No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

To the Editor:

Arrogant. Self-serving. Narcissistic. For ten years, these words describe our former first selectman and Board of Selectmen, allegedly working on behalf of the Citizens of Newtown. Once again, a cabal of town employees, who salaries we pay, have forsaken their responsibilities and brought shame upon our town.

Apparently, our Board of Selectmen, Board of Assessment and Appeals, tax assessor, and finance director are attempting to extort property taxes from Newtown’s biggest benefactor since Mary Hawley, Peter D’Amico.

Given our town officials’ inability to increase Newtown’s tax base and its irresponsible Fairfield Hills spending, it is now time to shake down the Newtown Youth Academy.

According to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, “to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual.” It certainly appears as if the NYA meets all of these requirements.

Now, after the total mishandling of the animal control officer situation, The Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight wants to take on the IRS. Some quotes from a September 6, 2007, article “Selectmen Approve 40-Year Youth Academy Lease” in The Bee, are worth noting:

“The first selectman [Herb Rosenthal] said: $88,000 per year would fall far below the debt service on a similar building if the town was to build it independent of the NYA nonprofit, agency.”

“If the public-nonprofit partnership is still intact at the end of the 60-year period...the town will purchase the property for two-thirds of its fair market value...”

“Selectman Joseph Bojnowski was concerned what would happen if the nonprofit could not fulfill its responsibilities.”

“Town Attorney David Grogins said the building is the town’s security if something happens to the nonprofit.”

“Ultimately, if NYA is interested in selling the property, the nonprofit agency is bound to negotiate with the town first.”

Based on the above, our first selectman, Board of Selectmen, and town attorney may have misrepresented Newtown’s interpretation of the NYA as a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity in order to deceive Mr D’Amico into executing the lease agreement. Now, two years after the deal has been struck, the taxman cometh.

At this point there is again nothing any of us can but by to try and raise our children not to grow up acting as our town officials do, but rather, to teach them to have a kind heart and a sense of community as exhibited by Peter D’Amico.

Philip Dinielli

9 Copper Creek Circle, Newtown                    October 6, 2009