-month pause on development so it can ... do all the stuff it should be doing anyway? patch.com/connecticut/...
Town documents say the commission wants time to review Oxford’s zoning regulations, road and sewer infrastructure, pedestrian network, development density and the town’s 2018 Plan of Conservation and Development. The proposal also cites the August 2024 flooding that caused extensive damage and fatalities in Oxford.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Ned Lamont definitely acting like someone who's not at all concerned about this primary. Definitely
ctpost.com
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (opinion): Lamont is 'steady, strong leader that Connecticut needs'
Congressman Jim Himes writes that 'Governor Lamont has delivered real results for our state and has a clear vision for what comes next.'
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I swear Hearst CT had a no mugshots policy. Oh well, I guess
ctpost.com
Police say alleged serial burglar kept returning to downtown Bridgeport building
Detectives expect additional charges.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Hey Fred Camillo, there's this weird trick where utilities can actually build more capacity. Is this what bad-faith anti-housing people are left with?
greenwichsentinel.com
The Coming Building Capacity Storm
Tweet Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Infrastructure Realities Hit Home as Utilities Hit Capacity Limits By Fred Camillo Recently, I was made aware of a shocking development: our utility comp...
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I don't know, seems pretty self-explanatory
ctpost.com
Why your phone alerts you to flash flood warnings and other disasters
Flash-flooding is just one type of disaster the system can warn people about through the phone.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
7,400 square feet for two families? Let's not get crazy here
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
How long can Hearst CT go without running a story about Gilmore Girls, a show off the air going on 20 years now? A week, tops, I think
ctpost.com
‘Gilmore Girls’ pilot home has former bakery, river views
The four-bedroom Markham home has original pine floors, exposed beams, a wraparound verandah and a detached former village bakery.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
It's like the perfect Bridgeport story: The announcement comes months after warning investors in a May U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing that the company faced doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern.
ctpost.com
A drone company opened a Connecticut factory after warning it may not survive
The facility is expected to create 50 jobs, officials said.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Wow, a new study. And people say we can't do big things
ctmirror.org
Amtrak launches new study on New Haven-Providence route
The new study of Amtrak rail lines between New Haven and Providence will put more emphasis on public input than a 2016 proposal.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Whole bunch of people who really want to speed through school zones
ctpost.com
Fairfield residents blast controversial speed cameras at packed meeting: 'This wasn't ready'
Residents were mainly critical of speed cameras as town officials gave updates and made argument on why the initiative is needed for road safety.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
What is the point of all these studies on traffic and revenue that developers have to pay for if the town can just say "Nuh-uh" and that's the end of it? www.courant.com/2026/07/15/c...
The Goman+York consulting firm put out a report concluding that the development would generate about $1.6 million a year in new tax revenue for the town, even after accounting for new expenses for community services, snow clearing, extra school enrollments, road paving and more.

But numerous speakers discounted that, saying the enrollment impact was just a formula based on the number of overall bedrooms. At least one challenged that idea, warning there would be substantially more new students if tenants and buyers used unassigned rooms such as a den to provide sleeping room for additional children.

Several other speakers criticized a consultant’s traffic study, saying it didn’t measure the actual impact on residents along side roads who already have extensive waits to turn onto Route 4. Joyce Bettencourt told commissioners that she and other Edgewood Estates residents along Worthington Drive already face too much traffic.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Is it good when reporters call it a hugely controversial mega development? Because that seems bad, to me
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
They were fine with it when it was a giant office park, but are mad now that people might live there.
courant.com
Upscale CT suburb signals it may refuse state’s biggest affordable housing plan
The powerful developer behind the plan cautioned that the final decision needs to be based on state law rather than “speculation.”
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Reposted by Hugh Bailey
Tom Broderick @trumbullbrod.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Wrote a piece w/ my CT Parking Reform Co-founder about our state’s new flexible residential parking rules. Connecticut’s new parking regs went into effect on July 1st, and our message to builders and municipalities is the same: EMBRACE PARKING FLEXIBILITY! ctmirror.org/2026/07/09/p...
ctmirror.org
Opinion: Parking flexibility comes to CT: Let’s embrace it
Ushering in parking flexibility is a mainstream, common-sense policy that will help build more homes for our friends and family.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
How dare they take away our precious abandoned malls
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Hey that's great, now how bout you fix the Larkin Trail from Southbury to Naugatuck that's been mostly out of commission since the floods nearly two years ago. It's a state park, too
portal.ct.gov
Governor Lamont Announces $40 Million in Federal Health Investments To Improve Outdoor Recreation at Air Line State Park Trail
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
And it's not the point at all, but they're still doing the "Democrat Party" thing? This isn't 2003
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Anyone who wants political advice should listen to Ben Proto, whose party wins races all the time.
ctinsider.com
Ben Proto (opinion): Connecticut Democrats following the Mamdani playbook
Connecticut Republican Chair Ben Proto warns that state cannot afford New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's socialist experiment.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Hearst CT can stop doing this any time. Extreme heat means people could die. These stories do not call for fun-in-the-summer photos.
ctpost.com
Extreme heat could make it feel like 110 or more this week in Connecticut
The combination of heat and humidity could make temperatures feel like it's 110 degrees out or more.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Haar is being way too nice. Hurley should not have gone.
ctpost.com
Making sense of Dan Hurley's trip to Trump's MAGA-soaked, UFC birthday bash: Dan Haar
Hurley had a right to go, but folks in Connecticut are upset over his support for Trump's politicized White House event.
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
This, by the way, is an excellent point. Shopping centers will bring far more traffic than homes. Yet somehow the traffic concerns disappear under those circumstances.
“I do want to point out that this is on a state highway, next to another state highway, near an interstate highway,” said Olson, referring to Interstate 84. “It is important to keep in mind that the permitted uses on the property as it is currently zoned are [business related]. We could put a commercial shopping center here and I guarantee that is going to have significantly more traffic trips in the peak hours.”
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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Never mind that this is senior housing, which is supposed to eliminate one of the anti-housing people's biggest complaints. They just want nothing. Anywhere. "You're just out for profit!" they yell. So?
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