Governor’s Office To Lyddy:

Horse Guard To Stay In Newtown

By John Voket

The news Newtown has been waiting for came late Friday afternoon August 19 in a hastily typed e-mail from Representative Chris Lyddy’s cellphone:

“I am happy to announce that in a call with the Speaker of the House’s office late today, the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Tim Bannon, stated they do not plan to move forward with the Military Department’s proposal to close the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard in Newtown.”

The news came after a flurry of activity including a last-ditch effort to generate calls and e-mails of support to the governor from his Newtown constituents and other fans of the centuries-old military unit ahead of a previously set deadline of Monday, August 22 — at which time the local unit was to have completed its merger with the First Company Horse Guard with a relocation to its facility in Avon.

In his e-mail, Rep Lyddy thanked Governor Dannel Malloy for his continued interest in this issue as well as his commitment and desire to ensure that the needs of the community were heard and respected. He said through a bipartisan effort on both the state and local levels, as well as through a high-energy grassroots effort, “we were able to ensure that Newtown’s voice was heard loud and clear.”

“I appreciate the attention that our local First Selectman Pat Llodra and the Board of Selectmen have given this issue,” he continued. “Pat’s continued support has been instrumental in keeping this issue alive. I’d also like to thank my two colleagues and friends Representative [DebraLee] Hovey and Senator [John] McKinney for ensuring that this issue continues to be one that we all could get behind, regardless of political ideology or party affiliation. This is exactly the type of teamwork that our community respects and deserves from its public officials.”

Rep Hovey told The Bee Monday that the ultimate authority over the horse guards’ fate rested with the governor.

“He waited until the eleventh hour, but I’ll take it,” Rep Hovey said, adding that the decision came shortly after the news that state worker unions had ratified a new agreement that in part would protect the jobs of state workers scheduled to be laid off — including the two who staff the Newtown horse guard unit.

“I think Newtown can breathe a little easier,” she said. “I’m hopeful a plan can be put in place so we will not have this issue to deal with every year.”

Rep Hovey said the union agreement combined with what she understood was a flurry of correspondence from local residents and officials, and a full understanding of how the horse guard units might move forward as a self-funded state entity — possibly outside the purview of the state military department — was the perfect combination leading up to the governor’s decision.

Rep Lyddy said he applauded the governor’s commitment not only to securing the horse guard, but also and more importantly for “ratifying an agreement with the state workers to ensure that we protect critical funding to cities and towns.”

Both lawmakers said, however, that there is still work to do. Rep Hovey said she and Rep Lyddy have a September 7 meeting set with state military leadership at which time they hope to present a cohesive plan to make both state horse guard units self-sustaining.

Rep Lyddy stated: “We must continue to develop the private-public partnership to ensure that the idea is fully vetted and ready to go come the next budget cycle; we must continue to focus on rebuilding the herd in Newtown as it has been thinned to 10 horses at the present time; and we must examine, and change where necessary, how the state procures services through the Department of Administrative Services that support the Horse Guard to ensure that we aren’t unintentionally inflating the cost to operate the Guard.

“Representative Hovey and I are both ready and willing to continue working with the Governor, his staff, and the Horse Guard to ensure that we move forward on this issue,” Rep Lyddy said. “I will be meeting with the Governor’s office on Tuesday [August 23] to begin to develop a policy agenda that will accomplish our goals of ensuring that Newtown’s site is preserved through a public-private partnership.”

Rep Hovey said her ultimate goal is to bring all parties together to ensure the kind of “collaborative problem-solving” occurs to keep the horse guard in Newtown and to “improve, not eliminate,” the ceremonial equestrian unit.

“My plan is to walk into that meeting September 7 with an inventory of interests in the property and the horse guard, to begin addressing how to form this public-private process.”

Rep Lyddy praised Gov Malloy for “his willingness to listen and learn about our community and the things that are important to us. He graciously opened his doors and made his staff available to ensure that our community’s concerns were heard.”

He also thanked Speaker of the House Chris Donovan for his undying support on this issue.

“Speaker Donovan has grown to understand the complexity of this situation and has advocated for our community on several occasions to ensure the Guard remains here,” Rep Lyddy said.

Newtown resident Phyllis Cortese is already turning her attention toward supporting that self-sustaining effort. Ms Cortese, who is executive director of Danbury’s Ives Concert Park and previously served as a marketing and development representative for Kevin’s Community Center, has contacted the two lawmakers to offer her assistance to help ensure the local horse guard unit continues to thrive.

“Call on me to assist with projects to develop the private-public partnership and fundraising,” Ms Cortese wrote in a letter that was provided to The Bee. “This unit is so much more than just ceremonial — the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard is a part of our living history!”

Ms Cortese pointed out that the local unit offers therapeutic riding programs for handicapped children and adults and wounded men and women returning from active military service. And that Calvary military training under the direction of the National Guard provides volunteer riders and mounts with experience to represent the governor and the state not only in ceremonial presentations such as the Presidential Inauguration and parades, but also stands ready to attend and assist events of mass gatherings in times of war.

“We need to proudly support this organization and find every means possible to financially keep them in Newtown,” she added. “They are among the many reasons we chose Newtown as our home when we moved here from California.”