Alexa Calo, a kindergarten teacher at Middle Gate Elementary School, reflected on being recognized as Newtown's 2026 Teacher of the Year, all while setting her sights on the new school year ahead.
Another police search in a Newtown neighborhood. Did I miss the notification from the First Selectman’s office, or are we still using the “read about it afterward” emergency communication system?
I raised this same concern after the April police search. How many times do residents have to ask for timely information? At this point, perhaps it’s the First Selectman’s office that needs a welfare check. Anybody home, Bruce?
Thank you to Newtown Police for doing their job. Wake up, Bruce. Keeping residents informed is part of yours.
This strikes me as a pretty one-sided assessment. Let me add some context.
You highlight that his opponent has lived in Newtown for only two and a half years, yet leave out that Rob Blanchard moved here in July—roughly two and a half months ago. If residency matters, apply the same standard to both candidates. Isn't there a name for someone who moves to a town to run for election? Something like a rug or carpet, something?
I also question the mortgage-struggle framing in advertisements he approved and appears in. The public payroll figures put his household gross earnings at roughly $300,000—nearly twice Newtown’s median household income of $155,110. That doesn’t mean they have no financial pressures, but it is fair to question how closely that portrayal reflects the circumstances of a typical Newtown household.
Both candidates deserve scrutiny. Highlighting one candidate’s short residency while overlooking the other’s much more recent arrival is a double standard.
An incredible event... again. Thanks so much to Leslie and the entire gang who make this gathering of friends, family and classmates happen every year! And thanks to Devery Stickles for his generous support. This event is truly the Heart & Spirit of Newtown!
Michelle Embree Ku raises valid concerns about local property taxes, but ignores a basic political reality: Representative Mitch Bolinsky serves in the minority in a legislature dominated by a single-party supermajority where minority-party proposals are routinely sidelined. Suggesting that a single minority representative could rewrite the state's ECS formula is politically unrealistic and disingenuous to Newtown voters.
Despite those odds, Mitch’s CGA track record speaks for itself. He led the charge to protect special education funding, preserve Drug-Free School Zones, safeguard school safety drills, advance science-based structured literacy, and defend homeschooling choices for families.
If Ms. Ku knows how to fix the ECS formula, what has she done to convince her own party—the same party that controls the House, Senate, and Governor’s office? If the supermajority has the votes to fix ECS today, why hasn’t it happened during the 13 years she cites?
Adding another seat to a supermajority that made Connecticut one of the highest-taxed states won't help Newtown taxpayers. If the current majority hasn't delivered relief with absolute power, expanding that majority won't change the outcome.
Newtown’s interests are best served by keeping Mitch in the House and increasing Republican margins to provide real checks and balances. When one party holds every lever of power, accountability disappears. Strengthening the minority ensures our town’s voice is heard, not drowned out.
The idea that a freshman Democrat would be able to stand up to the special interests and prioritization of urban districts that are the base of that caucus to deliver results for Newtown is laughable - especially someone who could not even build the "relationships, coalitions, and the support necessary" to garner the endorsements of her fellow Democrat Council members ahead of Newtown's local caucus this spring.
More likely Newtown would see something akin to Leeper in Fairfield, performative actions after vote counting, while privately advancing their party's interests over their community's.
