Two Town employees and three local business people attended “Open For Business?,” a forum on October 31 hosted by State Representatives Mitch Bolinsky and J.P. Sredzinski and State Senator Tony Hwang. The local politicians who hosted the forum were not disappointed at the turnout. They seemed to expect it, in fact.
Local professionals are invited to the next Northern Fairfield Professionals networking event featuring guest speaker, Melanie Szlucha presenting on “ Ending Sweaty Palms and Awkward Answers—a Better Way of Preparing for Job Interviews.”
Business name: Your Healthy Pet
Address: 61 Church Hill Road
Owners: Dianne Bromley & Chris Ranaudo
Business background: My name is Dianne Bromley, and my journey has finally brought m...
In honor of its 50th anniversary, Children’s Adventure Center is set to hold an evening event at Barnwood Grill, 5 Queen Street, on Thursday, November 7, from 6 to 9 pm.
Paul Brautigam and his staff at Brautigam Land Surveyors PC have been delivering for clients across Newtown and the region, amassing a total of 3,500-plus projects completed in 30 years.
Organizers have announced that Newtown-Sandy Hook Restaurant Week, being held October 7-13, supports the diverse offering of more than 50 eateries in Newtown and Sandy Hook.
Faced with mounting pressure from the governor on down through the statehouse and into Connecticut consumers’ homes, the state Department of Revenue Services (DRS) admitted it had erred in interpreting new legislation that levied an added tax on what was originally a huge menu of prepared foods.
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.
