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By Previous Employees

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Full Text:

OBITS (Conger; Melle; Stephany; Colleary;

Catherine Conger

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Catherine Conger will be held at

St John's Church in Sandy Hook on October 17 at 11 am.

The Newtown Bee October 9, 1998

Frank C. Melle

Frank C. Melle, 84, died October 4 at the Bethel Health Care Center. He was

the husband of 62 years of Rose Mary Franco Melle and lived at 25 High Street,

Danbury.

Mr Melle was born in Danbury July 23, 1914, son of the late Cosmo and Mary

LaRose Melle. He received his education in Danbury schools and was a self

employed plumber. He was a member of Sacred Heart Church and the Wooster Hose

Co. #5 in Danbury.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Mary F. and

Dominic Gaeta of Brookfield, and Ann L. and Dr Walter Jarrell of Spring,

Texas; two granddaughters, Holly Ann Gonzalez of North Miami, Fla., and

Kimberly Gaeta of Newtown; one brother, George Melle of Brooksville, Fla.; and

one sister, Emily Melle of Danbury. He was predeceased by his sister Rose

Carino.

A mass of Christian burial was celebrated October 7 at Sacred Heart Church,

Danbury.

Contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Church, Cottage Street, Danbury,

Conn 06810.

The Newtown Bee October 9, 1998

Jean L. Stephany

Jean Landsell Stephany, 92, of Harlem, Ga., formerly of Bethel, died September

18, at St Joseph Hospital, Augusta, Ga. Mrs Stephany was the wife of the late

Edward Stephany.

Before moving to Georgia, Mrs Stephany was active in local affairs in Bethel.

She taught at St Rose in Newtown for many years. While living in Harlem, she

was a member of Harlem United Methodist Church. She was an honorary member of

Harlem Women's Club and of the Pioneer Club. She helped to establish the

library and in the planting of 1,000 dogwood trees in Harlem.

Survivors include two sons, Edward G. Stephany, Jr, of Mount Dora, Fla., and

Phillip L. Stephany of Conyers, Ga.; one daughter, Candace S. Whitehead of

Woodbridge; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Memorials may be made to the Harlem Women's CLub, P.O. Box 1142, Harlem Ga.

30814, or to the Harlem United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 63, Harlem, Ga.

30814.

The funeral and burial were held in Harlem, Ga. September 21, with Starling

Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

The Newtown Bee October 9, 1998

Owen B. Colleary

Owen B. Colleary, 89, of Trumbull, a retired railroad conductor for the New

York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, died October 4, in Maefair Health Care

Center, Trumbull.

Mr Colleary was born to Michael and Sarah Kilcullen Colleary in County Sligo,

Ireland. He was married to Beatrice Niblock Colleary on May 12, 1940, at Holy

Family Roman Catholic Church in New Rochelle. He moved to Trumbull last year.

Mr Colleary lived in New Rochelle for more than 60 years.

He was a member of the Railroad Anchor Club Branch #49, Knights of Columbus

Council #339, and Friends of the Irish Christian Brothers.

He was predeceased by his wife and a brother, Bernard Colleary. Survivors

include three sons, Michael Colleary of Ridgefield, James Colleary of

Larchmount, N.Y., and Brian Colleary of Pittsburgh, Penn.; two daughters,

Patricia McCarthy of Newtown and Elleen Canavan of Trumbull; one brother,

Patrick Colleary of County Sligo, Ireland; one sister, Mae Forde of County

Sligo, Ireland; 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and several

nieces and nephews.

The funeral mass was held October 7 at Blessed Sacrament Church. Burial

followed in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Mount Pleasant.

Memorial donations may be made to Blessed Sacrament Church. The Cyril F.

Mullins Trumbull Funeral home, 399 White Plains Road, was in charge of local

arrangements .

The Newtown Bee October 9, 1998

Next HRRA Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event Scheduled In Newtown

Genealogy Club's Next Program To Dig Into 'Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record'

Choral Society Planning ‘Voices Of America’ Performance

Newtown Earth Day Festival Was A Success

Local Fourth Grader To Host ‘Gaming For Change’ On May 16

The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

Second Newtown DTC, League Of Women Voters Candidates Event Planned

Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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