Political Committees Expanding Use

Of E-Newsletters Beyond Campaigns

By John Voket

First came The Independent Express, an e-newsletter that was sent via email to recipients around town, promoting the positions and focusing on political issues important to the Independent Party of Newtown (IPN). Then, during last summer’s highly competitive local elections, the Republican Town Committee launched its own cyber-vehicle which followed suit, establishing a provocative Q&A format that riffed off the broad lead-in: What do the Republicans think?

While Republican Town Committee temporarily halted distribution of the party’s e-newsletter following last November’s election, the IPN continued intermittently sending out its Express. The latest issue, distributed in late February, featured a letter to the editor of The Newtown Bee, which concurrently ran in the newspaper, signed by IPN Selectman Bill Furrier.

The subject matter focused on the political group’s views on a review of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan. Additional information in that edition detailed the recent election of IPN town committee leadership, offered contact information for elected and appointed IPN members or endorsed designees on local boards and commissions, the two-pronged criteria for IPN membership, Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) information, and a listing of all scheduled town budget meetings, which also appears on the Newtown municipal website.

Last week, local Republicans released another edition of their town committee’s e-newsletter, which continued utilizing a Q&A format to illustrate the GOP’s position on, and concerns about fixed cost projections as detailed in the latest round of budget talks.

The Republican newsletter also informed voters about where the proposed 2010 budget stood in its protracted process, as well as to explain some intricacies of that process as it moves forward to the eventual late April public referendum.

Posing the question: “Did you know the Board of Finance and Legislative Council can make line item changes to the Selectmen’s budget, but only a bottom line adjustment to the Board of Ed’s budget?” — the “answer” goes on to further explain the process and outline the GOP’s position on local finances: “The continuing economic slump means many taxpayers cannot accept a large increase in taxes…”

The GOP newsletter also borrows from the Libertarian-leaning Connecticut-based Yankee Institute for Public Policy which recently challenged common assertions made by school boards about local school funding, including “All programs and services are efficient and effective.”

The Republican’s latest newsletter also provides colored charts detailing the breakdown in spending areas for the proposed school district budget, as well as a chart illustrating rapidly down-trending student enrollments.

According to local Democratic Town Committee Vice-Chair Anna Wiedemann, the DTC is in the final stages of crafting its own interactive website, and possibly an e-newsletter, as well. She told The Bee last week that volunteers, including Bob Edwards and Sara Frampton, were busy putting the finishing touches on their party’s new and improved web-based promotional tools.