Date: Fri 31-Oct-1997

By STEVE BIGHAM

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

politics-fund-raising

Full Text:

Local Democrats Win The Fund-Raising Contest

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Democrats have raised nearly twice as much money as their Republican

counterparts this election season.

The two parties recently filed their campaign finance reports with the town

clerk's office. The statements list how much the candidates have received in

contributions and how much they have spent.

Since July, the Committee to Elect Rosenthal/Bojnowski has raised more than

$17,000 in funds, more than $7,000 of it from individual contributions and

nearly $8,000 from the Democratic Town Committee. During that time, the

Committee to Elect Melita/Brimmer brought in just under $9,000, just over

$3,000 from individual contributors and $5,500 from the Republican Town

Committee.

Rosenthal/Bojnowski

Those contributing to the Rosenthal/Bojnowski campaign were:

Susan Licht $200

Susan Osborne White $250

Stephen Herman $150

Steven Smart $100

Mr and Mrs Geoffrey Dent $100

Lawrence Riefberg $100

Karin Nejame $100

Carolyn Greene $100

James Osborne, Jr $200

George Ganim $100

Louis DeFilio $500

Karla Bernstein $50

James Gaston $150

Peggy Ulrich-Nims $100

Robert Connor $100

Duane Baumert $100

Jerome Mayer $100

James Crick $100

Mary Ann Murtha $50

Edwin Dudeck $100

Dana Fradon $100

Romilda Anderson $100

Henry Gellert $500

Peter Duhamel $200

Mr and Mrs Gary Frenette $200

James Kearns, Jr $40

Michael Kelley $100

Mary Jane Madden $50

Edgar Beers $50

Josephine Bojnowski $100

Alexander Hury $100

Earl J. Smith, Jr $100

Thomas Ganim $200

Michael Osborne $500

William Honan, Jr $100

James Osborne, Jr $100

Gary Frenette $250

Jane Tedder $150

Heidi Winslow $200

David Chipman $500

Francis Pennarola $75

Richard Coopersmith $100

George Lockwood $100

Jack Rosenthal $250

Gjok Hoti $250

Melita/Brimmer

Those contributing to the Melita/Brimmer campaign were:

William and Sharon Carroll $100

Frances Marsillio $50

David and Darlene Dunn $50

Kenneth and Judith Gardner $50

Charles and Patricia Jankovsky $50

Bob and Sue Carroll $100

James and Carol Sheridan $50

Alan Carlson $25

Kerry and Judith O'Donahue $50

David Rizzardi $25

Gerald Hyde, Jr $25

Dennis Bollier $50

George and Diane Lawler $50

Robert and Mary Ann Tuska $50

Martin and Beth Margulies $100

Frederick Kriemhilde $250

Denise and Wayne Booth $30

Mark Scott $50

Michael Rich $50

Arthur Bennett $100

Gary Chevalier $50

Sally O'Neil $35

Brian White $50

Nereyda Bottoms $100

Lee LaForte $25

James Rawlings $250

Michael Portnoy $50

Louis DeFilio $500

A final campaign report is due from both parties after next Tuesday's

election.

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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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Date: Fri 31-Oct-1997

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