Lend A Voice To Newtown

To the Editor:

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate Newtown and Paul Lundquist of Intellisponse, for putting together the town survey which I just completed online at www.esurveyhome.com/NewtownSurvey.

We all know that in these polarized political times, some surveys, especially involving politics, can be manipulative and cynical exercises. That’s a sad fact of the world we live in.  How happy I was to see that the Intellisponse survey was balanced, fair, nonpolitical, and impartial. I am confident that it will yield valuable data to help guide a prosperous future for our town.

We seem to be at an important crossroads in Newtown. The town is changing and growing, and that is a good thing. For my part, I’d like to see the town direct the lion’s share of its resources into the schools, especially the high school, and redouble its efforts to keep our schools among the best in the country. Aggressively funding our schools is important for our kids, and sends the right message throughout the community that we are hopeful about the future and committed to do our part to make it a better place.

When the survey asked me what I love most about Newtown, I answered “community spirit.” More even than the hiking trails, beautiful gardens, and lovely old historic buildings, it’s the community spirit, the fine people and the cohesiveness of our town, that makes this such a special place to live and raise a family. The Newtown Survey fits right in to that fine tradition, and I urge everyone who wants to lend their voice to make Newtown a better place, to log on to www.esurveyhome.com/NewtownSurvey and take the survey.

Ben Toby

69 Alberts Hill Road, Sandy Hook                     September 20, 2007