Letters

Appreciating Newtown’s Small Businesses Even More

Published: Sep 25, 2026 10:21 am

To The Editor:

One of the many core functions of Newtown’s Economic and Community Development is looking for every opportunity to connect more local customers and clients to our community’s expansive landscape of small businesses. This year, we are re-initiating a public-facing promotion that has been requested by many — but with a new and broader focus.

The new and expanded Newtown’s 2026 Restaurant and Business Appreciation week is less than a month away — scheduled to run between October 16-25, with an exciting “Sip and Savor” event kicking it all off at the Newtown Community Center the evening of October 15.

While putting the focus on restaurants exclusively has been done in Newtown and across the state for years, it is my department’s aim to leverage the popularity and traffic generated by our many excellent food service establishments to help boost exposure to all our other Newtown businesses.

We will be doing that by providing every patron at every participating restaurant a direct access point to tap into our free online Newtown-exclusive Business Directory at newtown.org. Through that connection, local businesses can begin experiencing even greater patronage by their closest neighbors and future customers right here in Newtown.

Today, we have hundreds of businesses listed. But there are many hundreds more we want to see benefit from those discovering a local business they need while visiting participating restaurant and food service customers during our event.

That means any business that is not already on the directory has just a few weeks to sign up. Again, it is a free service being provided through the municipal Economic and Community Development Department at newtown.org. It takes just a few minutes to post your listing, and we’re working to turn around review and approval of those listings in 24-48 hours.

Besides learning about and patronizing more local businesses, the Restaurant and Business Appreciation Week is also providing a chance to help address local food insecurity through our inaugural ”Sip & Savor” event where local eateries will come together, under one roof at the beautiful Newtown Community Center on October 15 from 6-9 pm. These participating restaurants will compete for Best Appetizer and Best Cocktail/Mocktail as voted by attendees, there will be samples galore including beverages, live music, raffles, and $5 from every ticket sold is going to Newtown’s own Real Food CT to help address hunger right here at home.

I hope anyone who already patronizes a Newtown business will help share the news about registering for our free business directory; that Newtown residents will come out hungry to our participating eateries between October 16-25; and that folks will flock to our Sip & Savor event October 15 to help support Real Food CT.

Get all the info you need to participate by visiting tinyurl.com/NewtownRestaurantWeek. And thanks to all for helping make every aspect of this new and expanded event a smashing success!

John Voket

Newtown Economic and Community Development Director

A letter from John Voket.

First Week Of October Is Mental Illness Awareness Week

Newtown Historical Society Schoolhouse Storytelling Event Rescheduled To October 3

Rob Blanchard For State Senate

Vote For Michelle Embree Ku

Newtown Best Served Keeping Bolinsky

Another police search in a Newtown neighborhood. Did I miss the notification from the First Selectman’s office, or are we still using the “read about it afterward” emergency communication system? I raised this same concern after the April police search. How many times do residents have to ask for timely information? At this point, perhaps it’s the First Selectman’s office that needs a welfare check. Anybody home, Bruce? Thank you to Newtown Police for doing their job. Wake up, Bruce. Keeping residents informed is part of yours.

Driver Arrested After Fleeing Crash Scene

This strikes me as a pretty one-sided assessment. Let me add some context. You highlight that his opponent has lived in Newtown for only two and a half years, yet leave out that Rob Blanchard moved here in July—roughly two and a half months ago. If residency matters, apply the same standard to both candidates. Isn't there a name for someone who moves to a town to run for election? Something like a rug or carpet, something? I also question the mortgage-struggle framing in advertisements he approved and appears in. The public payroll figures put his household gross earnings at roughly $300,000—nearly twice Newtown’s median household income of $155,110. That doesn’t mean they have no financial pressures, but it is fair to question how closely that portrayal reflects the circumstances of a typical Newtown household. Both candidates deserve scrutiny. Highlighting one candidate’s short residency while overlooking the other’s much more recent arrival is a double standard.

Vote For Rob Blanchard For State Senate

An incredible event... again. Thanks so much to Leslie and the entire gang who make this gathering of friends, family and classmates happen every year! And thanks to Devery Stickles for his generous support. This event is truly the Heart & Spirit of Newtown!

Dozens Enjoy Annual Panacea Labor Day Weekend Concert

Michelle Embree Ku raises valid concerns about local property taxes, but ignores a basic political reality: Representative Mitch Bolinsky serves in the minority in a legislature dominated by a single-party supermajority where minority-party proposals are routinely sidelined. Suggesting that a single minority representative could rewrite the state's ECS formula is politically unrealistic and disingenuous to Newtown voters. Despite those odds, Mitch’s CGA track record speaks for itself. He led the charge to protect special education funding, preserve Drug-Free School Zones, safeguard school safety drills, advance science-based structured literacy, and defend homeschooling choices for families. If Ms. Ku knows how to fix the ECS formula, what has she done to convince her own party—the same party that controls the House, Senate, and Governor’s office? If the supermajority has the votes to fix ECS today, why hasn’t it happened during the 13 years she cites? Adding another seat to a supermajority that made Connecticut one of the highest-taxed states won't help Newtown taxpayers. If the current majority hasn't delivered relief with absolute power, expanding that majority won't change the outcome. Newtown’s interests are best served by keeping Mitch in the House and increasing Republican margins to provide real checks and balances. When one party holds every lever of power, accountability disappears. Strengthening the minority ensures our town’s voice is heard, not drowned out.

ECS Funding Debate Should Focus On Results

The idea that a freshman Democrat would be able to stand up to the special interests and prioritization of urban districts that are the base of that caucus to deliver results for Newtown is laughable - especially someone who could not even build the "relationships, coalitions, and the support necessary" to garner the endorsements of her fellow Democrat Council members ahead of Newtown's local caucus this spring. More likely Newtown would see something akin to Leeper in Fairfield, performative actions after vote counting, while privately advancing their party's interests over their community's.

Log In

Appreciating Newtown’s Small Businesses Even More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply