To The Editor:

The current Town Clerk is clearly a good person who loves Newtown. But after 18 years the Town Clerk’s Office has slid into a need for a major refresh. Innovations from years past like online town records through IQS, or online code through eCode 360 have not kept pace. The official town website, Newtown-CT.gov, new in 2017 cries for clean-up and a refresh. Newtown-CT.gov has confusing, arcane organization, broken links, and obsolete documents. Lately there has been a lot of focus on “transparency” and residents’ ability to follow activities of Newtown boards and commissions. Only keeping the minimum required records fuels transparency frustration. And there is the distribution of incorrect election ballots. Time for a change. Time for the insights, energy, innovation, commitment, and accountability Renee Weimann will bring as Town Clerk.

When I was responsible for a couple of Town committees’ records, I emailed them to town.clerk@newtown-ct.gov. It was always Renee Weimann who caught my typos, sought clarification and generally helped me meet FOIA responsibilities. I’ve found Renee to be knowledgeable of the Town Clerk’s operations and always helpful.

The Town Charter gives the Town Clerk broad responsibility for administrative work for the Town. Most voters do not realize that Town Clerk does not report to the First Selectman, only accountable to voters every four years. That’s an issue for the next Charter Revision. The Charter enables someone like Renee Weiman as Town Clerk to be a leader in Town government, working across departments for innovation, efficiency, transparency and a 21st century Newtown. Newtown needs Renee Weiman as Town Clerk.

Ned Simpson

Sandy Hook