What Team

Newtown Is All About

To the Editor:

I would like to thank all of the residents of Newtown who my running mate Joe Hemingway and I have met during the course of this campaign. Their willingness to share their concerns and ideas, as well as their hospitality is truly what makes this town special. We talked about a concept we call Team Newtown. Getting the residents of the town involved in shaping the future of this community by working together, soliciting the expertise and experience of those who have never been asked.

We shared with the voters our vision of Newtown by authoring eight specific positions papers ranging from Fairfield Hills and Edmond Town Hall, to education and business development.

One weekend, the Democratic party decided to combine campaigning with a community project that was called “Food for Thoughts.” We sent a letter out to several neighborhoods that we would be collecting cans of food as we went door to door. On that rainy Saturday, Joe and I stopped at a home that was at the beginning of a cul de sac. We shared a conversation with the homeowner about some of his concerns for the town. He also mentioned that he hadn’t had time to get any food together. We continued visiting the residents of the neighborhood for another 20 minutes as the rain grew heavier. We finished the last house when I happened to look up the road and saw two tiny figures waving to us. We walked back up the road and were met by Molly, 4, and Charles, 10. They had waited 15 minutes in the rain with two bags of food right by their side. Telling us they wanted to help, they said they had a friend who often went to bed hungry. That’s what Team Newtown is all about.

Gary Fetzer

Democratic Candidate for First Selectman

18 Sugar Street, Newtown                                         October 27, 2009