High taxes worry Hartford florist more than same-sex marriages

Now that same-sex marriages have been ruled constitutional by the State Supreme Court and codified by the General Assembly, we look forward to hearing from the first florist or other merchant who will claim he has been forced to compromise his religious beliefs by selling his wares for a gay wedding.

You may recall that in late April, lobbyists for the Catholic Church and the conservative Family Institute of Connecticut were trying to save the souls of florists and other business people by amending that gay marriage law. The amendment, which was defeated, would have let these entrepreneurs refuse to sell flowers or provide other services for a same-sex wedding reception or shower if they believed the event was sinful, immoral or otherwise irreligious.

While the religious lobbyists were looking to exempt any business from having to engage in commerce with gays, they put considerable emphasis on florists. That may be because it wouldn’t have been nearly as convincing if they were trying to protect the religious sensitivities of those selling booze to gay weddings, to use one example.

The lobbyists wanted a conscientious objector clause, like the exemption given to persons unwilling to serve in the military because they consider killing a sin. But they wanted it for florists for whom selling flowers for gay weddings would be a sin. Not exactly analogous, would you say?

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At about the same time this bogus threat to the religious freedom of straight florists was being dramatized in the House and Senate, the owner of a florist shop with real problems was appearing before another legislative body, the Hartford City Council.

Like most of his small business colleagues, John Tornatore, the owner of Gordon Bonetti Florists, has not had an easy time of it in recent months. Discretionary spenders do not place floral arrangements, bouquets and potted plants high on their must-buy lists when times are tough.

In addition, this particular florist has the misfortune of owning a business in Hartford, where the mayor has proposed a $547.6 million budget that would be largely financed by a huge increase in property taxes. And since Hartford’s more prosperous homeowners have largely abandoned the city, the greatest burden of the property tax increase will be born by businesses, large and small. Homeowners’ taxes would go up an average of 13 percent, which is high enough, but businesses are facing increases of 20 to 30 percent.

So when the mayor and the city council afforded the taxpayers of Hartford an opportunity to comment on the budget, among the first to be heard was the owner of Gordon Bonetti Florists of 476 Franklin Ave. in Hartford’s South End.

“You have raised my property taxes in three years from $9,800 a year to $16,400 a year,†said Mr. Tornatore, according to an account in the Hartford Courant. “We will not be here a year from now if you continue on this road,†the florist told the mayor and the council members, who listened politely.

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Given these real threats to Mr. Tornatore’s livelihood, how could anyone believe there were florists or other small business owners who actually wanted permission to reduce their sales in these perilous economic times? Would they go out of their way to drive away customers, especially new customers?

Were there really ever florists who had religious doubts about selling a centerpiece for the head table at a gay wedding reception? Or a haberdasher whose religious beliefs would be shattered by renting tuxedos to a gay couple or a pastry chef who couldn’t bake them a cake without fearing he’d burn in hell? Did they have names, like Mr. Tornatore, or were they products of the lobbyists’ imaginations?

It is worth noting, in light of his sudden prominence, that one of only seven state senators voting against the bill was Republican Sam Caliguiri, who recently announced his intention to run against Chris Dodd next year. Caliguiri said the bill was “fatally flawed†because it didn’t protect the religious liberties of those florists and tuxedo renters. That would maybe play well if he were seeking a U.S. Senate nomination in the Bible Belt.

Dick Ahles is a retired journalist from Simsbury. E-mail him at dahles@hotmail.com.