Community has played an instrumental role in the history of Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown, and it continues to do so today, months after the community's original synagogue was razed.
The Most Reverend Bishop Frank Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport will tape his popular podcast series “Let Me Be Frank” and take questions from the live audience during a special visit to St Rose of Lima Church.
One week before Jews around the world began their annual festival to celebrate the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, nearly 40 people gathered in The Great Room of Newtown Congregational Church for a Seder presented by Newtown Interfaith Council.
Following the successful launch of the Radical Connection Series on March 28, Part 2 will focus on an essential and often overlooked aspect of connection: Connection to Self.
Bruce, your advice that voters should “read, listen, and engage” would be much more persuasive if you practiced it yourself.
You campaigned on openness and responsiveness. You declared that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government” and promised to answer constituent inquiries within two days. Yet you never answered my straightforward public question about Main Street demonstrations, traffic disruption, pedestrian safety, and the effects on local businesses.
After taking office, meaningful public engagement has largely been replaced by “Brews with Bruce” at the Senior Center—requiring reservations and, for some residents, a day pass. That is not accessible, townwide engagement. Previous first selectmen held open coffee hours and walk-and-talk sessions that any resident could attend.
Then came the failed storm communications, your apology, and another promise to communicate better—followed shortly afterward by more silence while multiple police agencies conducted a significant search near Saw Mill Road.
You now tell voters to examine what candidates say and “how they say it.” I would suggest going one step further: compare what politicians promise while seeking office with what they actually do after winning.
Your record presents a stark contrast. You told voters exactly what they wanted to hear to get the job, then failed to live by those promises. Whether that is dishonesty or simply indifference, it is the same familiar, two-faced politics you once claimed you would replace.
Nothing says “I care about Newtown homeowners” quite like lining Main Street with plywood campaign billboards—apparently built just inches below the size at which officials say they can take action. At this rate, we’ll need property-tax relief just to offset the loss in curb appeal.
