The Democratic Municipal Election Caucus was held on Thursday, July 20, 2017.
The DTC slate is led by First Selectman candidate Dan Rosenthal and running mate Maureen Crick Owen.
If you missed it live, watch their acceptance speeches here!
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Ringing endorsement for Dan and Maureen from the Newtown Bee.
“Change simply for change is not what we advocate. But change rooted in where we have been and where we are going is a positive for this town. While Mr Rodgers and Mr Rosenthal both have experience and natural leadership skills invaluable to the office of first selectman, The Newtown Bee endorses Dan Rosenthal for first selectman, believing he is the person to combine those talents with the above-mentioned qualities. With a fresh but realistic outlook, he can spit shine Newtown to make it glow — and grow — in a manner that suits this New England town. Voting Ms Crick Owen into office beside him will give our town the one-two punch needed to keep the town on track, stable, and firm in what and who we are.” 11/2/17
To the Editor:
It’s an honor to run for re-election to the Board of Finance and truly a privilege to have served Newtown over the past years. Our family has lived in Newtown for 26 years. I served on the Board of Finance from 2001 to 2011 (time of inception until time elected to the Board of Selectmen); 2011 to 2015 Board of Selectmen; and Board of Finance 2015 to 2017. I have served as chairperson and vice chair of the Board of Finance. Many know my wife, Stephanie, who was president of Newtown Scholarship Association, and my children who attended Newtown schools, Tara, Jimmy (volunteer firefighter with Hook & Ladder), Kelley, and Owen (and their sports.) I have also served as vice chair of the Family Counseling Center and am warden of the Borough. We believe strongly in giving back to our community that has given us so much… a picture of John F. Kennedy hangs in the entrance of my office.
At Lehigh University I double majored in finance and economics with an emphasis in public finance, and a minor in government. From my studies it was easy to understand the peer review and mathematical/statistical models regarding closing schools and property values — conclusion: the closing of the Hawley School Elementary School would not save money. For the past 25 years I have been a small business owner running my law offices. I understand the need to make a payroll each week. Understanding local small business is important when sitting on the Board of Finance.
The coming years will present financial challenges to Newtown. Specifically, Newtown is in the top 25 percent tax/per capita towns in the state. It is one of the factors that must be addressed in order to achieve a Moody’s AAA rating (bonding savings). The other holdback is our grand list. It needs to be increased by smart commercial development. A way to remember our policy directives at the voting booth would be — “it’s about T.E.D.” meaning it’s about Taxes (controlled), Education (Blue Ribbon), and Development (smart!). Like any business, we need to find further efficiencies and economies of scale. We should also continue to focus on senior tax relief. Education (Blue Ribbon quality) is not only important for the economic and cultural health of our country, but it drives the demand to move to Newtown. That demand raises property values and increases the grand list. Commercial development alleviates the property tax pressure on Newtown residential taxpayers. It needs to be smart, though. We all love Main Street and the rural feel of Newtown. These need to be preserved. Once our treasures like Main Street, the flagpole, volunteer fire companies, cultural arts, Edmond Town Hall, the Meeting House, etc are lost, they are gone forever. Without them, the demand to move to Newtown is diminished and our property taxes rise.
Please visit newtownctdemocrats.org for more information.
Thank you for your consideration. Please remember to vote on 11/7/17!
Sincerely,
Jim Gaston
18 Main Street, Newtown October 4, 2017
On Thursday, July 20, 2017, the Newtown Democratic Town Committee enthusiastically endorsed candidates for this November’s municipal election. The well-rounded candidate slate, consisting of many incumbents and a slew of newcomers, is as follows:
The Newtown Democrats will be having a caucus on 7/20 in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall. The meeting will begin at 7pm, voter sign in at 7:15pm. All registered Newtown Democrats are welcome. Formal notice is below.
The Lt. Governor will be here with us in the morning session, so make sure you register and get in there! Spots are filling up!
Newtown Dems Run for Office Training Seminar
Always thought about running for office, but not sure where to start? Well, start here! We are hosting a training event on 4/22/17 at the Newtown Middle School.
This is a FREE event for all Democrats and interested folks looking to run on the Democrats row in their town election this fall.
We are running four time blocks for classes. Each block will have four of the programs running during that block. The classes are as follows:
Using Social Media with Newtown’s own Kyle Lyddy!
VAN 101 with Jen Thomas
Field Organizing with Dhru Nag
Communications and Literature with Christian Murray
Understanding SEEC Rules – SEEC representative
Fundraising with Meghan Frangione
GOTV with Lindsay Farrell
Panel Discussion with locally elected officials
Getting involved in High School for students – Katsuri Mia
