Letters

Vote For Governor Ned Lamont And Michelle Ku

Published: Jul 30, 2026 4:27 pm

To The Editor:

Please vote for Governor Ned Lamont for CT Governor in the August 11th Primary, and Dr. Michelle Ku for Election to the 106th District of the CT State Representative, November 3, 2026.

Governor Lamont is being primaried by Josh Elliot who came to the Newtown Democratic Town Committee and boasted that he would “bully” all town elected officials, commissions and citizens to force affordable housing projects wherever the multi-million dollar/billionaire developers want them, no regard for historic districts, open space, zoning, etc.

Josh Elliot claims to want to additionally tax the 1% which I support, however the hypocrisy, Elliot is totally in bed with the 1% (developers). He acknowledges the Affordability Housing Act was written for billionaire developers and not for the middle and working class. He admits the definition of affordable housing excludes attached apartments and trailer parks because billionaire developers don’t make money on it.

Elliot twice had the opportunity to change it. Crickets. If we include the attached apartments and trailer park developments, Newtown has done their part — 14%-16% of all housing is affordable housing. 10% is the State threshold prior to sanctions. Other towns need to step up.

Governor Lamont recognizes this fact. He is working to make Affordable Housing more practicable and equitable. Dr. Michelle Ku recognizes the same fact.

Michelle Ku is on top of the affordable housing issue in Connecticut. Michelle Ku is for you, not rich developers.

Vote for Ned Lamont for Governor in the August 11, 2026 primary. Vote for Michelle Ku for State Representative #106 on November 3, 2026.

These views are my own and not those of any Board, Commission or Association upon which I sit.

Jim Gaston

Newtown

None

Vote For Josh Elliott On August 11

Fundraising Evening Of Wine, Music & Solidarity Planned In Sandy Hook

Endorses Embree Ku

No, The Newtown Bee Doesn't Use AI

It's a bit ironic. On July 31, 2025, Bruce Walczak wrote that "evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government." He also promised to respond to constituent inquiries and to "close the loop," even when there wasn't an immediate answer. Two weeks of silence in response to a legitimate question seems difficult to reconcile with that pledge. The standard wasn't set by his critics—it was set by Bruce himself. Just another politician ... say whatever is necessary to get the job. Original letter: https://www.newtownbee.com/07312025/a-commitment-to-responsiveness/

First Selectman Addresses Storm Response

CT primaries are closed to voters not registered with the party's designation. Dems can't vote in Rep. primaries and, vice versa. Unaffiliated and Independent voters cannot vote in them. Keep primaries closed!

Time to Change the Guard

Bruce, welcome to the conversation. Your recent statement after the storm — admitting that you should have communicated “faster, more completely, and more personally” — was fine as far as it went. But this is not just about one storm. It is about a pattern. You ran on openness, responsiveness, and transparency, even saying that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government.” The problem is that Newtown residents have been dealing with exactly that silence from you since you were elected. Newtown’s Emergency Management page says the town, together with the Office of the First Selectman, provides “critical public information and warning” during emergencies. The town also rolled out CodeRED cellphone registration on March 24, 2022 so residents could receive emergency information directly. So where were you when police were searching for missing 23-year-old Kateri Doty in January? Where were you during the brush fires near the Newtown town line in April? Where were you on April 22, when state police and Newtown police were searching for two people who fled an I-84 crash and a canine search moved into the Church Hill Road area? Residents should not be hearing about a missing person, wildfire conditions, or police tracking dogs moving through backyards from Facebook, neighbors, or kids in town. They should be hearing from their town government. This is not really about whether you personally press the CodeRED button. Or how many task forces you have created. It is about leadership. You are the First Selectman. You are responsible for making sure the town communicates clearly, quickly, and visibly when public safety is involved. So yes, it is nice that you have finally acknowledged the problem. But the public did not need this storm to figure it out. We have been saying it for a long time. Bruce, you were missing when the town needed to hear from you. The question now is whether this storm finally woke you up, or whether this is just another late apology followed by more silence.

The topic may be the same but the narratives every other week differ and I appreciate the installments. Rebuttals on factual content rather than focusing on form would improve the discourse.

Elections Have Consequences XXVI

Who would think that we would start losing count? Maybe not so much a typo as a copy-and-paste error, easy to understand after this much repetition.

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Vote For Governor Ned Lamont And Michelle Ku

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