To the Editor:

I have spent my adult life being completely silent and neutral about politics. I typically don’t vote down party lines. I try to choose the person that represents the best candidate for the job. The choices are usually not very clear. This year however, my attitude has changed. My position is to wipe the slate clean of current incumbents all over town. I’m going to vote all IPN! It will make a huge difference!

I have lived in Newtown for over a decade. I have three elementary school-aged children. I have spent some time at Legislative Council meetings this year and feel that I cannot stay silent any longer. With the establishment of the Independent Party of Newtown, I finally feel hope that we can do something to make a difference in our town. The status quo just won’t cut it anymore!

The choices are pretty clear to me, but there is one area that I would like to highlight.

IPN has come out in support of my sister-in-law, Lillian Bittman, who is a Democratic candidate for the Board of Education. They have also “heard” Lillian, in that IPN can only have two candidates win seats for the three seats available, and therefore have removed one IPN candidate, Donna Monteleone, from the IPN ballet and replaced her as a write-in Republican candidate for Tom Gissen’s former seat, which is a two-year position.

Interestingly enough, this is the seat that Lillian took over after Mr Gissen’s resignation, much to the consternation of the powers-that-be here in Newtown (see article from The Newtown Bee from July ‘07). And as a response, they have put their handpicked candidate, Anna Wiedemann, on the ballot for that seat, unopposed — and left Lillian to run for another seat entirely. Nice. Just more of the same. Enough! Donna Monteleone is now running as a write-in candidate against Anna Wiedemann — so at least the seat isn’t unopposed. Yes, we do like to have a choice. This isn’t supposed to be a political appointment.

 In order for Lillian Bittman to gain the Democratic BOE seat, she must win the popular vote. So the strategic thing to do is to only vote for one Democrat for that position.

 So I urge you to please vote for both BOE candidates for the Independent Party of Newtown and just one candidate for the Democratic Party — Lillian Bittman. Voting for two on that line will just dilute the vote and hurt, rather than help. And write in Donna Monteleone as the choice for the two-year seat.

The overall result would be four people on the BOE that are part of, or endorsed by IPN. We can make a difference.

I feel strongly that these people are the right ones to be responsive, and responsible members of the BOE.

I hope you will vote on November 6. Let’s take back our town.

Sally Lynn MacDonald

5 Beagle Trail, Sandy Hook                                       October 22, 2007