To the Editor:

After witnessing his dedication to improving public safety in my neighborhood, I offer my support to Jim Walsh in his run for the Police Commission.

Jim has demonstrated he will work tirelessly to fight for not only what concerns him, but also those neighbors around him, some of whom he had never met before. Jim forced himself upon the political scene some two years ago when he decided that he could no longer allow the speeding vehicles along Key Rock Road to endanger young children along that road and the connecting North Branch Road.

Jim started by simply calling the Police Department to report the situation. But he soon moved to the Police Commission for assistance — writing letters, starting petitions, and appearing nearly every month at the commission’s meetings to track the progress of his request for some manner of speed reduction along the roadway.

During this time, his investigations found that the town did not even have the proper posted speed limit on the road. And in the end, Jim’s two years of work resulted in a positive impact in our neighborhood, with speed humps and added traffic enforcement to help make an untenable situation under some kind of control.

Jim not only fought to improve a situation for his family, but also those families throughout the neighborhood. Whether for or against the final outcome here, you must acknowledge that his dogged determination to support a cause is something that government is lacking at all levels these days. I trust he will fight to keep improving public safety in this community. With that in mind, I put my support behind Jim Walsh’s desire to serve his community.

Brian Gioiele

North Branch Road, Newtown                                   October 10, 2011