Traffic: Everyone’s Priority

To the Editor:

Traffic: everyone’s priority except the Police Commission.

The Newtown Bee says it’s the biggest issue in town, the Republican candidate for first selectman says it’s the biggest issue. The residents who took the police survey last year said it was the biggest issue.

Why have so many people been banging their heads against the wall to get the Police Commission to dig in and address this issue? Last week a child got hit on one of our streets; it could have been your child on your street! The “Traffic Calming Committee” headed by Chief Kehoe and the chairperson of the Police Commission has not met since May. Eight months ago I suggested a “Slow Down in Newtown” campaign and the Police Commission has done nothing to implement it.

The traffic strategy issued by the commissioners has set the following goals. (Page 7 of the strategy.)

To maintain or reduce the number of fatalities

To maintain or reduce the number of traffic collisions

To maintain or reduce complaints from neighborhoods/individuals each year

They proposed an aggressive review schedule on page 8: “The Traffic Management Strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis.”

The goal is to maintain the status quo and to put the plan on the shelf and take it down once a year. They already postponed the traffic unit until next summer due to poor management of police staff, currently at 75 percent of capacity according to Chief Kehoe.

That is no commitment to solving traffic issues, that’s paying lip service to the issue. Asleep at the wheel is more like it!

On Election Day you have the opportunity to cast three votes for Police Commissioners. Please consider me for one of those votes. The Police Commission needs fresh ideas, energy, and new levels of commitment. One of the commissioners has been on the Police Commission for 19 years, others more than eight.

I am asking the voters to cast one of their three votes for me. Don’t send the same old team back for another four years to do nothing about the most pressing issues in Newtown.

I will work as a newly elected member of the Commission to:

1. Act in a transparent manner, with no more out-of-the-public-view decisions.

2. Take time to examine issues with the needs of the entire community in mind, not just one street.

3. Make sure we do our own work, write our own responses, and set strategies for what our work will be for each year.

4. Be accountable to the residents of Newtown for working on and solving these key issues.

You will have three votes on Tuesday November 6 for Police Commissioners, please cast one for a change; please cast one for me.

Bruce Walczak

Independent Candidate

for Police Commissioner

12 Glover Avenue, Newtown                                      October 22, 2007