Citizens For Newtown Aim To Raise Awareness On Budget

By Larissa Lytwyn

Citizens For Newtown (CFN), formerly known as Support Our Schools (SOS), elected its officers and began preliminary plans to raise awareness on the 2005-06 town budget during its last meeting on December 9.

Sarah Beier and Ann Wiedemann were named CFN co-chairs; Joan Piscitelli will serve as secretary, and Sue Tibbetts will serve as treasurer.

“Our aim is to educate people on the issues surrounding the budget, so that they understand the process and come out to vote,” said Ms Wiedemann. “We want to bring everyone together to the table. Our change from SOS to CFN reflects our growing evolution to this point.”

CFN invited members of the Board of Education, Legislative Council, and Board of Selectmen to join their meeting; attendees included Legislative Council members Joe Borst, Joe Hemingway, Will Rogers and wife Moira Rogers, and First Selectman Herb Rosenthal.

Ms Wiedemann stressed the group’s nonpartisan approach.

“We want to reach out to all factions in this town, especially the senior population,” she said.

Mr Rosenthal said he approved of CFN’s broad-base approach. “I think the name, Citizens for Newtown, really reflects that,” he said.

Mr Rogers agreed.

“I think you will draw more people to you by using this approach,” he said. “Before, people could make simple, sweeping assumptions about what your intentions were. Now its broader, more open. I think people will respond well to that.”

Mr Rosenthal encouraged CFN members to present information on the budget process to the town’s Senior Center, as well as area active living facilities such as Liberty of Newtown and Nunnawauk Meadows.

“The [seniors] love to have programs and being engaged,” he said. “There is a lot of information out there that isn’t always well known or publicized. Right now, for example, all seniors may not be aware that they have $660,000 in tax credit in this year’s budget.”

Ms Beier and Ms Piscitelli reflected on the importance of getting across the townwide benefits of a strong public education system.

The group’s website is currently in the process of being updated and will be up and running again soon.

For more information on CFN, contact Ms Wiedemann at 426-1035 or Ms Beier at 364-1988.