Date: Fri 20-Mar-1998

By DOROTHY EVANS

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

snapshot-Sue-Rahmlow

Full Text:

SNAPSHOT: SUSAN RAHMLOW

Occupation: I'm a registered nurse, by training, who worked for ten years at

Hartford Hospital and 1Â« years for Metropolitan Life in Norwalk. But I've been

a stay-at-home mom since I had my first child.

Family: My husband, Rich, and our three children, Daniel, 8, Zachery, 5Â«, and

Kelsey, 4. The boys are at Hawley School. Kelsey is at the Wesley Learning

Center.

Pets: We have tropical fish and hermit crabs. They aren't cuddly but they are

cute.

How long in Newtown: I was born and raised in Hartford and moved to Newtown

ten years ago. [My husband] Rich had gotten a job in Stratford so we drove

around looking at towns. We came to Newtown and that was it; we knew we wanted

to live here.

Biggest Change in Town: All the construction. The amount of stores, obviously

like Big Y, which have made it possible to shop in town.

Hobbies: I like to do crafts and crossword puzzles. I enjoy reading mysteries

by authors like Clive Cussler. But I really don't have a lot of spare time.

Organizations: I am finishing my term as president of the Newtown Junior

Woman's Club. It's a nonprofit service organization of women ages 18 and up.

We have 37 members. We sponsor a quilt show in the fall, are involved with

Tag-A-Gift for the Newtown Fund, and in the spring we sponsor the Discovery

Science workshops and fair for grades K-5. This year's fair will be on

Saturday, March 28, from 10 to 4 in the high school cafeteria. It's a good

program, held at no charge to students. We often get calls from other

communities asking how to set up something similar. (The Juniors) also make

crafts that we sell at the St Rose craft show and at the Rotary Pancake

Breakfast. Last year we made almost $1,000 just on crafts. We meet on the

second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm at the Meeting House but we're having

an open house at the Chat House on Thursday evening, April 2, at 7:30 pm.

Anyone who is interested in learning about the Juniors can call me (426-0357).

I'm also a room mother at the Wesley Learning Center where we are getting

ready for a silent auction of goods and services on April 25. I also belong to

Christ the King Lutheran Church, where I do the Cradle Call for baptisms of

babies up to age three, and I collect food for the FAITH food pantry.

Obviously, I'm a person who can't say no.

Personal philosophy: I guess my personal philosophy is that in order to be a

healthy, happy person, you need to have different components to your life:

physical health, emotional health, and spiritual health, but also what I call

community health. You need to give back to the community -- that's the key

thing and I think many people miss this.

Track And Field Teams Compete At Masuk

‘Color Our World With Hope’ Filled Newtown With Music, Meaning, And Community Impact

Nighthawk Baseball Team Beats Conference Opponents

Late Goal By Ruddy Lifts Nighthawk Lacrosse Team To Victory, Showcases Chemistry In Midfield

Reed Intermediate Presents Sold-Out Performances Of 'Willy Wonka Jr'

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 20-Mar-1998

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