Members of the Legislative Council unanimously adopted a $121,626,535 town and school district budget package for the 2020-21 fiscal year during a virtual meeting, May 6.
Selectman Maureen Crick Owen has agreed to be Newtown’s appointed liaison to a statewide COVID-19 Long Term Recovery initiative as state officials began outlining plans to phase reopening state colleges and universities. Read this and more in today's update.
US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy wrote to the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Michael Carvajal, demanding that he provide answers regarding the department’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Danbury Federal Corrections facility.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill has released the Connecticut plan for the August 11 primary and November 3 general elections in 2020 in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Governor Ned Lamont may have downplayed it at the top of his May 5 press briefing, but the fact that state COVID-19 hospitalizations increased for the first time in almost two weeks was not surprising to Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert. Learn why in our May 5 daily update.
Authorization for a significant amount of a costly emergency communication system upgrade may remain in the hands of voters if a proposal to split the project's bonding into two phases is embraced by the Legislative Council on May 6. Read on to learn more.
The idea that a freshman Democrat would be able to stand up to the special interests and prioritization of urban districts that are the base of that caucus to deliver results for Newtown is laughable - especially someone who could not even build the "relationships, coalitions, and the support necessary" to garner the endorsements of her fellow Democrat Council members ahead of Newtown's local caucus this spring.
More likely Newtown would see something akin to Leeper in Fairfield, performative actions after vote counting, while privately advancing their party's interests over their community's.
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.
