To the Editor,

Before we get immersed in the upcoming election, I’d like to extend a major thank you to all Newtowners who are volunteering their time for their community. I am a Board of Finance member, but this letter reflects my personal observations and opinions.

Not by intention, New England municipal operations and finances are arcane. To understand how things work, significant reading time and research is needed. As a retiree, I have time, but knowing the time required has vastly expanded my appreciation for those who also mange full-time jobs and family commitments. I am somewhat embarrassed to say that during my career, I never thought I could carve out time to be on a town body.

As an advocate for data-driven management, let me provide some measures.

The Charter is only 80 pages, but the full code book exceeds 600 pages. The Plan for Conservation and Development is 170 pages; the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is 140 pages; the General Fund budget is 500 pages; and the Capital Improvement Plan is another 50 pages.

Not every town body touches all of these documents. My point is that the people who step up to take seats on town bodies have added a major time commitment on top of their busy lives. Add in knowing each body’s bylaws and policies, and the volunteer commitment is even more impressive.

From my perspective, the Board of Education (BOE) caries the heaviest member workload. There are more BOE policies than I can count, and twice-monthly meeting packages averaging nearly 90 pages. An exceptional breadth and depth of things to keep track of.

While I don’t always agree with every Newtown public servant’s views or party affiliation, I deeply respect and admire the commitment (and time management skill) of everyone volunteering on a town body.

Ned Simpson

Sandy Hook