IPN Fielding Some Familiar Names For November Ballot

By John Voket

Two days after a July 16 town committee meeting, the Independent Party of Newtown (IPN) issued a release detailing its slate of candidates for the November 2009 municipal elections. The 2009 slate of candidates includes a balance of longtime affiliates, some who ran unsuccessfully in the 2007 local election, as well as some newcomers.

The Newtown Bee previously reported that IPN chairman Bruce Walczak would seek the first selectman’s seat with former Public Building and Site Commission chair Bill Furrier as his running mate for the Board of Selectmen.

In a letter announcing his intention to seek the town’s top seat, Mr Walczak said, “A number of events over the last few years have shaped our belief that we can provide the leadership and expertise that Newtown so desperately needs and desires. These events all involve the lack of accountability, the absence of checks and balances in town government, and the unwillingness of town officials to conduct public business in a transparent manner.

Mr Walczak went on to say that while some of the events involved Fairfield Hills, he feels these issues are symptomatic of the way Newtown has been governed for some time by the leaders from the major political parties. “Town officials seem to accept no accountability for errors in management, judgment, and faulty implementation,” Mr Walczak’s wrote.

It was previously reported that the IPN would endorse Republican Margaret ‘Peggy’ Jepsen as probate judge. Ms Jepsen was reportedly nominated as a candidate for the post within her own town committee recently, but failed to receive enough votes to be put on the ballot.

The special election for probate judge is taking place concurrently with the local election this November because current judge Margot Hall will reach mandatory retirement age this year.

The Rest Of The Slate

The IPN has also nominated Roger Letso and Albert Roznicki for the Board of Finance; Kevin Fitzgerald, Benjamin Roberts, and Robert Hennessy for Legislative Council District 1; incumbents Po Murray, Gary Davis, and Michael Mossbarger for council District 2; and Robert Duero for District 3.

The IPN nominated two representatives for the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers: Jeanne Malota, Gianine Crowell; as well as former councilman Keith Jacobs for the Police Commission.

The local political party endorsed Democrat David Nanavaty in 2007, and he is expected to continue his four-year term on the school board. The IPN also indicated there may be additional candidate endorsements before September 8.

The party’s revised platform, dubbed “The Declaration for Independents 2009,” provides for strategic focus on better government. Specifically:

* To undertake and engage the public in creating a strategic long-range plan for the entire Newtown community;

* To review the current master plan for Fairfield Hills to determine if changes need to be made before further capital expenditures are made;

* To complete a comprehensive traffic management plan;

* To restore educational excellence in our schools through implementation of the strategic long-range plan being created for the Newtown school system;

* To create a better exchange of information with residents on government activities, and encourage public participation;

* And to continue to focus on smart land acquisition and responsible development to protect open space, increase passive recreation potential, and preserve the character of Newtown.

Speaking about ways in which to improve officials’ communications with citizens, Mr Walczak referenced an initiative by Republican Selectman Paul Mangiafico, which opens up occasional Board of Selectmen meetings to interactive sessions with no fixed agenda.

While he said he “loves the concept,” the IPN chairman said the open forums might better serve residents if they do have some targeted agendas.

“We did one on Main Street about the traffic flow and we had about 30 people turning out,” Mr Walczak said. “I think the best way to have town hall meetings is to focus on one or two issues — key topics would draw a good crowd. I want to move forward with tools to get more people out to those meetings.”

Under the heading of “True Fiscal Responsibility,” the IPN espouses:

* Encouraging tax stability;

* Working aggressively with state leaders and representatives to lessen reliance on property taxes as the main source of revenue for local government;

* Developing measures to demonstrate and communicate how the town is effectively investing tax dollars to provide services, upgrade facilities and create value for its citizens;

* Modifying capital and budget processes to create more effective project prioritization to minimize capital costs, and to engender meaningful public participation;

* Bringing financial reporting systems into the 21st Century.

Better Communication Needed

Mr Walczak told The Bee that fiscal responsibility goes hand-in-hand with effective communication.

“When the last town survey was done by Paul Lundquist, the voters said they would support higher taxes if they knew what they were getting for their money,” Mr Walczak said. “Although the budget proceedings were substantially more transparent this year, I don’t think the end result was much of an improvement in helping taxpayers understand how their money is to be spent — it was chaos really.”

The IPN chairman said he favors putting procedures in place to help taxpayers better understand the budget process. Acknowledging that “it’s a goal,” Mr Walczak said he hasn’t formulated a specific process to accomplish that goal.

Mr Walczak also recognized that the town is now getting better financial reporting from Finance Director Robert Tait, but he said the documentation still provides no way to track expenses against capital budgets.

“There’s still a long way to go to get that information,” he added.

 The IPN is also looking to enhance “Meaningful Revenue Development” by:

* Creating a comprehensive plan to bring new revenue into the community, including tourism programs that make use of the town’s rural and historic character and local agricultural businesses;

* Using Edmond Town Hall as a regional center for culture and the arts;

* Creating one strong organization to oversee development and business issues for our community, including Fairfield Hills.

 Mr Walczak recognized that “Newtown loves Edmond Town Hall.”

“It creates an identity and center for the community. If we have to plan going forward for the future Police Department headquarters, Fairfield Hills and the high school, we need to look at planning to keep Edmond Town Hall as a focal point.”

Regarding Fairfield Hills, Mr Walczak said now that Phase I is over, and the additional phases have a substantial amount of funding projected to complete, it’s an ideal time to reevaluate what types of future development to be supported by taxpayers.

“Any other funding may have to be voted on,” he said. “The people ought to have an opportunity to weigh in on how much money will have to be spent, and review what’s happening up there.”

 Mr Walczak said he is not suggesting the town not go forward with some development at Fairfield Hills, but it would be “very reasonable and smart to confirm with the community where they want to be headed.”

Information on the candidates can be found at independentpartyofnewtown.com.