Confidence In The Voters

To the Editor:

Last Wednesday I attended the Legislative Council meeting and I am sorry to say that the display of deceit and self-serving political maneuvering left me very disheartened.

The chairman and vice-chairwoman, using their council’s attorney in their attempt to prevent the charter revisions from being placed on the November ballot, presented the council members with a letter from counsel that the chairman said he just received prior to the meeting. It was obvious that the letter, which detailed counsel’s opinion as to the form of the questions to be placed on the ballot, was characterized by the chairman as being received shortly before the meeting was opened. During the discussion of the letter’s contents, one member referred to an “earlier version” of this letter he had received. Earlier version? Did the chairman share this letter previously with members of the council and was now using its “late” arrival as an excuse to delay the process and ultimately block the submission of questions before the deadline of the next day?

The actions of the chairman of the Legislative Council over the past several months regarding charter revision issues have been appalling. While one can fully understand and respect his views regarding the proposed changes submitted by the Charter Revision Commission, he has made very effort to ram those views down the throats of the citizens of Newtown. He refused to call a special meeting to discuss the charter questions in spite of the urging by several members who recognized the approaching deadline for submission to the town clerk. He even resisted placing the item on the agenda for last Wednesday’s meeting, which would have been the last opportunity to resolve the matter before the required deadline of the next day, until another council member made a formal request to do so.

The chairman, vice-chairwoman and another council member have tried everything in their power to keep the charter revision questions from appearing on the November ballot, with the full knowledge that at least 1,900 registered voters and citizens of Newtown signed a petition to place these questions on this ballot. Their rationale has been that they know what is best for Newtown and that the voters are too uninformed to make these decisions. How does that make you feel, Mr & Mrs voter? If the citizens of Newtown feel as I do, that these are not the kind of people we want representing us, we won’t be able to punish them in the voting booth. The members of the council who have all along insisted on doing it their way or no way are not running for re-election. That is fortunate, but the shameful legacy they leave behind is not.

I am pleased that the system works in spite of the less than ethical actions of a few. The council did vote in favor of placing the questions on the November ballot. However, the form of these questions are not what the petition of 1,900 citizens asked for. I am sure that the chairman and some others are hoping that five questions on the ballot, instead of the one appearing on the petition, will be sufficiently confusing to the voting public to cause charter reform to fail. I have more confidence than that in the voters. I believe that between now and November 6, they will inform themselves, go to the polls and vote yes to these questions, because they understand that it takes more than a few egocentric politicians to keep the citizens of Newtown from getting the best form of government they deserve. At least 1,900 of them will!

George J. Caracciolo

School House Hill Road, Newtown September 11, 2001