This photograph, taken in the 1920s, shows the house and garage of the town's benefactress, Mary Hawley, with her horse, dog, and car.

By JAN HOWARD

Published: Oct 29, 1999 12:00 am

This photograph, taken in the 1920s, shows the house and garage of the townâs benefactress, Mary Hawley, with her horse, dog, and car.

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Well said. Sometimes we can get carried away a bit, so good to be encouraged to stay kind and enjoy the campaign.

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Perfect message, thanks Newtown Bee.

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Bruce’s letter paints a picture of runaway development, but the real story is the collapse of local cooperation — not the rise of §8-30g. That law has been on the books since 1990. For decades, towns and developers worked together to shape projects that made sense: added sidewalks, deeper setbacks, fewer units — genuine compromise. What’s changed isn’t the law, it’s the politics. A loud social media mob has made any compromise politically toxic. The “no growth” crowd demands nothing be built anywhere, ever, and bullies anyone who suggests otherwise. Planning and zoning boards no longer negotiate; they hunker down, hoping to appease the Facebook comment section. But here’s the irony — when compromise dies, developers stop compromising too. Once a project triggers §8-30g, the town can fight it, but state law ensures the developer will eventually win. So instead of working out a reasonable design, everyone heads to court. The developer doubles the unit count to pay for the lawyers, and the town burns taxpayer money trying to lose more slowly. That’s how we end up with the very projects the NIMBY mob fears — because they made reasonable development impossible. If people truly care about Newtown’s character, they need to stop the performative outrage and start engaging in real planning again. Screaming “no” to everything isn’t preservation — it’s self-sabotage.

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I’m honestly surprised Bruce had to look up what an “agreement in principle” means. After years of business experience and managing 200 people, I would have expected that term to be familiar by now. Hard to believe it’s a new concept at this stage in his career. Although rest assured Newtown, vote row A and when times get tough, we have Google to help the selectman.

Housatonic Railroad Agrees to Pootatuck River Restoration Plan

I asked AI what does agreement in principle mean An "agreement in principle" is a preliminary, non-binding understanding reached between two or more parties that outlines the fundamental terms of a future contract. It is considered a stepping stone toward a formal, legally enforceable agreement. This type of agreement is used to establish mutual intent and a basic framework for negotiations before the parties commit to a detailed, final contract.

Housatonic Railroad Agrees to Pootatuck River Restoration Plan

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This photograph, taken in the 1920s, shows the house and garage of the town's benefactress, Mary Hawley, with her horse, dog, and car.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply