Republicans Challenge IPN On Promises Made, Positions Taken

By John Voket

Newtown Republicans have released their latest campaign position paper, taking aim at a number of pledges or positions taken by elected Independent Party of Newtown (IPN) officials and party members leading up to, and since, the 2009 election.

“Republicans have been very vocal about their goals and have been successful in achieving them,” the GOP position statement reads. “On the contrary and just recently, the IPN made the following promise:   ‘As Selectmen you can count on us to say what we mean, and do what we say.’ Let’s look back two years and check the record.”

Regarding the IPN’s advocacy for restoring educational excellence, the Republicans charge that members of the IPN “expressed harsh criticism for other boards questioning the Board of Education on issues which affect the entire town,” while a majority of local Republicans “advocated for educational assistants, less school administrators, and passing the 2011-12 budget to the voters as presented by the BOE.”

The GOP said while IPN officials have encouraged public participation, William Hart, the IPN Board of Education chairman, removed a second public participation opportunity from school board agendas.

At the same time, the GOP statement notes that a Republican-led Legislative Council added a second public participation to its meetings to allow the public to address any issue, even if it is not on the council agenda.

The Republican position paper notes that the IPN previously called for smart land acquisition for open space, and while IPN first selectman candidate William Furrier supported a five-year capital plan that included open space acquisition spending, the issue disappeared from IPN’s 2011 platform. 

The Republicans point out that IPN Legislative Council members made motions to remove open space from a previously proposed townwide budget, while Republicans researched adding more land purchases because of the current market value of open space.

The Republicans also pointed to a handful of financial and tax-related commitments reportedly made by local Independents pledging “true” fiscal responsibility, zero-based budgeting, lessening the reliance on property taxes, and developing meaningful revenue generation while supporting a strong organization to oversee development of business issues at Fairfield Hills.

The GOP statement challenges IPN officials and candidates for supporting the use of some of the town’s general fund, which Republicans say risks a debt downgrade and could potentially cost taxpayers millions. At the same time, local Republicans say they have reviewed both the Town Fund Balance Policy and the Town Debt Policy to ensure these policies are still relevant and current with the goal of “ensuring our current solid financial standing.”

The Republicans leveled specific criticisms at IPN Selectman Furrier, who voted to approve the 2009-10 proposed selectmen’s budget, voted in favor of each line item, and made the final motion to approve. But shortly thereafter, he went on to assert there was “padding” in the same budget at the public participation portion of a Legislative Council budget hearing on April 7, 2010. 

The GOP also notes that the IPN’s platform, promising a program called “Track, Score and Report” is tied to a pledge to cut five percent from the town-side budget over the next two years, while local Republicans, in developing the 2009-10 budget, saved the taxpayers $2.3 million in commodity-based savings which had virtually no impact on services.

According to the Republicans, First Selectman Pat Llodra, along with the Legislative Council, is working with Newtown’s director of economic development to better understand how Newtown is recruiting businesses in order to attain a healthier balance between homeowners and businesses. The paper also points out that the current Board of Finance, Board of Selectman, and Legislative Council all endorsed tax incentives to bring one of the largest economic development projects in recent years — Advanced Fusion Systems — to Newtown.

The GOP takes issue with a stated IPN goal to abolish Newtown’s Fairfield Hills ordinance despite the fact that ordinances are the responsibility of the Legislative Council, as well as the minor party’s pushing for budget bifurcation and advisory questions being initiated through charter revision.

The IPN responded to the GOP’s assertions with a statement issued by Legislative Councilman Kevin Fitzgerald Monday morning saying, “The Republican Town Committee continues to purposely mislead voters, embellishing its accomplishments and ignoring the facts. This political attack masquerading as a position paper is intended to keep the taxpayers from the truth and obfuscate the important role played by IPN’s elected officials in initiating many of these important ideas.”

The IPN observed that having a majority in town government has its privileges. 

“Rewriting history is not one of them,” the rebuttal said. “But that’s what the Republican Town Committee might get away with if there was no Independent Party. The RTC’s newsletter titled ‘Promises Matter’ is yet another example of why our community needs IPN representation in local government more than ever.”