Pubdate: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 Source: Hartford Courant (CT) Copyright: 2003 The Hartford Courant Contact: http://www.ctnow.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/183 HONOR YOUR PLEDGE, GOVERNOR It's a safe bet that Willimantic leaders never dreamed they would be competing in a "My Town Has A Bigger Drug Problem Than Your Town" sweepstakes to get their fair share of help. Yet that is their plight, for which they can thank Gov. John G. Rowland. After a Courant series was published in October chronicling a 30-year heroin scourge in Willimantic, Mr. Rowland, running for re-election at the time, was Johnny on the spot. He took advantage of a previously scheduled visit from John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy, to travel with him to the Quiet Corner. Amid a flurry of flashbulbs, the governor pledged, in addition to other support, $100,000 to boost drug enforcement in this section of Windham that has unusually virulent drug problems for its size. Mr. Rowland has yet to make good on his promise. What's worse, the measly $15,000 the city normally receives for enforcement was eliminated because of the state budget deficit. Instead of $6.4 million to be divided among towns, the state grants were reduced to $2 million total and divvied up among so-called entitlement cities. Willimantic was left out. To compound that insult, budget cuts also prompted the closing of the state Department of Social Services branch in Willimantic that offers referral services to addicts. State Rep. Walter Pawelkiewicz, who represents Windham, had asked for a reasonable change in the formula the state uses to allocate anti- drug grants that would make this small community with big-city drug problems eligible for more funds to combat its heroin problem. Instead of basing the grants on population, the number of drug arrests should be factored in. That would give Windham about $100,000 instead of the paltry $15,000 that it didn't even get this year. Plus, it ought to have the extra $100,000 that the governor offered. Mr. Rowland had better find a way to make good on his word. Otherwise he looks less like a leader and more like an opportunist. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth