Jeff, look no further than our own first selectman. “Brews with Bruce” at the Senior Center is included with membership, but according to the Bee’s own reporting, everyone else must purchase a day pass to attend.
Apparently, paying taxes gets you a town government, but having a conversation with its leader requires an admission upgrade.
Unless, of course, the intent is to hear only from a preferred audience. A room full of agreeable voices may be comfortable, but a first selectman represents the entire town—including residents who might ask inconvenient questions. Public access should not come with a cover charge.
What I will always remember about Mitch is he is the only politician in Newtown that I saw coming to and standing up against the proposed Truck Depot at Exit 9. As bad as traffic is in Newtown now and with the constant push for housing development in Newtown, traffic has become a point a real negative for Newtown. Now imagine a Truck Depot in town on top of it. Thanks Mitch for standing with the Newtown residents to stop that insanity
