What The GOP

Has Already Done

To the Editor

Newtown residents are not immune to the economic downturn the country is currently experiencing. Taxpayers are reassessing the way they run their households and making difficult decisions. How has Newtown and its Republican leadership navigated the turbulent waters and what course have they charted for the future? What have Newtown Republican’s done in the past?

Implemented a series of guidelines to ensure that we maintain satisfactory reserve levels or a “rainy day fund” as well as a limit on total borrowing.

Maintained a decades-long practice of aggressively paying down debt faster than most municipalities, avoiding greater long-term expense.

Implemented a sound five-year Capitol Improvement Plan providing the town with over 95 percent of its capital requests on the schedule requested and in the priority requested.

Did you know that the municipal ratings agency Moody’s has cited these factors, and the Capitol Improvement Plan specifically, as the reasons for upgrading the town ratings twice, saving the taxpayers millions through lower interest rates as a result of the upgrades?

Republican leadership has also implemented many other standards that are now a matter of current business practice:

Developed a model for purchasing open space that identifies, as well as quantifies, the savings of the purchase of open space compared to the development of the land

Established monthly review of actual town and educational expenses versus budgets as well as monthly Q&A of all departments regarding their budgets.

Instituted a senior tax relief program to help seniors address the effects of the growth in town.

Presented a virtually flat budget to taxpayers this past year.

Vigorously advocated to rebid the high school expansion because of the need for savings and the over inflated commodity prices.

Did you know that the rebidding saved the taxpayers $6 million on the exact same project due to the rebidding process?

What do Newtown Republicans think?

Republicans believe we should create a vision for Newtown using data to help guide the town in understanding what Newtown will look like in 20 years or more. We also believe a vision for Newtown starts at the ground level, through a “bottom up” process with the many qualified personnel that are highly trained and educated and best understand the needs of their various departments. The Republican vision also incorporates some new ideas like exploring the idea of “regionalization” where Newtown bands together with other local municipalities in purchasing of goods and services to achieve economies of scale and savings. And that starts right here in Newtown by understanding synergies and business practices within departments to realize savings.

Did you know Pat Llodra and Will Rogers helped create and co-chair the “Facilities Committee” that has already identified many synergies in town that will help the town realize significant savings as well as better and more efficient use of technology?

From efficiencies to cost savings, prudent guidelines to prudent bonding and from identifying a realistic vision that balances Newtown’s needs with its wants, Republican mantra is fiscal responsibility.

Bill Brimmer

8 Hattertown Road, Newtown                             September 29, 2009

(Mr Brimmer is chairman of the Republican Town Committee.)