This report updates all ballot counts, turnout percentages, and details following the November 8 elections and referendum, many of which were reported incorrectly in last week’s print edition.
When the Legislative Council reduced the Lake Authorities budget request to match the prior year's request, First Selectman Dan Rosenthal expressed he wasn't sure the town could make that reduction. Now, it appears that Connecticut State Statute prevents the town from reducing the request.
Approximately 200 people including dozens of immediate survivors of those killed on 12/14 came together on the site of a newly opened Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial for a brief, reverent invitation-only ceremony November 12.
Connecticut State Police reported a three-vehicle crash on I-84 East that occurred around 6:14 am Saturday, November 12. The crash closed one lane and the shoulder for nearly two hours, and sent one driver to the hospital.
Operating hours for most locations will be affected next week by the Thanksgiving holiday. Early deadlines for the November 25, 2022 print edition begin this morning.
Newtown Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) conducted a brief meeting to hear about proposed apartments for Mt Pleasant Road during its November 3 meeting.
Dear Alyssa, Kelela, and Brandon,
We send our sincere sympathy to you and your family. We will also keep you in our prayers asking our Lord to grant you comfort and peace.
With love,
Vince and Sandy Venitelli
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After taking office, meaningful public engagement has largely been replaced by “Brews with Bruce” at the Senior Center—requiring reservations and, for some residents, a day pass.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.
