Michael J. "Mike" Walsh, 61, of Roxbury, died March 26. He was born January 8, 1957, in Albany, N.Y., and was the treasured husband of 34 years to Nina Bonacci Walsh and the son of Margaret (Bement) W...
Lawrence A. "Larry" Cavanaugh, 80, of Newtown died March 23, at Danbury Hospital. He was born in Waterbury on September 6, 1937, son of the late Frances (Pettit) and John Cavanaugh.
His lovin...
Mary Jane Anderson, 84, of Woodbury died March 16. She was born on September 15, 1933. She wrote a column called "A Dog's Life" in The Newtown Bee for more than 20 years.
Three children, seven grandch...
Robert Michael "Bob" DeCarlo, 51, of Sandy Hook, beloved husband of Wendy (Johnson) DeCarlo, died March 20. Born September 13, 1966, in Stamford, he was the son of the late Theresa (Luberto) and John ...
Cynthia Proulx "Cindy" Hedrick, 59, of Newtown died unexpectedly March 21, at her home. She died peacefully in her sleep with family members nearby. She was born in Fitchburg, Mass., on August 14, 195...
Edite "Edie" Mei, 82, of Newtown, formerly of Bethel, died peacefully March 22 at the Lutheran Home in Southbury, after a courageous battle with melanoma. She was born in Riga, Latvia, on March 17, 19...
Ronald John "Ron" Calderone, 66, of Newtown, died March 24 after a courageous battle with a long illness. He was at home and peacefully surrounded by his family for his last hours. He will always be k...
Anna Marie Scheie Schwartz, 71, of Trumbull, died February 8. Born to Anna (Frøystein) and Harald Scheie on November 17, 1946, in Staten Island, N.Y., she grew up the eldest of five children a...
Robert M. "Bob" Spolar, 82, of Southington, formerly of Newtown, died March 19 at Hartford Hospital. He was the loving husband of the late Linda (Reilly) O'Connor Spolar for 25 years. He was born on O...
Peter A. Sola, 78, of Woodbury died March 15. He was born January 19, 1940, in the Bronx, N.Y., son of Pasquina and Anthony Sola. He was the beloved husband of Lorraine Sola. They met and married in 1...
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.
