**CANCELED** Western Council of Government, Housatonic Valley Metropolitan, and South Western Regional Planning Organizations meeting

August 20, 2026 at 12:00 pm

Start Time: 12:00 pm

This meeting has been canceled.

~~Location TBA.~~

Category

Meetings (town board and commissions)

Dining Guide: Twins BBQ — More Than A Barbecue Restaurant

Police Reports | July 25-August 2, 2026

First One Down The Line

Trinity Episcopal Church Announces New Sunday Worship Time Beginning August 23

Labor Day Weekend To Again Be Filled With Music By Panacea & Friends

I dont think I've ever seen a letter with so many em dashes. A new high score in Chat GPT?

Newtown Deserves Leaders Who Reflect Our Values And Fight For Our Fair Share

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.

First Selectman Addresses Storm Response

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.

Legislative Coffee & Conversation With Bolinsky And Foncello, August 7

It's a bit ironic. On July 31, 2025, Bruce Walczak wrote that "evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government." He also promised to respond to constituent inquiries and to "close the loop," even when there wasn't an immediate answer. Two weeks of silence in response to a legitimate question seems difficult to reconcile with that pledge. The standard wasn't set by his critics—it was set by Bruce himself. Just another politician ... say whatever is necessary to get the job. Original letter: https://www.newtownbee.com/07312025/a-commitment-to-responsiveness/

First Selectman Addresses Storm Response

CT primaries are closed to voters not registered with the party's designation. Dems can't vote in Rep. primaries and, vice versa. Unaffiliated and Independent voters cannot vote in them. Keep primaries closed!

Time to Change the Guard

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