Fetzer, Hemingway Meet With Bysiewicz

Democratic candidates for Newtown’s Board of Selectmen Gary Fetzer and Joe Hemingway had the opportunity to meet with Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz when she visited Newtown recently. The candidates said they discussed ways to help small businesses prosper in the current economic climate and methods to make government more receptive and accountable to the electorate.

Ms Bysiewicz is in the process of exploring a run for governor in 2010.

Mr Fetzer said he and Mr Hemingway discussed one of the major obstacles to small business success — rising energy costs.

“New business owners must pay utility companies a three-month security deposit based on first month of actual consumption,” Mr Fetzer said in a written reply. “For small businesses already struggling with increased health care costs, administrative costs, and tight credit markets, the prospects of paying in some cases thousands of dollars in security is onerous.”

Mr Fetzer said the prospect of paying the security deposits is difficult for entrepreneurs hoping to start a new business.

“This affects Newtown, as it will be a detriment to recruiting new businesses for Fairfield Hills,” the first selectman candidate said. “This will also get more difficult for businesses as the price of energy continues to creep upwards.”

Mr Hemingway said further discussion centered on how he and Mr Fetzer could support the secretary’s efforts to ensure a comprehensive and affordable policy for all business customers by eliminating this provision that “allows utility companies to charge this exorbitant deposit.”

The local Democratic candidates also discussed what other cities and towns are doing to bring government closer to the people by incorporating technology.

“Undoubtedly the future will see Newtown videoing all meetings of boards and commissions, as well as public hearings [to] watch them at their convenience,” he said. “These would be stored on the town’s website.”

In this way, Mr Fetzer said, there would be no controversy about what someone said and the context.

“It would also provide cost savings. Some of the larger municipalities are already doing this,” Mr Fetzer added. “The task is to identify the funding to start such pilot programs so that it does not fall to the taxpayers during this difficult economic climate.”

Mr Fetzer said he and Mr Hemingway talked about resurrecting Mr Fetzer’s former public access cable talk show Dateline Newtown, which ran for six years, and how it could serve to bring debate on the issues to the public.