Horse Guard To

Remain In Newtown

By Kendra Bobowick

The First and Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard units will be consolidated in Newtown, in allaying supporters’ recent concerns that the town would lose its more than 200-year-old militia to state budget constraints.

“It’s a huge, huge win for our community,” said State Representative Christopher Lyddy on Friday, April 22.

In an e-mail message late Thursday, Rep Lyddy said, “The budget [that] passed out of the committee today specifies that the guards be consolidated in Newtown.” Previously he and State Representative DebraLee Hovey had pushed the governor’s staff to consider “creative solutions” to the state’s horse guard/militia funding to avoid either the elimination of Newtown’s guard or its consolidation with the other facility in Avon.

Mr Lyddy said Friday that the town’s delegation had “fought for both horse guards.” After meetings with leaders of the state’s Appropriations and Finance Committees and the governor’s staff, they “got the consolidation to go to Newtown.” He said, “To the dismay of many at the capital,” he made certain “that Newtown’s voice was heard.”

“We’ll continue to fight for this,” he said. “We need to continue to be sure that [the horse guards’] history and functions are preserved.” Mr Lyddy is also “still fighting to be sure that the First Guard has a voice.” The answer to budget problems may be to reduce both guards’ appropriations and allow them to fundraise, he said.

Rep Hovey’s positive reaction was also tempered with concerns. “I am pleased that the Governor recognizes that the Newtown site is the most appropriate place for the horse guard. I am, however, concerned that he does not understand that the two guards can be self-sustaining if only given a chance, and I believe it is shortsighted to eliminate one and consolidate.”

 She wrote in an email, “Both organizations have full schedules and bring different things to the state.” The number of volunteers who contribute “will be halved,” she said. “It saddens me that the state will lose one of it’s pieces of living history and one that has been able to sustain through depressions and recessions.”

She said, “Unfortunately this governor is looking at a haphazard method of finding the money and not getting “real” about the need for a reduction in government. He is picking on the little guy instead of making the hard decisions.”

Ms Hovey will pursue the topic. “In my mind this is not a done deal and I will continue to work to keep all our militias,” she said.

In early March, Ms Hovey and Mr Lyddy had strong reactions to the news that the budget funds, roughly $78,000 annually, could be lost to budget constraints. She had said, “This is not going to happen,” regarding plans to potentially consolidate for financial reasons the state’s two horse guard units.

Looking for solutions at the time were Newtown’s state representatives, representatives from Avon and the governor’s office, Senator John McKinney, and former horse guard members who were, “brainstorming for substantial ways to save money if the military will just work with us,” Ms Hovey said. She had suggested appointing a task force committee to look at solutions.

In her recent e-mail she noted, “I wish he would have taken my recommendation and put together the committee to look at sustaining the militias without a reduction.”

Another of her looming concerns in past weeks was what would happen to the land without the horse guard. “No one can tell us what will be there if the horse guard is not there. Newtown should be very worried about that.”