Eleanor Harriet Ruot, 99, of Newtown, formerly of Fairfield, beloved wife of the late Edmond R. Ruot, died peacefully December 15. Born in Torrington, the daughter of the late Ernest and Gertrude Crut...
Rose Marie Baisden, 80, of Newtown, died December 16, after battling heart disease. She was born in New Britain April 26, 1938, and was a daughter of the late Ross and Freada (Rose) Baisden.
Before re...
Nelson Emmanuel Segla Tamakloe, 76, of Sandy Hook, died December 16, at home, after a long illness. He was born October 10, 1942, in Lagos, Nigeria, and was the son of Gilbert Demetrius Adaleteh Tamak...
Rose Ann (Mino) Rutkowski Cipolla, 83, a 40-year resident of Sandy Hook, died December 16. Born February 8, 1935, she was the daughter of John Mino and Ann Findorak.
Mrs Cipolla worked at Remington (S...
Kathy Hewitt, 63, of Sandy Hook, died December 17, of complications from surgery. One of six children born to Laura and the late John Hewitt, she grew up in Fairfield and lived there most of her life....
Robert J. “Bob” Qubick, 87, of Sandy Hook, died December 15. He was born in White Plains, N.Y., March 26, 1932, the son of John Qubick and Eleanor Knapp.
Mr Qubick was a proud, patriotic veteran of th...
Ann Troy, 91, a lifelong resident of Norwalk, died December 14. She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Ruth Bogdany and the loving wife of Joseph A Troy, Jr.
Her six children, Diane Merrifield, M...
Margurette Mohigel Khoury, of Bridgeport, loving wife of 68 years to George Mohajjal (Mohigel), died peacefully December 12. Born in Soudeie, Syria, she was the daughter of the late Moussa and Meryana...
Robert A. “Bob” Besse, 74, of Newtown, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died December 9. Born in Easton, April 3, 1944, he grew up on a farm and enjoyed tending to and riding horses.
His wife...
Gerard F. “Jerry” Kuhn, Jr, 63, of the Rocky Hill Veterans Home, formerly of Newtown, died suddenly December 9. He was the son of Evelyn (Lynn) Hayes Kuhn and the late Gerard F. Kuhn, Sr.
His two brot...
Mr. Ackert’s letter leaves out an important point: many of the legal expenses he references exist because of the legal challenges and complaints he and his facebook group has chosen to pursue.
It is not fair to blame the Borough Zoning Commission Chair for costs that were driven, in large part, by Mr. Ackert’s own actions. Taxpayers should understand that litigation and FOIA complaints do not appear out of nowhere. They are initiated by individuals who decide to take those matters forward.
Public officials should absolutely be held accountable, and the Borough should follow proper procedures at all times. But accountability should run both ways. If someone repeatedly challenges the Borough through legal channels, then points to the resulting legal bills as proof of poor leadership, the public deserves that context.
Reasonable people can disagree about zoning decisions, development, and procedure. However, turning every disagreement into a legal fight has consequences, and those consequences are paid for by Borough taxpayers.
Before assigning blame for legal expenses, Mr. Ackert should acknowledge his own role in creating them.
And Chris Gardner, if anybody is Mr. Newtown, it’s you! Not only do I deeply appreciate all the support you gave me throughout this campaign, but I look forward to joining you in the Lions Club. I know it sounds silly, but truly one of my highlights this year was helping to raise the summer flag on the flagpole alongside you! I know we’re going to be great friends well into the future.
I didn’t have enough word count to thank my full team the way they deserve, so I’m doing that here! My debt of gratitude is enormous and I’ll never be able to repay it fully.
Laura Miller and Peter Schwartz, you two were my incredible sounding boards through this entire campaign. And Laura, you kicked off my campaign launch with a speech so full of energy and humor that it set exactly the right tone from Day 1. I cannot thank you both enough for being with me from the very beginning.
Jordana Bloom, this town is so, so lucky to have you! You know absolutely everyone, which honestly is a testament to how much people around Newtown adore you. And you’re one heck of a fighter! Thank you for being such a wonderful friend, such a selfless person, and for sharing your heart so generously with us.
Arnie Berman, you were basically my campaign consigliere lol. Having you as a core part of this team made us so much better, no question about it. You’re doing great things on the Legislative Council, but I think we need you in Congress one day!
Aidan Music, it was so great to have not just another young guy on the campaign, but someone so fired up about winning and willing to put in the work to make it happen. I lost count of how many times you rushed home from work just to make a campaign meeting. I owe you a drink, or a few, anytime you’d like!
Michelle Assante, thank you so much for being so devoted to our mission and for being willing to give so much insight and feedback on the best way to accomplish our goals. Not only do I have you to thank, but I have Violet and Willow to thank too! They brought so much energy to the campaign and I am so indescribably appreciative of everything you've all done.
Beth Young, you are so deeply valued, not just on our campaign but in our town and on the Board of Finance. Thank you for letting me plant that giant, gaudy sign in your front yard lol, for all your help making calls, and for being committed from the very start. And a huge thank you to your daughter for starring in one of our very first campaign videos! You both are the absolute best.
I’m not sure I would call this a victory lap.
The contentious relationship between the NIMBY crowd and local builders has not served Newtown well. In fact, this kind of obstructionist approach is part of what leaves us with worse outcomes. We have already seen projects like the cinder block row housing on Oakview pushed through in ways many residents were unhappy with, and it is only a matter of time before a company like Vessel Technologies decides to block up an area like Castle Hill if we continue down this path.
We need to learn how to work with builders, not meet every proposal with lawsuits, angry Facebook groups, and organized opposition. That does not mean residents should stay silent or accept every plan as presented. It means we should engage constructively, negotiate for better outcomes, and work toward development that fits Newtown rather than spending everyone’s money fighting until there are no good options left.
Let’s learn to work together.
"Think about women seeking reproductive healthcare." In which state does Brandon think he's running for office? If that's your moral imperative to run for office, move to Texas and insert yourself in their culture wars. Campaigns like this one choose the very odd "but Trump" angle because they have no other leg to stand on. Mitch has represented Newtown with integrity in Hartford, and it is evidenced by the complete lack of criticism of his record in the statements above.
