To the Editor:

My name is David Landau, and while I am president of the Newtown Board of Realtors, I am not writing you today in that capacity or on behalf of the board, rather I address you as a fellow Newtown resident.

During his time on the Legislative Council, Ryan Knapp has impressed me with his knowledge of the ins and outs of local processes and his work ethic. Those of you who know me know I pride myself on hard work, and Ryan may be the only guy I know who works harder than me.

During his time on the council, Ryan has joined Rep JP Sredzinski, Rep Mitch Bolinsky and Senator Tony Hwang in Hartford to advocate on Newtown’s behalf. He has fought to update mandates that would expand our ability to address the buildings at Fairfield Hills and lower costs on other projects so our money goes further.

He has also successfully appealed to the State Education Committee for the protection of Newtown’s state Education Funding from Malloy’s proposed cuts during the 2017 Budget Crisis. During the recent ‘19 Budget Crisis, he pushed back against Lamont’s plan to push state pension obligations onto Newtown property tax payers, which was ultimately defeated. These proposals would have resulted in increased taxes and/or cuts in local services, neither of which are good for property values.

Now we are learning from the State Office of Fiscal Analysis that there will be yet another multibillion-dollar state budget deficit in the next cycle, where the Council will have to put forward a local budget with uncertainties about millions in state aid. I know we can count on Ryan to manage responsibly and stand up for our community.

Please join me in supporting Ryan Knapp for reelection on November 5th.

Thank you,

David Landau

13 Wiley Lane, Newtown October 25, 2019