To the Editor:

Tuesday's referendum was the first time under our new charter where we were compelled to put a multitude of projects on the ballot as part of the appropriations process. Regardless of where you were on the ledger, this was a step forward for voter input. The results indicate to me that those involved did their jobs of articulating the needs and reaffirmed my belief that my fellow voters in Newtown are an insightful and informed group of people.

As I discussed in my letter last week ["Approve Police Facility Design"], I have never felt we needed to shield projects from the ballot. While there is always a risk, we should solicit and honor the will of the voters, which may mean appropriations are put in jeopardy by sending them to referendum. I have never believed that when presented alongside our budget a project is necessarily doomed to a No vote, and these results cement that in my mind. Personally, I like the idea of including projects at our referendum compared to the format by which we used to seek public approval. This process compels interest, raises awareness, incentivizes folks to do a good job of getting information out there, and drives advocacy. I believe after this initial go around many people are better informed about our Capital Improvement Plan, Newtown's debt service policy, and our processes in general. The civic engagement this process fosters is a positive for our community while simultaneously affording the voters more participation.

Many people around town are breathing a sigh of relief today. Change always comes with unknowns and hopefully in subsequent years we will be able to approach this process with less anxiety. Each project's respective constituency did a great job of getting information out the voters and those efforts should be commended. This result proves we can have public engagement while still investing in our community; we just have to trust the voters.

My comments above are my own as an individual and not on behalf of the Legislative Council of which I am a member.

Thank you.

Ryan Knapp

11 Jeremiah Road, Sandy Hook                    April 26, 2017