A Commitment

To Representation

To the Editor:

I’m Don Mitchell and I’m running for the Legislative Council for the Second District. I’ve been a Newtown resident since 1974 and have practiced law in the area for almost 40 years. My practice is on South Main Street, here in Newtown. It primarily involves civil, business and criminal litigation, and appeals. I’ve represented the interests of voters and non-voters, young and old, haves and have-nots, including, in years past, the patients at Fairfield Hills Hospital. I’ve been the attorney for the Borough of Newtown for the past 18 years.

So, what can I bring to the Legislative Council? What can I do for Newtown?

For any elected representative the key word is “represent.” A representative reflects the expressed wishes and needs of his or her constituents and, where they are unclear, to exercise reasoned judgment in deciding what is best. All those running in this election will say they want the same thing for Newtown’s citizens — security and prosperity. But whose safety and whose prosperity are they talking about? The answer will tell us how they propose to get there. In my view, officeholders should work toward the security and prosperity, not of any particular group, but of Newtown’s citizens as a whole.

The primary issue at the moment, I suppose, is economic — and that means maintaining an attractive environment for business. It brings jobs, tax revenues, and a sense of growth that gives confidence to other investors and to our future citizens. Business provides the groundwork for our prosperity, both short-term and long. The long-term, however, also requires investment in the security and education of our children. The alternative — trying only to hold on to what we have — is a formula for getting run over. We are competing, after all, with other towns and regions for many of the same opportunities. Past generations of Newtown residents have contributed to where we are today. Can we do less?

The Fairfield Hills property provides an example of that kind of investment. Voters could have left the property to be sold off to developers, but they sought, in their investment decision, to take control of its development and to plan rather for the longer term. An alternate short-term decision might have resulted in reduced expenditures and a more immediate boost to the local economy in the form of, perhaps, a regional shopping center or housing. Or it could have been taken off the tax rolls as a military installation. Newtown chose, instead, a longer-range plan for the community — one not based solely on short-term dollars and one that many would not be around to see to its full potential. I will listen to that kind of message. Overall, I intend to bring the voice of my constituents to the council. My career as a lawyer involves representing clients. On the council, I will represent my constituents. I know what that means.

Please vote on November 8. It’s important.

Don Mitchell

8 Budd Drive, Newtown                                              October 26, 2011