Election Results

In only our second election as a party we accomplished everything we set out to do.

• Alex Thomas won a seat on the Board of Education.
• Al Bayers won a seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Two candidates lost by less than 150 votes.
• Our endorsed candidates were the top vote getters for their offices.
• We improved our percentage vote from 20% to the 30's and low 40's.
• Our Mayoral candidate beat the major party Democratic candidate.

Many thanks to our supporters and those who volunteered time and effort on the campaign. We will continue to work to fullfill our vision of New Milford.

Very Expensive Republican Election

The Republicans have far out spent New Milford First and the Democrats in this election. And its all your money too.

I spoke to Brooks Temple last week about the Fort Hill afforable housing project. The money was all coming from the feds and he voiced no concerns. All of a sudden, $1.1 million Connecticut taxpayer dollars appear a few days before the election. The newspaper article quotes Mr. Temple - "it was a very unusual move."

Last week a Century Brass grant, a tree grant and a downtown signs grant. All necessary, but convientently coming right before the election.

In a Wednesday News-Times article about state borrowing one representative from Bridgeport gushed, "I couldn't be happier, and we kept the majority of our earmarks." Is this how you want your government to operate?

In addition, state highway workers seem to have plenty of time to drive around pulling up New Milford First signs. When we go to the state highway location to pick up our signs we never see any Muphy signs. I suppose that is one of the benefits of encumbancy. Drive around the rest of the state and you see political signs sprouting all along the state roads. I guess it is the third-party signs that are considered unsafe.

The positive spin on all of this is that the Republicans must be concerned about New Milford First or they would not be pulling out all the stops.

Ambulance Barn Vote

Republican muckrakers are trying to claim that I didn't vote on the ambulance barn. I simple look at the voter sheets shows that they crossed off my brother's name rather than mine. My brother hasn't lived here in years, is registered in PA and has no valid CT id. They know that.

In addition, Sue Kustosz was working the polls and will verify that I voted. There were only a couple of other people there at the time. We chatted for a while about various scenarios involving the new voting process.

Check your facts.

Bob K.

Library

In an article in the News-Times recently I was reported as saying the the Library needed a strategic plan for the 21st Century. I said nothing like that. The statement makes it sound like I think the folks running the library are not thinking about the future.

What I said was that the Library might consider changing its name. When any voter over 40 who hasn't been to a library in a while hears the word Library, they get a picture in their head of what a library was like when they were in school. That picture is not an accurate picture of what the Library is today.

I think that by changing the name to accurately reflect what the library does might help to erase any preconceived notions a voter might have about the value of having a library and where it might be located.

I also think that the library should remain on the green. It attracts many people to the green which helps to keep the green active.

Bob K.

Ambulance Barn

I have few comments on the Ambulance Barn. First, this never should have gone to referendum. This is a matter of public health and safety and it is more complex than appears. I think Town Council should have been more forceful in its support and should have kept it to a Town Meeting vote. I fear that a referendum will become too much of an emotional vote.

I think volunteers will provide a better service than a paid force at the levels of pay a paid force would likely receive. They clearly do this because they love it. We need to show them some respect if we expect to keep them. The current facility is an embarrassment.

To put the cost into perspective. We are proposing to borrow $3,000,0000. Assuming a 20 year payback at an interest rate of 6.5% that is about $270,000 per year. There are approximately 60 volunteers in the ambulance corps. Assuming that number stays constant over 20 years, that comes out to about $4,500 per volunteer per year.

Could we do it for less? Sure. We could put up a building of inferior construction and then pay more down the road when it has to be replaced or constantly fixed. Why not do it right the first time?

As for that rumor of there being 14 bathrooms in the place, not true. There is a men's room, a lady's room and a toilet by the laundry room.

Campaign Headquarters

I keep getting asked about where our campaign headquarters is going to be. I've decided that it will be in between the buggy whip store and the phonograph store.

I don't see the point of a campaign headquarters for a local election. If someone has the time to hang out waiting for people to come in, I'd rather have them out knocking on doors. All of the information you need is on the Internet. The notion of someone dropping by for literature is as quaint as posting meeting notices on the bulletin board at Town Hall. "Meetings" are done via email or at someone's house if necessary. With automated mailing there is no envelope stuffing or addressing of postcards.

A campaign headquarters just seems like a very large and expensive lawn sign. Perhaps that alone is worth the time and expense but I'm not buying it. I suppose the election will provide some indication.

Any thoughts?

Bob K.

9/11

It is very easy in today's hyper-media world to become very cynical about the United States. Then something like the 9/11 memorial ceremony this morning washes it all away.

I'm sure that every citizen of New Milford would have liked to have been there today if they were able. We would like to thank the 9/11 Committee, the various service organizations, elected officials and others who either sang or spoke for representing the people of the town this morning.

Bob Kostes