Newtown Is A Political Wasteland

To the Editor:

The front page of The Bee told the story. The winner is celebrating and the loser is contrite. Not so! There was no winner.

The real loser is the Town of Newtown.

Over the last 20 years or so, the political leadership has been comprised of a small group of people who have preplanned and controlled the town as if it was a private business. Yes it is such. A private business, that if not for the continuous increases in tax revenue from the homeowners and the state’s generosity, Newtown would have gone bankrupt both morally and financially a long time ago.

The easy road came to a halt a year ago and the ride from here on is going to be very rough. The State of Connecticut is out of money and Newtown’s taxpayers are fed up with the fiscal and management irresponsibility.

Newtown has, with a few exceptions, drawn on the same select few people over these years to run the town. The only identifiable quality they brought to our town’s management was party loyalty. Where is the youth, where is the proficiency, where is the thoughtfulness? Not in town hall.

By not drawing on the best people available to compete for important positions and running unopposed and unqualified candidates for 80 percent of elected positions, the residents of Newtown are facing a meltdown in the years ahead. With half of the town’s voting population unaffiliated with the Democratic or Republican Party, a closed minority is making the day to day decisions in Newtown. Your future is riding on their personal interests.

What happened to the commercial tax base? It’s gone. Why has every town project had significant cost overruns? Good question. Where is the planning for Fairfield Hills future that you, the taxpayer, have paid out over $1 million over the last six years in studies, failed plans, and consultants fees? Nothing exists and we are back to ground zero.

If anyone is interested, look at the effective grass roots work a few innovative Newtown residents have done to defeat the flawed FFH plan this summer. Help finance them, support them, organize with them. You can achieve the changes we need in Newtown. It all starts with getting involved.

Wake up folks, if you don’t pay attention, all of the quaint rural village flavor and the diversity in people, that made Newtown a special place, will drift away like smoke on the horizon. Look around; we really are there already. Your politicians want Newtown to be another Greenwich where only rich people can afford to live here. Is that what you want?

Barry J. Piesner

34 Alpine Drive, Sandy Hook                           November 18, 2003