Cultural Events

Legislative Coffee & Conversation With Bolinsky And Foncello, August 7

Published: Aug 01, 2026 7:00 am

State Representatives Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) and Martin Foncello (R-107) will be holding "open legislative coffee & conversation hours" for Newtown and Sandy Hook residents to discuss state government issues on Friday, August 7, from 8:30-10 am, at Ralph's Sandy Hook Cafe, 3 Glen Road.

This event will be one of a series that welcomes constituents to directly bring their concerns, discuss, ask questions, and present suggestions relating to state government.

Those unable to attend but would like to speak to Bolinsky or Foncello, or find out the next scheduled events, can call their State Capitol office at 1-800-842-1423 or e-mail Mitch.Bolinsky@housegop.ct.gov or Martin.Foncello@housegop.ct.gov.

State Representatives Mitch Bolinsky and Martin Foncello will hold "open legislative coffee & conversation hours" on August 7 for residents to discuss state government issues.

SCAN Presenting Open Studio Painters Exhibition; Reception

Early Next Month

73rd Bridgewater Country Fair To Carry Semiquincentennial Theme

CVH Animal Sanctuary Holds Bug Bonanza

All Smiles At ‘The Isle of Skoo's’ Annual Summer Camp

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.

<< Aug 2026 >>
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
26	27	28	29	30	31	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31	1	2	3	4	5

Log In

Legislative Coffee & Conversation With Bolinsky And Foncello, August 7

Leave a Reply Cancel reply