Arliene "Toby" Bender, 85, of Sandy Hook, formerly of Fairfield, wife of the late Clark Bender, died peacefully December 29 at St Vincent's Medical Center. Born in Bridgeport, she had been a Fairfield...
Arlene Grugle of Southbury died peacefully on December 29, surrounded by her family.
Her husband of 63 years, John "Jack"; her daughter, Kathryn Wolf and husband Scott of Newtown; her daughter-in-law,...
Henry "Harry" William Dieck, 90, of Newtown died peacefully December 30 in his home, in the presence of his loving family. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on November 19, 1927, the loving son of Kather...
Reginald Andrew Kopnicky, 91, of Stratford, beloved husband of the late Frances Pardenek Kopnicky, died peacefully December 17 in Bridgeport Hospital, with his loving family by his side. A lifelong re...
Arlene Grugle of Southbury died peacefully on December 29, surrounded by her family.
Her husband of 63 years, John "Jack"; her daughter, Kathryn Wolf and husband Scott of Newtown; her daughter-in-law,...
Reginald Andrew Kopnicky, 91, of Stratford, beloved husband of the late Frances Pardenek Kopnicky, died peacefully December 17 in Bridgeport Hospital, with his loving family by his side. A lifelong re...
With each passing year, Newtown faces the deep loss of dear family, friends, and community members. All were cherished by those who knew them. Among the many, here we remember just a few of those conn...
Jean Mary (Hollands) Lewis, 91, formerly of Newtown, widow of the late Bill Lewis, died peacefully December 28 at Candlewood Valley Care Center in New Milford. She was born October 29, 1926, in Bussel...
Eero Emil Riutta, 90, a longtime resident of Sandy Hook, died December 17 at Masonicare at Newtown. Mr Riutta was the husband of the late Hilkka (Pynninen) Riutta. He was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, ...
Ben Rogers, 23, of Laguna Beach, Calif., died peacefully in the early morning hours of December 13. He and his sister, Lily, were born in Newtown, one frozen winter night, January 27, 1994, to Katie a...
Well said. Unfortunately, we are back to more of the same and we know how this will end. However, it gives us an opportunity to question many ways in which the DTC failed residents, voters, candidates, everyone. Brandon Moore was the first candidate to voice interest in running. A strong and well prepared candidate that the town republicans did not want to run against. They made it clear they wanted Ku to be the candidate. We all know you endorse the candidate you have no concerns about. Once Ku decided to try to unseat Bolinsky again, the DTC should have done what it can do and that was choose a candidate or put a good process in place to set up forums and get the caucus over and done smoothly, fairly, and ethically. It did neither. and this is what resulted: The Young Dem Debate became a Ku strategy to claim Ku being victimized, and it backfired; Ku's previous campaign committee went with Brandon Moore in hopes of finally flipping the seat; the DTC delay in organizing any candidate forums led to an inability to get the information out to all (as we see in complaints from new residents regarding lack of information); the DTC was severely split by the caucus chaos and some did not fully participate as a result; and we are back to square one with the candidate Alex Villamil preferred, and the same old guard and the same chance of flipping the seat.
Welcome and thank you for your insightfulness. I agree wholeheartedly, however, you will soon learn that the intention is to contain participation. I believe the new residents and the new families are invaluable and hope that you will attend a DTC meeting. You will learn a great deal. Second Thursday of the Month and tonight, June 11th, 7 pm, it is at the Edmond Town Hall. : )
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.
