Keeping Newtown In The Dark Ages

To the Editor:

The budget failed again. If this isn’t a wakeup call to the powers that be that it’s time to entice business to Newtown to increase our revenue and offset the tax burden to the taxpayers, I don’t know what is.

I understand the need to keep the “quaintness” of Newtown and the desire of the native Newtowners to keep things as they once were because it’s “comfortable.” You are living in a dream world! Times have changed! The population has grown, yet Newtown has “regressed.” We buy Fairfield Hills and it sits for five years with nothing done to it. We allocate millions to buy open space yet there are not enough funds for its preservation. We close a recreation facility and have no foresight in planning and funding for a new one. You can’t tell me that its closure wasn’t a long time overdue! We cut, and cut, and cut, the budget and the ones who are the most hurt by it are the innocent children, who rely on us for their chance to succeed in life. Finally, when the quality of the education goes down, so too does our investment in our properties, and in Newtown in general. Shame on those who want to keep Newtown in the dark ages. Shame on those who don’t support education. Shame on those who were too lazy to vote.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not so “nice” in Newtown after all.

Desiree Galassi

151 Huntingtown Road, Newtown                               May 10, 2006