To the Editor:

The Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) would like to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude and sincere thanks to Bob Mulholland for his years of service on the commission. Bob served on P&Z for 14 years, three of those years as its chairman.

For those of you not familiar with the commission, it meets the first and third Thursday of every month, which means that Bob attended approximately 336 meetings during his tenure. To say that he was well-prepared for each and every meeting would be an understatement. Bob guided us through some very difficult times with compassion, patience, dignity, and most of all, respect. He gave voice to all who attended and wished to be heard, and we would be hard-pressed to recall an instance where the public was prevented from fully sharing its thoughts. His detailed knowledge of our zoning regulations and his understanding of how to effectively run a meeting were such that we took it for granted that things would run so smoothly. For anyone who has never run a P&Z meeting, it ain’t that easy.

So Bob, please enjoy your “retirement” from the Newtown P&Z, for you deserve it; but don’t be a stranger because you are truly missed.

Jim Swift, Vice Chairman Planning & Zoning Commission

On Behalf of the P&Z Board

Newtown                                                         February 9, 2019