Letters

Support For Brandon Moore

Published: Apr 30, 2026 4:22 pm

To the Editor:

I write in support of Brandon Moore for Connecticut State Rep. of the 106th District.

Brandon is a West Point graduate. He piloted Apache attack helicopters in Afghanistan leading more than 70 fellow pilots, and has graduate degrees from Harvard University. Brandon has Statewide experience working in economics for Governor Ned Lamont and Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz. Brandon knows the local issues as he ran Bruce Walczak’s First Selectman’s campaign turning it from an underdog race to an 11% point win.

Michelle is a caring and intelligent person, too. She is a friend and has served Newtown well on the Boards of Education, Selectmen, and on the Legislative Council. If she is the Democratic nominee, I will support her.

Difference, Michelle supports Josh Elliot, Democrat running for Governor. Recently, Elliot appeared at a DTC meeting lecturing that he intends to “bully” elected officials, boards and voters on policies, particularly Affordable Housing 8-30(g). That’s highly offensive. Elliot’s faction promotes the near, if not complete abolishment of residential zoning. Million/Billion-dollar developers get carte-blanche to make more money by destroying local town planning and historic preservations.

Brandon agrees 8-30(g) was written by and for developers, not the middle-class earners. Developers defined “affordable-housing” to exclude trailer-parks and attached-apartments because … no money for developers. If counting trailer parks and attached apartments, affordable-housing” in Newtown is above 14%, i.e., exceeding the 10% goal/penalty threshold set by the State, Newtown has done its part.

Newtown needs to be at the table in Hartford, as it had been with the last moderate Democratic State Representative, Chris Lyddy. My Unaffiliated voter friends feel the same way. Democrats can’t win this seat otherwise.

Registered Democrats, vote on May 26, 2026, 6 pm at the Newtown Middle School.

Jim Gaston

Newtown

None

Michelle Embree says:

May 1, 2026 at 5:50 pm

I am glad to have the opportunity to clear the air on these issues.
First, I am supporting Ned Lamont at the upcoming convention and have supported him since he announced his candidacy.
Second, regarding the legislation on housing, I agree with Mr. Gaston – the law should be written to include mobile homes and attached apartments (including those without restrictive covenants). We need someone in Hartford who works well with others and who has experience collaborating and negotiating to change HB-8002 and 8-30(g).
So, now that the record is corrected, you can consider that I am that person.

Michelle Embree Ku,
Candidate for House District 106

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Deborra Zukowski says:

May 4, 2026 at 12:43 pm

Michelle, I am sorry to see that you are also a victim of fabrications. All those rumors that go round that seem so convincing. All so often, those rumors are little more than convenient lies. This has been happening for several years and hopefully we can come together to stop them.

Until then, I ask that those of you who have heard disparaging remarks about the candidates take the time to meet with them to ask them directly what you are concerned about. Get to know them better rather than assume. We all will have better representation both locally and state-wide if you do so.

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Vote To Support The Town And School Budgets

Questions For Commission </p><p>On Aging

Follow The Minutes, Not Workarounds

We Can Support Our Children And Our Taxpayers

Discusses Budget Reductions

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Support For Brandon Moore

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