Governing with Your Governor

This episode of The Stoop dives into how housing advocates work with — and sometimes around — the governor’s office to pass pro‑housing policy in Colorado, Arizona, and Connecticut. Matt Frommer describes advancing major supply‑side reforms under a strongly pro‑YIMBY Colorado governor, even as vetoes on tenant protections complicate progressive support. Gaelle Esposito explains how Arizona’s cautious governor vetoed an ambitious Starter Homes Act but later signed ADU and missing middle bills after other states led the way, showing how polling, bipartisan coalitions, and mayoral politics shape outcomes. Pete Harrison recounts how a major Connecticut housing bill passed the legislature, was vetoed, and then partially revived in special session, revealing the power of local anti‑housing groups, internal staff dynamics, and strategic polling. Together, they unpack how “local control” is selectively invoked by whichever party is in the minority, why trust, staff relationships, and narrative often matter as much as policy details, and how advocates balance state preemption and municipal campaigns while building a durable pro‑housing movement.