To the Editor:

Recent developments have compelled me to run for Legislative Council to represent District 1 in Newtown. Our family moved to town from neighboring Monroe nearly three years ago because of the wonderful schools and community it offered. I want to serve this community and ensure that Newtown remains an exceptional place to live and raise a family.

Transplants looking to relocate to the region should continue to see Newtown as a desirable destination. To enable this, Newtown needs to retain its small-town appeal, commitment to quality schools, and amazing sense of community, while simultaneously progressing with the times and growing its tax base. And, these are the same things that are valuable to so many citizens in our town. 

Top notch schools are important for our kids and our community. Whether you have children in the system or not, the correlation between quality schools and home values has an impact on all of us. Additionally, it is our obligation to promote learning and wellness for our youngest citizens, and support our teachers and administrators who have gone above and beyond for Newtown’s students during some very challenging times. Our schools are integral to our well-being as a town on so many levels, and supporting them should be among our top priorities. We have to respond to changes in demographics in a planned, thoughtful, and coordinated way.

Planning as a whole is important to the success of the community as it moves forward and we decide how to progress and face obstacles. Well defined plans can and should be adhered to. While flexibility and responsiveness is important, plans should not be disregarded without thorough consideration and transparent debate. Reigning in spending on contracted assessments and reassessments of established projects would save the town money and enable progress.

Lastly, I would like to see balance restored to Newtown’s governing bodies, and believe that it is the responsibility of elected officials to work with consistency and transparency toward shared goals and strive to meet the needs of their constituents. All Newtown’s citizens should be represented and it will take equal representation in our town Government to assure this is so.

I am a full-time English teacher, turned part-time grant writer/full-time Mom. Prior to teaching, I worked in corporate technical documentation/training. I earned a BA from the University of Delaware and a graduate degree in education from Fairfield University. I have volunteered my time at Hawley, where my children currently attend school, with My Sandy Hook Family Fund in the wake of the 12/14 tragedy, and with SOS, which formed in an effort to avoid [having] the town make a hasty decision to close one of our valuable community schools. As a grant writer, I’ve worked with many nonprofit organizations in town and throughout Fairfield County. I can bring a balanced approach and thoughtful outlook to the Legislative Council representing District 1.

Please share your comments and questions with me at judit.destefano@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Judit DeStefano

12 Horseshoe Ridge Rd, Sandy Hook             September 18, 2015