Rejecting or approving town budgets has nothing to do with 'smart' growth. These budgets are expected to grow appropriately as cost of services increases.
The status quo is clearly not appealing to voters who rejected the school budget at first and only narrowly approved the town's budget. Smart growth is the name of the game here. That would be growth that respects our past, retains and ensures our vibrancy, and simultaneously widens our tax base.
The Newtown Conservation Coalition is basically a NIMBY snake oil salesman. They jump from cause to cause with the sole goal of making sure nothing changes. It is only a matter of time before they lower their threshold, get to acres, and want an accessory building, not in "their" town. They will bust out a new poster of a bulldozer tramping over a "historic" stone wall and protest in front of any town meeting.