Brian Fish told about the Blarney Stone as proud mother Rotarian Eileen Fish watched.
Natalie Clavette, Annie LoPiccolo, Mary Kate LoPiccolo, and Maggie Morrissey performed an Irish dance.
And Chris Gardner, if anybody is Mr. Newtown, it’s you! Not only do I deeply appreciate all the support you gave me throughout this campaign, but I look forward to joining you in the Lions Club. I know it sounds silly, but truly one of my highlights this year was helping to raise the summer flag on the flagpole alongside you! I know we’re going to be great friends well into the future.
I didn’t have enough word count to thank my full team the way they deserve, so I’m doing that here! My debt of gratitude is enormous and I’ll never be able to repay it fully.
Laura Miller and Peter Schwartz, you two were my incredible sounding boards through this entire campaign. And Laura, you kicked off my campaign launch with a speech so full of energy and humor that it set exactly the right tone from Day 1. I cannot thank you both enough for being with me from the very beginning.
Jordana Bloom, this town is so, so lucky to have you! You know absolutely everyone, which honestly is a testament to how much people around Newtown adore you. And you’re one heck of a fighter! Thank you for being such a wonderful friend, such a selfless person, and for sharing your heart so generously with us.
Arnie Berman, you were basically my campaign consigliere lol. Having you as a core part of this team made us so much better, no question about it. You’re doing great things on the Legislative Council, but I think we need you in Congress one day!
Aidan Music, it was so great to have not just another young guy on the campaign, but someone so fired up about winning and willing to put in the work to make it happen. I lost count of how many times you rushed home from work just to make a campaign meeting. I owe you a drink, or a few, anytime you’d like!
Michelle Assante, thank you so much for being so devoted to our mission and for being willing to give so much insight and feedback on the best way to accomplish our goals. Not only do I have you to thank, but I have Violet and Willow to thank too! They brought so much energy to the campaign and I am so indescribably appreciative of everything you've all done.
Beth Young, you are so deeply valued, not just on our campaign but in our town and on the Board of Finance. Thank you for letting me plant that giant, gaudy sign in your front yard lol, for all your help making calls, and for being committed from the very start. And a huge thank you to your daughter for starring in one of our very first campaign videos! You both are the absolute best.
I’m not sure I would call this a victory lap.
The contentious relationship between the NIMBY crowd and local builders has not served Newtown well. In fact, this kind of obstructionist approach is part of what leaves us with worse outcomes. We have already seen projects like the cinder block row housing on Oakview pushed through in ways many residents were unhappy with, and it is only a matter of time before a company like Vessel Technologies decides to block up an area like Castle Hill if we continue down this path.
We need to learn how to work with builders, not meet every proposal with lawsuits, angry Facebook groups, and organized opposition. That does not mean residents should stay silent or accept every plan as presented. It means we should engage constructively, negotiate for better outcomes, and work toward development that fits Newtown rather than spending everyone’s money fighting until there are no good options left.
Let’s learn to work together.
"Think about women seeking reproductive healthcare." In which state does Brandon think he's running for office? If that's your moral imperative to run for office, move to Texas and insert yourself in their culture wars. Campaigns like this one choose the very odd "but Trump" angle because they have no other leg to stand on. Mitch has represented Newtown with integrity in Hartford, and it is evidenced by the complete lack of criticism of his record in the statements above.
That may have been true in 1995-2008 when every new unit of housing had 1.5 kids, but with an aging population and declining birth rates, our demographics have stabilized and our enrolment has been decreasing for 20 years while population has remained relatively flat at 28k. Less people in the homes. Not all households use the same amount of services as 2/3rds of our budget is for education. For example, Senior housing uses very little services relative to the taxes they pay, and we recognize that with a Senior Tax Credit to keep them here. It is the same for one bedroom units. Age diversity distributes the costs of education, and housing diversity supports age diversity, allowing young people to live in town and seniors to downsize (freeing up their colonials for new families.) Newtown and R-2 zoning pushes a type of building geared towards families with kids, but 4,000 sq ft 4 br homes with big lawns to mow are not what young people or empty nesters are looking for or can justify at those phases of their lives. There is also a commercial aspect as CT business associations routinely support housing so their employees can afford to live close to their jobs. Commercial tax payers need employees, be it manufacturing, medical, retail, services or our restaurants. Without a workforce, commercial property is less desirable, the commercial assessments decline and more of the tax burden gets shifted onto residential at revaluation. Housing supports the school district too. Where can a bus driver afford to live in Newtown? Why would a bus driver commute to our community to drive a bus when the municipalities they can afford to live in also need bus drivers? Newtown schools would have to pay more to incentivize them to commute further (increasing traffic on the highways.) Its no wonder we have had a chronic a bus driver shortage.
