To the Editor:

I’m asking voters to elect me to a second term on the Board of Finance (BOF).

My wife, Katherine, and I moved to Newtown to be closer to family. We love it here and have become deeply involved in Newtown activities. In addition to my current seat on the Board of Finance, I’m a board member of Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) and chair of the Age-Friendly Livable Community Initiative Steering Committee. I also coordinated the Volunteer Fair at Booth Library last May and led a review of the 2019-45 Housatonic Valley Long Range Transportation Plan.

My career was all about improving operations, reducing costs, increasing quality, introducing innovation, driving change, and managing multi-million-dollar budgets and projects. To do this requires the ability to both see strategically and dive into the detail. In my field of healthcare, it also meant comfort working with complex, at times ambiguous, regulations and policy. I’ve drawn on these skills as a member of the Board of Finance.

I thoroughly research Board of Finance agenda items before each meeting through web searches, other boards’ and commissions’ minutes, site visits, and discussions with persons familiar with the topic. In addition, I have taken on the role of editor of changes the Board of Finance is making to the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), Debt Finance, and General Fund Balance policies.

I want to continue to work for you to continuously improve upon Newtown’s superior schools, model public safety capabilities; great recreational resources; robust cultural, social, and lifelong learning opportunities; and solid infrastructure while maintaining a top credit rating with a tax structure that encourages people and business to move to Newtown.

For more information, please visit my Facebook page: Ned4Newtown. I hope I’ve earned your confidence in my ability and commitment to the Board of Finance and Newtown.

Ned Simpson

42 Watkins Drive, Sandy Hook September 25, 2019