To the Editor:

I am writing to endorse the full slate of candidates from the Independent Party of Newtown (IPN). As the husband of Po Murray, IPN’s co-founder, I have seen firsthand the quality of individuals who are running on the IPN ticket. They are passionate, intelligent, and action-oriented citizens who have decided they must step up and make a change for a better Newtown. After witnessing the enormous amount of energy, organization, and decisiveness displayed by this group since the creation of IPN, it is very obvious to me that the key first step in resolving the myriad of issues that Newtown currently faces is to vote the IPN candidates into office.

My wife, Po, is the co-founder of WeCAN and IPN. Po has never before had any political aspirations. She is a regular citizen running for Legislative Council in District 2 simply because she has genuine concerns for the future of Newtown and a genuine concern relating to the current administration’s lack of responsiveness and transparency to the citizens. She has spent countless hours researching town issues and raising the awareness of these issues throughout the community — issues that would have otherwise remained silent. I am extremely proud of Po. She has worked very hard on the creation of both WeCAN and IPN, all while raising our four children. She is extremely passionate about making Newtown a nicer place to live for every citizen. This passion and her “take action” style that led to the creation of both WeCAN and IPN is what you can expect from her as your District 2 representative on the Legislative Council.

Finally, I would like to share my thoughts on the zero-based budgeting “debate” carried out in the Letter Hive over the past few weeks. While Mr Gaston and Mr Lyddy have waged a very timely and clever scare-campaign with phrases such as “draconian,” “mammouth creature,” and “massive cuts”; it is my opinion, as the CFO of a $1.8 billion corporation, that IPN’s position on budgeting is really pretty basic. IPN’s overall objective relative to budgeting is to create a process that allows for the creation of a justified and transparent budget that the citizens of Newtown can understand, challenge, and can ultimately feel assured that their tax dollars are being spent as effectively and efficiently as possible. That is the type of process and oversight that I would expect from our elected officials.

I commend the numerous volunteers who have spent countless hours and years serving Newtown, however, I believe it is time for a change. Please join me in voting for Po Murray and all of the IPN candidates and IPN- supported candidates on November 6.

Tom Murray

38 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook             October 31, 2007