To The Editor:

On September 15, Legislative Councilwoman Jennifer Nicoletti of District 2 used Facebook to share a screenshot of a Newtown Public School employee’s social media post in the comments section of a Danbury News Times article, visible to thousands, and urged the public to express outrage. She then posted a screenshot containing the employee’s personal identifying information, enabling others to locate and identify her. After a Board of Ethics complaint was filed, Nicoletti deleted her comments.

Although I don’t agree with the employee’s original post, it is never appropriate for an elected official to single out a town employee in this way. Newtown has established processes for addressing concerns, and bypassing those procedures undermines fairness and trust. Newtown’s employees and constituents should be confident that issues will be handled professionally, not through public exposure and outrage.

Leaders are entrusted with decisions that require maturity, restraint, and respect for due process. Choosing instead to escalate conflict and encourage public targeting raises real concerns about whether that same judgment can be relied upon when overseeing budgets, contracts, or town policy. Newtown residents deserve to know their elected officials will act thoughtfully, not impulsively, when making choices that affect us all. And although we cannot stop the collapse of civility on the national stage, here in Newtown we deserve better.

The Legislative Council oversees budgets, zoning, school funding, public safety, and more. These responsibilities demand leaders who act with integrity and sound judgment. Our town can only attract and retain strong employees if they know they will be treated fairly, and we can only attract and retain residents if they see our boards and commissions guided by balanced, rational decision-making when it comes to spending hard-earned tax dollars.

This November, I urge residents, especially those of us in District 2, to consider whether Councilwoman Nicoletti’s actions reflect the kind of judgment required to responsibly oversee a $141 million town and school budget.

Newtown deserves leaders who exercise sound judgment in both public communications and policy decisions.

Katherine Mellen

Sandy Hook