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GENNEWS

THE WAY WE WERE FOR MAY 7, 1999

MAY 10, 1974

The voters and taxpayers of Newtown will approve or disapprove the proposed

$9,200,571 town budget for 1974-75 in an all-day referendum on Wednesday, May

15. The Newtown Taxpayers Group submitted a petition bearing 276 signatures to

the Town Clerk at 11:30 am on Monday, May 6, in a move that surprised many.

Taxpayers Group members Thomas Murphy, Mrs Evelyn Waite and Mrs Rose A.

Stillwell delivered the 19-page petition bearing the 276 signatures before the

deadline of 8 pm Monday night.

When the body politic hurts, some want fast, fast relief and others think

major surgery is the only proper approach. That may be the situation in which

the First Selectman and the Charter Revision Commission found themselves at

their May 8 meeting following First Selectman Frank DeLucia's complaint to the

daily press that the commission had "gone completely astray from what we've

asked them to do." The commission had turned from their impasse in determining

to whom a proposed town fiscal officer might be responsible to consideration

of possible changes in Newtown's form of government. Mr DeLucia urged them to

return to the former question, which he said was "the chief reason we set up

this commission." He pointed out he had not been able to preside over a budget

meeting since he came into office and felt a fiscal officer could help the

board prepare a budget that would not be put to referendum without

consideration by a town meeting.

With next Wednesday's referendum on the budget for the 1974-75 fiscal year

approaching, First Selectman Frank DeLucia is asking all Newtowners to take a

realistic look at what is proposed. The budget request, as presented to the

voters by the Board of Finance, seeks $6 million for the school system and

$3,200,571.70 for the general government operations and the town's debt

service, included in the Selectmen's budget, for a total of $9,200,571.70.

This compares with the appropriation of $7,825,175.61 for fiscal 1973-74.

A delegation from Newtown's Environmental Studies and Protection Inc (ESP Inc)

traveled to Wethersfield on a rainy Friday, May 3, to try to persuade

Commissioner of Transportation Joseph Burns to halt construction of the Route

25 expressway in Trumbull. Armed with statements from the state Council on

Environmental Quality and the Department of Environmental Protection calling

for a work stoppage on the road pending a complete environmental study of the

route, ESP Inc and representatives of Monroe and Trumbull groups proclaimed a

discrepancy in the executive branch. They asked Mr Burns to reconsider his

recent statement that "it is not in the best interests of the state to halt

construction." Instead, Mr Burns reiterated his decision to allow construction

to go ahead.

Pootatuck Grange gave Mrs Dorothy Campbell a farewell party at its April 24

meeting. Mrs Dorothy McIntyre made the plans. Dot Campbell has retired and

bought a home in Florida.

There may be an appropriate coincidence in the fact that the Borough of

Newtown marks its 150th year of existence on Monday, May 13, the day after

Mother's Day. The annual meeting will convene in the Alexandria Room of Edmond

Town Hall that evening at 7:30 pm. There is a parental element in the

existence of New England boroughs, constituted as they are out of concern with

the quality of life for a group of people who live in closer proximity to one

another than the general community of which they are a part. The benefits of a

borough, like those of a well-conducted family, tend to extend into the

neighborhood, and all Newtowners have good reason to congratulate our "town

within a town" on rounding out a century and a half of life at the center of

Newtown.

The recently organized Highway Department union has presented its written

contract proposal to the town and negotiations on it have been scheduled for

Tuesday, May 14. Negotiating for the town will be Joseph Bogdan of Bogdan and

Power, Milford, a professional labor relations firm. Mr Bogdan negotiates for

several towns in this area including Danbury, Monroe and Shelton. Damon

Shingleton, a negotiator from the National Association of Government Employees

to which the highway union belongs, will represent the Highway Department.

Highway union president Jack Butler, vice-president Tim Powell and shop

steward Paul Tani will attend the meeting as well as First Selectman Frank

DeLucia.

The Summer Festival Committee requests the pleasure of your company at The

Selectmen's Ball, Saturday, June 15, at the Holiday Inn, Danbury-Newtown Road.

The theme of this year's Summer Festival is simply "Newtown Is ...," with the

description to be supplied by Newtowners themselves. Mr and Mrs Louis Kertesz

and Mr and Mrs Gordon Macmillan, who are co-chairing The Selectmen's Ball,

suggest that, for this event, the inauguration of the 1974 Summer Festival,

"Newtown Is ... an evening of good friends, good music, dancing and enjoyment

- a prelude of a good summer to come."

