Letters Of

Endorsement

To the Editor:

There are in lives of individuals and communities rare moments that offer the opportunity to dramatically influence the future. Now is such a time for the people of Newtown.

Newtown has experienced dramatic residential and population growth, and the recent evidence of this has been community turbulence and challenges. These challenges are offering you a way to strengthen your involvement in shaping our community’s future. You now have an unprecedented number of candidates and more information to decide who will lead us forward.

There are new and old faces running for office through three political parties and some unaffiliated candidates. Some are offering to hold the course, some are offering to start over from scratch, and some, like me and the other Newtown Republicans, just want to help reconnect with the people and make sure that it stays Nicer in Newtown for a long time to come.

People are already starting to step up. A townwide survey being run by an enlightened citizen offers us another way to make our voices heard on major issues. Please participate by visiting www.esurveyhome.com/NewtownSurvey.

The Newtown Bee will feature profiles of the candidates and is hosting a candidates forum on October 24, at Edmond Town Hall. Perhaps The Bee will also publish the survey results to guide candidates of every stripe.

You’ve got to decide who will best represent you and Newtown. I’m one of the new faces and am proud to be running as a local Republican for a seat on Legislative Council in District 1. But this is about you, the ways you can be involved and some of your excellent candidate choices.

Dan Cruson, our volunteer town historian, is running for Planning and Zoning Commission alternate. If you want to preserve the historic character of Newtown, Dan’s your man. James Belden is president of the Pootatuck Watershed Association and Trout Unlimited, and is also running for P&Z alternate. A vote for James will help ensure Newtown’s future includes abundant fresh water for children and trout.

Bob Mulholland and Dennis Bloom are ready to step up and move from P&Z alternates to full Commission members. They’ve got my trust and my vote. Paul Mangiafico is running for selectman and will bring to town government the common sense, straight shooting perspective that he brought to his 30-plus years in industry.

Finally, Joe Borst has been giving of himself in Newtown, in one volunteer position or another, for almost 50 years. He’s selflessly done so much for so long for our community that I’m in awe of his dedication and flattered to be on the same ticket. These and other worthy folks make up your Newtown Republicans, and all each of them wants, including me, is the opportunity to make a difference, to reconnect and empower the people of Newtown, and to lead us together to a better future.

Please get involved to make sure it stays Nicer in Newtown. To learn about these and other fine candidates, including me, please visit www.newtownrepublicans.org

Thanks for listening.

Best regards,

George Ferguson

Republican Candidate

Legislative Council, District 1

49 Taunton Hill Road, Newtown                        September 26, 2007