Newtown GOP Opens Campaign Season

At New Headquarters

By John Voket

The local Republican Party combined a grand opening event at its new headquarters on Glen Road in Sandy Hook with an official kickoff to the 2011 local campaign season on Sunday, September 11. Candidates, incumbents, and former GOP officials were joined by State Senator John McKinney and Representative DebraLee Hovey for a brief speaking program before First Selectman Pat Llodra and her running mate, Selectman Will Rodgers, cut the ceremonial ribbon to a smatter of applause and cheers.

Sen McKinney recalled that on September 11, 2001, he was at a polling place where voters continued to stream in, apparently undaunted by the terrible tragedy playing out right across the Long Island Sound in New York City.

“As this horrible tragedy was unfolding people were still coming out to vote,” Sen McKinney recalled. “Actually, more people started coming out because they said they weren’t going to let them beat us. Here we were exercising one of our most fundamental rights as Americans and showing our Democracy could work. And no matter what the terrorists were going to do, they weren’t going to destroy what makes us great.”

Turning his attention to the leading local candidates, Sen McKinney talked about the current state of government in Washington and in Hartford, where partisanship was pulling energy away from taking care of the business at hand. And he recognized that under the leadership of Mrs Llodra, that level of divisiveness was relatively absent in Newtown.

“It’s heartwarming to see an elected leader really represent what is best about government — not look at this side or that side — and just lead. That’s what Pat does, and I look forward to many years of service from you, Pat, and I look forward to working for you,” he concluded.

Rep Hovey said she had initial reservations when she learned the headquarters was opening on the anniversary of 9/11, but quickly realized it was the appropriate date for the event.

“It is really appropriate, because we do epitomize exactly what the terrorists tried to prevent from moving forward,” Rep Hovey said. “The sun was out today and I think that’s indicative of where this party is going.”

Mrs Llodra said she was proud to both be a Republican candidate again and running beside Mr Rodgers.

“We have the same core values, and I think it’s those core values that are compelling,” Mrs Llodra said, “why we have the right work and it’s the important work. It’s Newtown’s agenda — it’s not a Republican agenda. It’s what is right and best for this town.”

Mrs Llodra said the GOP team is 30 members strong either running or already serving. And she noted that a package of core values she and Mr Rodgers announced when they committed to the race recently became adopted by the local party as its core values.

“We think what we do makes a difference, and we know that the right leadership is critical for our town,” Mrs Llodra said. “We are at a crossroads. And what we do over the next couple of years will define who we are for the next couple of decades.”

Mr Rodgers said he and the first selectman were looking forward to the campaign, and that while time may be short, they look forward to canvassing the town to take the pulse of the community.

“But that will just make it even more important for every member of the Republican team to hit the streets and get the word out there,” he said. Speaking to Mrs Llodra’s leadership, Mr Rodgers added that throughout the days after Tropical Storm Irene hit Newtown, he saw the first selectman dealing with power company representatives.

“I think the lights would still be out if she wasn’t as effective as she was,” Mr Rodgers said. “There’s a whole lot of things that go on behind the scenes — the day-to-day administrative stuff — and people just have no clue what a good job Pat is doing on that. And it’s our job to give them that clue over the next couple of months.”

Mitchell Bolinsky, vice chairman of the RTC and a District 3 council candidate said he was excited to be running again after losing a seat by just three votes in 2009 to Democrat Daniel Amaral. But he said that loss only served to motivate him to be more involved with the local party and to continue following local issues more closely.

“I guess if you’re going to lose to somebody, it should be to somebody who is as good a Newtowner as Dan. Before I was politically aligned [with the RTC] I voted for him myself,” Mr Bolinsky said.

Besides serving as a local justice of the peace, Mr Bolinsky has also held seats on the Economic Development Commission and the Board of Ethics. He also chaired the Newtown delegation to the state Republican Convention in 2010.

“I have an economic development background and I’m a marketing person,” he said. “My whole life has been about interpreting needs and creating demand. In a government role I would put those skills to work satisfying public demands for certain needs.”

Having worked most recently on a regulatory project, Mr Bolinsky was positioned to sit between divergent environmentalists and industry representatives, and emerged from the experience having crafted regulatory action that achieved compromise and suited all parties involved.

He said that current “political shenanigans” in Washington and Hartford may have something to do with what Mr Bolinsky sees as a “politically contentious” atmosphere in Newtown. As he ramps up campaigning on his own and alongside fellow Republicans, Mr Bolinsky said his first order is to “talk to District 3 constituents and to understand their needs.”

“But that won’t end when the campaign ends,” he added, “just the opposite.” Mr Bolinsky said he understands that he will have to then best represent his district while factoring the needs and overall concerns of the entire community.

“Townwide we have a lot of issues, and the only way were going to effectively address those issues is one bite at a time,” he said. “Then we’re still going to have to rank and prioritize those concerns.”

In terms of the budget, Mr Bolinsky believes that ultimately the council will not really have an accurate gauge of what taxpayers truly want to spend if the spending plan is not split or bifurcated at referendum. But he is also willing to support bifurcation as a temporary measure, and to move on to consider adding advisory questions on the ballot if split budget votes only succeed in complicating the process.

“I think the most common sense place to start is to try and split the vote. Give it a year or two, and if it’s not working out, consider going to advisory questions,” he said. “We previously lived in Ohio, outside of Dallas, and in Chicago, and this is the first place where we couldn’t vote on separate budgets.”

Mr Bolinsky said he appreciates the local Republicans’ willingness to work as a team, and he thinks the “Seven Core Values” the party has established as part of its campaign platform will resonate with voters, regardless of their political affiliation.

Those values include addressing the local tax burden, supporting excellence in education, quality of life issues, an aesthetically pleasing environment in the community, responsive public officials and employees, public safety, and vitality in all Newtown’s neighborhoods.