Thomas Ira Mead, Jr, 47, of Southbury died unexpectedly on July 7, in Torrington. He was born July 5, 1970, in Norwalk, a son of Linda (Sonntag) Mead and the late Thomas I. Mead, Sr.
He had owned and ...
Robert C. Kealey, Sr, 82, longtime resident of Bridgeport and Trumbull, the beloved husband of the late Marjorie E. Kealey, died suddenly on July 8. He was born on January 20, 1935, son of the late Ve...
Joseph H. Kordish, 80, of Stratford, beloved husband of Sylvia Sernak Kordish, died July 8 in Bridgeport Hospital. He was born in Hazleton, Penn., on March 19, 1937, son of the late Elizabeth (Olenik)...
Nicholas E. Gambardella, 66, of Shelton, devoted husband to Pauline Gambardella, died at home on July 7, surrounded by family. He was born June 7, 1951, in Derby, son of the late Dorothy and Joseph Ga...
Richard Paul Sando, 57, of Newtown died peacefully on June 21 at St Vincent's Hospital. He was the son of Marie Sando of Summerville, S.C., and the late George Sando, Sr.
His son, Richard Sando, Jr, o...
Francis "Fran" J. Lebinski, 87, of Stratford, beloved husband of Elizabeth Slovensky Lebinski, died July 2, in his home. He was born in Bridgeport on February 10, 1930, son of the late Josephine (Mali...
Thomas "Tom" Jones Watkins, Sr, 86, of Clarksville, Tenn., died June 27. He was born March 13, 1931, in Sandy Hook, a son of the late Ruth Jones Watkins and Reginald Watkins. He was a lifelong residen...
Eugene "Gene" S. Orlowski, 87, of Newtown died unexpectedly in his sleep on June 30 at his home. With his wife of 61 years, Angela, he had just celebrated his 87th birthday with his four daughters and...
Henry "Hank" Erickson of Danbury died June 29 at Regional Hospice in Danbury after a short, but courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Monroe on July 16, 1933, and was a former longtime residen...
D. Anna (Germano) Pizzuti Enke, 98, a longtime Danbury resident, died peacefully at Glen Hill Nursing Home on May 28, with her family by her side. She was born on June 8, 1918, in Mamaroneck, N.Y., a ...
Bruce’s letter paints a picture of runaway development, but the real story is the collapse of local cooperation — not the rise of §8-30g. That law has been on the books since 1990. For decades, towns and developers worked together to shape projects that made sense: added sidewalks, deeper setbacks, fewer units — genuine compromise.
What’s changed isn’t the law, it’s the politics. A loud social media mob has made any compromise politically toxic. The “no growth” crowd demands nothing be built anywhere, ever, and bullies anyone who suggests otherwise. Planning and zoning boards no longer negotiate; they hunker down, hoping to appease the Facebook comment section.
But here’s the irony — when compromise dies, developers stop compromising too. Once a project triggers §8-30g, the town can fight it, but state law ensures the developer will eventually win. So instead of working out a reasonable design, everyone heads to court. The developer doubles the unit count to pay for the lawyers, and the town burns taxpayer money trying to lose more slowly.
That’s how we end up with the very projects the NIMBY mob fears — because they made reasonable development impossible.
If people truly care about Newtown’s character, they need to stop the performative outrage and start engaging in real planning again. Screaming “no” to everything isn’t preservation — it’s self-sabotage.
I’m honestly surprised Bruce had to look up what an “agreement in principle” means. After years of business experience and managing 200 people, I would have expected that term to be familiar by now. Hard to believe it’s a new concept at this stage in his career. Although rest assured Newtown, vote row A and when times get tough, we have Google to help the selectman.
I asked AI what does agreement in principle mean
An "agreement in principle" is a preliminary, non-binding understanding reached between two or more parties that outlines the fundamental terms of a future contract. It is considered a stepping stone toward a formal, legally enforceable agreement.
This type of agreement is used to establish mutual intent and a basic framework for negotiations before the parties commit to a detailed, final contract.
