Helga (Doehne) Richter Hoag, 85, of Sandy Hook, died on July 9 at her home, following a lengthy battle with Multiple Myeloma.
Mrs Hoag was born in Danbury on November 27, 1930, and was the daughter of...
Robert E. Barnes, 90, of Stratford, died July 15, at Bridgeport Hospital. Mr Barnes was born in Stratford and was a lifelong area resident.www.larsonfh.com.
His wife Faith Anderson Barnes, of Stratfor...
Susan M. Chappa, 74, of Westport, died peacefully July 12. She was the devoted wife of 40 years to the late Edmund J. Chappa, Sr, and mother of three daughters and two sons.
Mrs Chappa was born August...
Sandy Hook resident Jane Conningham, 84, died on July 4 at Masonicare at Newtown. She was born Jane Barton Conningham in Glen Cove, N.Y., to Mary Barton Schultz and Frederic Arthur Conningham, on Octo...
Neil C. Aiello, Sr, 93, of Danbury, husband of the late Ann (Silvia) Aiello, died on the evening of July 10, at Regional Hospice Center for Comfort Care and Healing. A Danbury native and lifelong resi...
Judith (Eastwood) Dobbrow, 83, longtime resident of Newtown, also of Ashaway and Weekapaug, R.I., died on July 11. She was the daughter of the late Dorothy (Clough) and Howard F. Eastwood, and the wif...
Helen Perillo, 96, a longtime resident of Newtown, died peacefully on July 9, surrounded by her family after a short illness. She was born in Bridgeport in 1919.
Anthony, her husband of 53 years, and ...
Kathleen H. Sullivan, 81, a longtime Stamford and recent Monroe resident, died July 8, after a brave struggle with cancer. www.cancer.org, St Jude Children's Research Hospital at www.stjude.or...
Mary Theresa (Deierlein) Muzzio, 81, formerly of Norwalk, died peacefully in her sleep at her Village of Brookfield residence on July 2.www.honanfh.com.
Her husband Amil W. Muzzio, Sr; her son A. Will...
Robert J. Boylan, 86, died in Holden, Mass., on July 3, surrounded by family. He was the husband of the late A. Jeanette (Dahl) Boylan, who died in 2007.donatenow.heart.org, or the Parkinson's Foundat...
Bruce’s letter paints a picture of runaway development, but the real story is the collapse of local cooperation — not the rise of §8-30g. That law has been on the books since 1990. For decades, towns and developers worked together to shape projects that made sense: added sidewalks, deeper setbacks, fewer units — genuine compromise.
What’s changed isn’t the law, it’s the politics. A loud social media mob has made any compromise politically toxic. The “no growth” crowd demands nothing be built anywhere, ever, and bullies anyone who suggests otherwise. Planning and zoning boards no longer negotiate; they hunker down, hoping to appease the Facebook comment section.
But here’s the irony — when compromise dies, developers stop compromising too. Once a project triggers §8-30g, the town can fight it, but state law ensures the developer will eventually win. So instead of working out a reasonable design, everyone heads to court. The developer doubles the unit count to pay for the lawyers, and the town burns taxpayer money trying to lose more slowly.
That’s how we end up with the very projects the NIMBY mob fears — because they made reasonable development impossible.
If people truly care about Newtown’s character, they need to stop the performative outrage and start engaging in real planning again. Screaming “no” to everything isn’t preservation — it’s self-sabotage.
I’m honestly surprised Bruce had to look up what an “agreement in principle” means. After years of business experience and managing 200 people, I would have expected that term to be familiar by now. Hard to believe it’s a new concept at this stage in his career. Although rest assured Newtown, vote row A and when times get tough, we have Google to help the selectman.
I asked AI what does agreement in principle mean
An "agreement in principle" is a preliminary, non-binding understanding reached between two or more parties that outlines the fundamental terms of a future contract. It is considered a stepping stone toward a formal, legally enforceable agreement.
This type of agreement is used to establish mutual intent and a basic framework for negotiations before the parties commit to a detailed, final contract.
