To The Editor:

As a veteran who calls Newtown home, I’ve spoken with local public servants who are actively looking at homes outside Newtown because they can’t afford to live where they work. Since 2023, organized opposition has blocked or significantly reduced 300-400 housing units across multiple developments, representing millions in lost annual property tax revenue. Meanwhile, our property taxes climb while housing options shrink — squeezing more and more out of all of our wallets.

Every development now faces the same expensive cycle: additional environmental studies, expanded traffic analyses, extended public hearings, and legal challenges. Endless bureaucracy means we all pay more. Each procedural requirement adds months to timelines and thousands in costs — passed directly to renters, buyers, and taxpayers funding municipal legal fees. When bureaucratic delays make everything more expensive, we all feel it.

After two years of organized demands for more studies and reviews, what actual solutions have emerged? Where specifically should 300 new families live in Newtown? Our teachers, police, nurses, and veterans need homes now, not more costly analysis of why every location is inappropriate. More and more people who are finding themselves priced out of Newtown because of rising taxes and expenses need to know what our candidates specifically plan on doing about it.

Samuel S. Grummons

Newtown