Completely lost me at "supporting Kamala Harris for President". I'll grant any pessimist their dim view of the current administration but I just can't take you seriously if you thought she would be a reasonable alternative. I'd sooner vote for the autopen.
Those with an opinion on this matter can email:
Pura.ExecutiveSecretary@ct.gov
And be heard.
My own nickel's worth (inflation) ... I sent them this on Aug. 1. This is not "new" news.
"I have learned that Nutmeg TV has petitioned the State of Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to take over Public Access in Charter’s Newtown area.
"I've read the proposal. I'm unalterably opposed. Why are you even considering this?!
"If PURA approves it I will still do everything I can as a Connecticut resident, activist and user of the Charter Public Access facility in Newtown to fight it and prevent it from happening.
"Having the studio in Newtown has enabled residents to start rebuilding local media and news in our area, in just the last year. We've gotten volunteers trained; we've launched a couple of shows. It has been a three steps forward, two steps back kind of process. I am hopeful. Charter's staff has been OUTSTANDING in support and encouragement.
"Make this change? There is no way we can get volunteers to Farmington. Or local guests. We'd be done. I'd be really, really mad."
Jeff Schult
Sandy Hook
Maybe we should have let Bruce shift the meetings earlier in the day, because clearly he is asleep at the wheel... Only three weeks after his apology and another false promise to do better ... on the night of July 30, Bethel Police, Connecticut State Police K-9 teams, and the Newtown Police Drone Unit were conducting an extensive search in the Saw Mill Road area for a suspect. Residents received no contemporaneous public notice from the First Selectman’s Office.
This is exactly the type of situation the town says its emergency communication system exists to address. Newtown’s Emergency Management page states that, together with the Office of the First Selectman, it provides critical public information and warnings about emergency situations. The town’s own CodeRED materials specifically list criminal activity among the examples of alerts residents might receive.
I sincerely appreciate Representatives Mitch Bolinsky and Martin Foncello holding open coffee and conversation hours. Making yourself readily available to listen, answer questions, and hear concerns from the public is the mark of a responsive elected official.
Newtown’s previous first selectmen understood this. Dan Rosenthal held “Walk & Talk with the First Selectman” sessions that were open to residents without reservations, and Jeff Capeci held regular “Java with Jeff” conversations.
Bruce Walczak ran heavily on responsiveness, transparency, and listening to residents. Yet his answer appears to be “Brews with Bruce” at the Senior Center—a program requiring reservations and, for residents who are not Senior Center members, the purchase of a day pass. That is not meaningful townwide access. It creates a barrier to participation and effectively limits the conversation to one narrow segment of the community.
A first selectman should not be waiting behind a paywall, however small, to hear from the public. He should be holding open coffee hours, evening forums, neighborhood walks, and other accessible events where any Newtown resident can participate without registering, joining a particular organization, or paying for admission.
Thank you, Mitch and Martin, for showing what genuine constituent outreach looks like. Listening to residents should be more than a campaign promise—it should remain a visible and continuing responsibility after Election Day.
