Eager To Listen

To the Editor:

I recently spoke to someone who has a small business serving Newtown. This person was very interested in discussing the decisions being made about Fairfield Hills and our school district infrastructure. He said he was thinking of getting more involved in local government, but decided he wouldn’t do it. He was afraid that his opinions might result in repercussions for his business. He is not the only person or group to express this concern. This is what democracy has come to in our community; people afraid to share their opinions for fear of reprisals.

And what are we doing as a town to address this? Many candidates from the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) and Republican Town Committee (RTC) chastise IPN, the upstart political party, for not practicing “civility” whenever IPN candidates question or challenge the current order of things in our government. “If you disagree with us, you must be disagreeable” is the message. Is this the way to encourage greater public participation in government?

Now it is being suggested that it is socially unacceptable to put up lawn signs prior to Election Day because the Republican and Democratic Town Committees have a “gentleman’s agreement” not to post signs on lawns. If we put up lawn signs to support candidates, will we be viewed as bad people, social outcasts?

Well, I, for one, look forward to seeing a few lawn signs in the weeks leading up to Election Day. To me, it is a tangible sign that democracy is alive in Newtown. Newtown has weathered the use of lawn signs to support other issues, such as budget referendums, and our community has survived.

Perhaps when our forefathers revolted against the British, they were viewed as being uncivil. Should they have stopped fighting tyranny and oppression so that they would be deemed “acceptable” by the entrenched British establishment?

Our country was born out of dissent. We should be embracing honest dissent rather than trying to mute it by the societal threat of castigating those who don’t agree with our positions.

IPN was formed out of an electorate that felt its local government representatives did not respect its opinions, and had turned a deaf ear to the concerns of taxpayers. Until our citizens feel their local government respects their concerns and opinions, there will be an IPN.

IPN candidates have laid out positions on long-range planning, improved project management, better communications between government and its citizens. We espouse a government that is accountable, has checks and balances, and is transparent. To learn more about our positions, please check out www.ipn2009.org. Give us a call if you would like to meet and discuss our positions in this election. You will find us to be eager to listen.

Gary Davis

IPN Candidate, Legislative Council-District 2

23 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook                 September 22, 2009