Charter Panel Is Not Representative

To the Editor:

Democracy in Newtown was diminished at the October 4 meeting of the Legislative Council when a Charter Revision Commission was created that is not representative of the citizens. I spoke first against appointing a revision committee at this time. The Legislative Council has not been able to communicate successfully to the public its reasons for not selling the houses on Queen Street or to explain the escalating costs of constructing two junior size ball fields on the Amaral property. Last spring the council failed to convince voters to approve its proposed budget and it was rejected.

Looming before all of us is a decision concerning Fairfield Hills. Eventually, the selectmen must submit a plan, and the council must propose a bond issue regarding Fairfield Hills and attempt once again to explain its actions to the voters. I felt the council, so unsuccessful in communicating with the public on existing issues, should not undertake another major project which would require it to explain complex proposed changes in our charter which is equivalent to amending the US Constitution. My efforts failed and the council moved to create the commission.

At that point, I could only try to make the commission more representative of the voting population. Presently, the composition of the electorate is 5,662 (unaffiliated), 4,794 (Republicans), 3,264 (Democrats) with women composing about one-half the population. To make the commission better reflect the citizen population more women and unaffiliated voters would need to be added. The council agreed to add three more, but they chose three men (two Republicans, one Democrat), but no women or unaffiliated voters.

The resulting Charter Revision Commission is composed of 12 persons (six Republicans, five Democrats, one unaffiliated). One Republican is a woman, a token gesture to the women of Newtown. I hope that upon reflection, the majority voting block on the council will realize that they have placed the desire to control the appointments above the importance of choosing a representative body to deliberate the “constitution” by which Newtown is governed. Women and truly unaffiliated voters deserve greater representation. Our town belongs to all of us, not just to a select few. Every deed we take must act to strengthen our democracy, not to subvert it.

Ruby K. Johnson

Council Representative, 3rd District

16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook October 10, 2000