The family of Frederick William "Bill" Zimmermann IV, 62, was recently notified of his death from brain cancer November 27. He was the son of the late Frederick Roller Zimmermann and Lois Pulfer Zimme...
Michael Scott Hensel, 47, of Florida, died July 6, following a battle with subcutaneous melanoma.
A native of Newtown and a 1990 graduate of Newtown High School, Mr Hensel had been living in recent ye...
Pasquale A. "Pat" Pepe, 94, of Shelton, former longtime resident of Ansonia, died July 4. He was born in Derby, January 27, 1924, son of Pasquale M. Pepe and Giovanna F. Savarese.
His six children and...
Constance L. (Howe) Jennings, 80, of Danbury, died July 5, in Danbury, of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. She was the widow of Richard D. Jennings III. Born May 23, 1938, in Jamaica, N...
Martha Wright, 78, of Newtown, died June 25, at Yale Hospital, following a decade-long fight with scleroderma induced pulmonary arterial hypertension. She was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and attended sc...
Ann Walsh Bove, 93, of Bridgeport, died July 2. She was born in Huntington, August 12, 1924, and was the daughter of John Walsh and Ann Crinock Walsh.
Her two sisters, Dorothy Pelletier of Newtown and...
Donald Richard "Don" Cole, 74, of Sandy Hook, died July 2, at his home, surrounded by loving family. He was born in Danbury, March 19, 1944, son of Reuben John Cole, Jr, and Ethel Emeline (Barrett) Co...
Belle Tolor, 88, of Danbury, died June 28, at the Regional Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Danbury. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., March 24, 1930, daughter of William and Gertrude Simon.
She wo...
Mary E. Kinzel, 95, of Newtown, died peacefully June 24, at her home. She was born on October 21, 1922, in Port Chester.
Mrs Kinzel was a nurse at Greenwich Hospital, retiring in 1977. She then moved ...
Joseph Napoleon, 92, of Wilton, husband of the late Sara Kouri Napoleon, died June 27, at Wilton Meadows. Born March 30, 1926, in Norwalk, he was the son of the late Joseph Napoleon and Theresa Bartek...
Yes, elections have consequences — Democrats lost. Now it’s time to deal with it instead of trying to turn every local race into a national political drama.
Dragging “Project 2025” into a Newtown election is a stretch that borders on absurd. Our local government isn’t deciding national policy — it’s fixing roads, managing budgets, and keeping taxes reasonable. If you think Washington politics are running Town Hall, you haven’t been paying attention.
Jeff Capeci and the local Republican team are focused on what actually matters here at home: fiscal responsibility, public safety, and smart development. That’s the kind of leadership Newtown needs — not scare tactics and conspiracy-laced talking points pulled from cable news.
I’m not sure the author of that letter was actually at the debate, because she seems to have missed the portion near the end when Bruce Walczak couldn’t explain (remember?) how the town pays for its roads. That moment was uncomfortable to watch — and it underscored exactly why experience in town government matters.
Jeff Capeci didn’t rely on “pat answers”; he relied on facts. His understanding of how Newtown operates — how projects are funded and how to actually get things done — comes from years of hands-on service, not theory or guesswork.
And let’s be honest: it’s not a bad thing that Jeff Capeci was “practiced.” I want someone who prepares for a debate, who does their homework, and who takes the role of First Selectman seriously enough to be ready. Winging it might sound authentic, but it’s not leadership.
At several points, Bruce struggled to follow along. He had to have a question repeated because he couldn’t hear, and at yet another point Jeff had to ask for clarification because no one could understand what Bruce was saying. It was clear he wasn’t answering the questions that were actually asked. It was shockingly reminiscent of a recent debate on the national stage.
... he’s “not a politician.” That may sound appealing, but it’s a little disingenuous — Bruce has been trying to become one for the better part of twenty years. He’s run for local office multiple times, often under different party banners. That’s not the résumé of an outsider; that’s the record of someone who has been seeking political office for decades.
Newtown voters deserve honesty. You can’t say you’re “not a politician” while campaigning for office year after year. Leadership isn’t about slogans — it’s about results, collaboration, and credibility.
Open Letter to Dave Ackert.
Mr. Ackert, you are a very angry and mean-spirited person who, in my recent memory, has never done anything but complain and has never shown anything but a one-dimensional uncompromising way of thinking. Want to change Newtown in a way you feel would be better? Then why don’t you RUN FOR OFFICE and stop hiding behind your ranting posts and letters and stop thinking that world revolves around you. Hating Trump (or Trump derangement Syndrome) HAS NOTHING to do with Newtown! Zero! I have talked with Democrats and “Never Trumpers” while out campaigning and knocking on doors that think critically and feel the same way. The Democrats have raised the taxes in Newtown to an unsustainable level and plan on making Newtown even more unaffordable in the future if they retain the majority. If you are not happy with how low (sarcastic) your taxes are? Vote for the Democrats. They will be more than happy to remedy that situation. They just passed a generational tax increase that if you read between the lines, essentially means if you don’t agree with the way they are stealing the innocence and charm out of Newtown, then leave. They have shown no regard to all the people that are struggling to pay their current taxes or rely upon the food pantry to put food on their table. At least the Republicans here in Newtown are dealing with real local issues and quite honestly have shown more common sense in the way the taxpayer’s money is spent. I think some of your arguments are valid, but I would like to see you use the intelligence God gave you in a more constructive way than just criticize. I am serious about you running for office. It would force you to see the big picture and maybe wield your influence in a more productive way.
I appreciate your optimism about keeping national politics out of local government — we all want leaders who put Newtown first. But calling Paul a “centrist” just doesn’t match what we’ve seen. If you look at his comments online or watch the recent debate, Paul was the first to go negative and came across more like a national political candidate than a neighbor. That’s not the tone of someone trying to bring people together.
Now, Paul is another story entirely. He’s honest, articulate, and clearly knows what he’s doing. Frankly, I think local Democrats would have been better off putting him at the top of their ticket.
