To the Editor:

This is in response to the letter to the editor (“An Answer To The Republican Question”) in this issue.  Most residents know that I try to stay positive and share only facts. So please accepts these words in that tone –clarification and sharing of facts.

The makeup of the Charter Revision Committee is five Republicans, two Democrat and two unaffiliated. The council attempted to recruit more Democrats through party leadership, but no additional Democrat applicants could be found. This is not a criticism or a subtle dig – merely a fact. No Democrats were turned down for a seat on that commission (but one Republican was). The fact is that the chairman of the charter revision selection committee was a Democrat who gave a real effort to get more Democrats on the commission.

Our roads have been in deterioration for at least 10 years. They did not magically start to disintegrate when Mrs Llodra was elected first selectman. There was apparently issues related to the state's preferred mix (I am no expert here).

 The proposed closing of a school was made by the superintendent of schools and a school facilities committee made up of BOE bipartisan representation and school principals (among other perhaps).  I suggest that folks watch the video of that meeting and see who spoke and what was said.

It is a fact that all of boards in this town are Republican majority. The make-up of boards in the town is decided by voters.

 I applaud Pat Llodra for terminating the first community center plan. There was a lot of misinformation being spread. She did the right thing by restarting. This not a “botched attempt” but an action of a leader who respects the opinions of her constituents.

Fairfield Hills was purchased in 2004. In the past few years there has been decent progress on the campus (my opinion). Walking trails have been added. Numerous sports fields have been added. Danbury Hall was demolished (as part of 11 buildings taken down over the past 10 years). Although not town funded—the ambulance garage was added (and NYA). The process to get the Parent Connection moved in is still ongoing. More recently, increased funding has been made available to continue the work on removing buildings and one large building and all the small white houses are slated to be removed in the near future. I need to point out the costs associated with building demolition have been increasing primarily based on remediation costs due to stricter federal and state guidelines related to disposal of hazardous materials.

As a last note, I was the only nomination for LC vice-chairman and elected unanimously.  I like to believe that this was because of who I am as a person and a volunteer leader and not a function of my political affiliation.

This letter is not submitted as part of my role in the Legislative Council and does not represent the views of the council.

Neil Chaudhary, PhD

1 Southbrook Lane, Newtown                     September 16, 2015