MAY 13, 1949

Next Monday evening, May 16th, the Newtown League of Women Voters will present

an interesting and unusual open meeting in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond

Town Hall, beginning at 8:15. In featuring two speakers, the league has

succeeded in bringing to the public what promises to be an evening of two-fold

interest. Not only are both speakers members of the United States Mission to

the United Nations but both gentlemen bear the name of Hyde. James Nevins

Hyde, a resident of the Taunton district, is an adviser on the Security

Council and Interim Committee Affairs of the United States Mission to the

United Nations. Mr Hyde will discuss the importance of the International Trade

Organization to our own prosperity and world stability. A second feature of

the evening will be Louis K. Hyde, Jr, also a member of the United States

Mission and an adviser on economic and social affairs.

A king and queen will be the highlights of this year's annual Mardi Gras,

plans for which are now being completed. Sponsored by Newtown Congregational

Sunday School, the young people are preparing to make the event bigger and

better than before. As in previous years, the queen of the Mardi Gras will be

chosen by popular vote, with each vote costing 10 cents. This year's selection

of the king, however, has a new and unusual twist. He has already been chosen

and it will be up to the public to guess his identity. The king's voice may be

heard in Village Coffee Shop, at Flagpole Fountain, in the lobby of Edmond

Town Hall and over radio station WLAD, Danbury. Clues to the mystery king's

voice will be supplied each week.

The Newtown Bees, leaders of the Pomperaug Valley League last year, started

out on what promises to be another big softball season, by taking their first

victory from Oxford on Taylor Field Sunday afternoon with a score of 8-3.

Newtown began its scoring in the first inning, when Ken Casey doubled for

Newtown's first hit of the season. He scored easily on Joe Wiser's single. The

pitching of Joe Cavanaugh and Burr Morgan and Kearns' catching combined to

give the local boys their first game, where Richowski went all the way for

Oxford on the mound, with Lineweber as his receiver. Burr Morgan and Jack

Watkins had the "big bats" for the locals, getting three for five.

Town meeting curbs sale, use of fireworks... The special town meeting, held

last Thursday evening in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall, was

attended by less than 75 voters and taxpayers. Action was taken upon two

items: 1) The sale and use of fireworks; and 2) Arrangement for the

expenditure of the funds available from the State for the improvement of roads

in Newtown. Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh was named chairman and presided over the

meeting. A resolution was presented by Dr Russell Strasburger for the purpose

of limiting and regulating the sale of fireworks within the town. Objection

was raised, however, to several of the provisions in the resolution as

presented, and Judge Cavanaugh called a recess in order that a committee,

consisting of Dr Strasburger, Attorney John Holian and First Selectman W.W.

Holcombe, might prepare a sentiment of the meeting as brought out in the

discussion which followed Dr Strawburger's original motion.

Members of Troop No. 14, Newtown's newly formed Brownie troop and now

officially registered with the National Girl Scouts Council, held their

investiture ceremony in the auditorium of Hawley School Wednesday afternoon at

3:15, with many of the girls' mothers present. Twenty-six candidates received

their Brownie pins. The ceremony was conducted by Mrs Robert D. Duncan,

Brownie leader, assisted by Mrs Kenneth Smith, Mrs Robert Leahy and Mrs Joseph

Dumser. Those present and receiving their pins were Mary Brewer, Judy Carroll,

Judy Cutler, Susan Desmond, Amy Duncan, Roberta Duncan, Pauline Feli, Darcy

Halstead, Linda Hennessey, Carol Hubbard, Jean Jandreau, Holly Kamas, Jean

Kingman, Patty Kingman, Sandra Kovacs, Nancy Maye, Beverly Miller, Christina

Muller, Diana Muller, Beverly Nelson, Marcia Newman, Ann Phillips, Helen

Rockwell, Marion Slocum, Cheryl Smith and Donna Smith.

The Newtown Softball League, with three teams registered, expects to get

underway this Sunday afternoon at two o'clock on the Fairfield Hills State

Hospital diamond. Yankees and Edgebrooks of Oxford are listed. Mat Mihalek is

managing the Newtown Yankees.

MAY 9, 1924

A very delightful party was held at the spacious, pleasant home of Miss

Beatrice De Bussey last Thursday evening. Those present included Mrs Fanny

Beers Edwards, Mrs James B. Nichols, Misses Florence Ferris, Sarah Ferris,

Louise Ferris, Florence Sheehan, Catherine Sheehan, Gertrude Crowe, Alice L.

Houlihan, Helen Nichols, Louise Nichols, Winifred Murphy, Victoria Martin,

John C. Beers, Robert N. Tieman, Paul V. Cavanaugh, John W. Ray, Jr, Charles

D. Ferris, Jr, Charles B. Ferris, Donald Ferris, Dr J. McCarthy and George

Allison.

House saved from burning at Hawleyville... The residence occupied by C.L.

Jackson was discovered to be on fire Tuesday afternoon. W.P. Upham, noticing

the blaze on the roof, gave the alarm. Mr Upham brought over some

extinguishers from the Upham factory, and after a lively fight, put out the

blaze. Quite a good sized hole was burned in the roof.