A Final Farewell

To The Owner-Operators

To the Editor:

As the sun sets on another school year here in Newtown, my heart is especially heavy with the owner-operators’ longstanding contract with our school district coming to an end. For more than 80 years, our owner-operators have served our town in a way that no other company ever can. They have provided an invaluable service to our town that no board, bid, or budget can ever put a price tag on.

Having an owner-operator arrangement was a win-win for Newtown. It gainfully employed dozens of our honest, hardworking local taxpayers while providing us as parents with the security of knowing that our children were riding to and from school with the same individuals we were seeing at the bank, the post office, on the ball field, and in the grocery store. Their income was invested in our local economy as Newtown taxpayers and in their patronizing of local restaurants and stores. In addition, many of our owner-operators served our town in a variety of capacities through their ownership of local businesses, on town committees, and in local sports associations.

What the owner-operators did for Newtown went far beyond what they were asked and paid to do. Over the years, many kind deeds went unnoticed and were, perhaps, taken for granted. They did these things simply because they cared about their friends and neighbors. Their dedication and concern are evident in the stories you hear across generations of Newtown residents of things large and small that the owner-operators did that were not in their contracts, but only because they cared about our town and its people. They have stopped at driveways instead of designated bus stops to make mornings easier for families. They have turned buses around so children didn’t have to cross busy roads. They have swung back around on their routes when children forgot items on buses. Truth be told, their kindness and regard for our children knows no end.

All of our owner-operators past and present deserve one final farewell and thank you from all of us, their friends and neighbors. As they begin the next chapters of their lives, I want them to know that their kindness and service to our town will never be forgotten. There are three individuals in particular who I will truly miss seeing each and every morning, midday, and afternoon — Dan Paynter, Janice Paynter, and Dave Selleck. They are not just my boys’ bus drivers. They are my friends. For all you have done for our family and for this town, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Kristen Mattera

4 Saw Mill Road, Newtown         June 13, 2012