Giving Newtown What It Wants

As observers of community life, we employ a number of useful tools to discern the mood of Newtown at any given moment. Elections and referendum votes allow us to indirectly interpret what townspeople are thinking by examining who and what they vote for… or against. We read letters to the editor, and we listen in on conversations all over town to see if we can pick up on trends and currents of local opinion. It is an inexact science, however, since we never know how representative our samplings are. Is the 40 percent of the electorate that actually votes in local elections really representative of the town as a whole? Did everyone vote for or against a referendum question for exactly the same reason? We can only guess.

Newtown was fortunate enough last fall to have one citizen who wanted to push beyond merely speculative answers to these questions — a man who had the rare capability of actually tabulating the detailed opinions of Newtowners in a scientific way. Paul Lundquist, president of the Harrison Group, a nationally known research and consulting group, this week presented the findings of a survey he conducted in town last September and October. In general, the results of his survey of 852 Newtown residents confirm many of the conclusions we have been able to draw from our own unscientific observations: that Newtowners care deeply about protecting the character of the town, maintaining quality schools, protecting open space, and avoiding the traffic congestion and overcrowding that comes with suburban residential sprawl. But it is the fine focus of the survey on what were identified as “major or most urgent problems” and “extremely or very important initiatives” that should be invaluable for the town’s elected leaders in setting priorities for 2008 and beyond.

At the top of the list was concern about the local government’s ability to develop a clear vision for the future. Notwithstanding the appointment last summer of a long-range strategic planning committee, for which this survey was conducted, three quarters of Newtown’s residents are concerned that local leaders do not have a clear sense of where the town is headed, and two-thirds are concerned about plans for the development of Fairfield Hills. Commercial development at Fairfield Hills was also cited as a top priority on the list of important initiatives, while new town and school offices at Fairfield Hills were generally dismissed as a low priority. (Survey details may be found this week at NewtownBee.com.)

The only problem for those who seek to employ the statistical guidance of a survey in mapping out the future of our town is that the numbers quickly collide with the complications and contradictions of reality. For example, local officials discovered in negotiating contracts with private developers representing Danbury Hospital, which is interested in establishing a presence at Fairfield Hills, that a lease agreement was contingent upon the existence of municipal offices on the campus, effectively coupling one of the town’s highest priorities with one of its lowest priorities. What’s a town to do?

The Board of Selectmen, in this case, decided to move both initiatives ahead, which has already earned it derision. Perhaps when convenient medical offices open in Fairfield Hills, the board will also win some belated gratitude. Regardless of whether it is ultimately hailed or assailed, however, Newtown’s new administration has quickly learned that knowing definitively what people want does not solve every problem. Knowledge may be power, but turning that power into progress will always require a measure of judgment on how best to move the town in the direction it wants to go. Survey data of the depth and quality provided by Paul Lundquist and the Harrison Group is just the kind of lens Newtown’s leaders need to acquire the vision and direction for the future townspeople are demanding of them. The judgment, they must provide themselves.