Ryan W. Knapp

10/12/2026

“Mitch Bolinsky has been a tremendous state representative with a record to be proud of. Therefore, it is disappointing that his opponent is running a misleading campaign where claims on her social media and in supporter letters can easily be debunked by searching the Newtown Bee’s website.

Seniors — the Bee has extensively covered the awards and recognitions Rep. Bolinsky has received for his bipartisan work on senior issues.

Traffic — Mitch was central in advancing the Exit 11 improvements, bridge fixes and safety legislation, while opposing bills that ignored Newtown’s concerns.

Taxes — Rep. Bolinsky has never supported a tax increase, opposed mandates that would shift burdens onto property taxpayers, protected Newtown’s education funding, and helped pass the 2017 bipartisan budget that created the Fiscal Guardrails responsible for our improved finances over the Dan Malloy era chaos.”

Read my full letter in The Newtown Bee:

To The Editor: Mitch Bolinsky has been a tremendous state representative with a record to be proud of. Therefore, it is disappointing that his opponent is running a misleading campaign where claims o...

09/27/2026

Governor Ned Lamont considers this a success worth campaigning on?

09/19/2026

Milford CT Police Department has to issue a statement after finding out Flock Safety did not disclose it was recording them and using images of their officers for other commercial purposes.

The irony.

08/21/2026

Thank you to the Newtown Police Department for being responsive to many Newtown resident’s privacy concerns!

Our country was founded on protecting civil liberties which are limitations on government, and our government is by consent of the governed.

08/21/2026

Dear Residents,

Following the recent Legislative Council meeting and after careful consideration of resident feedback, the Board of Police Commissioners and the Newtown Police Department wish to reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the trust and relationship we share with our community.

The Newtown Police Department will pause the utilization of static Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) within the town as we collaborate with elected officials and residents to establish common ground. During this period, the Department will provide the Board of Police Commissioners with regular documentation verifying that these static ALPRs remain non-operational for law enforcement searches or image collection, ensuring continued transparency.

Both the Board of Police Commissioners and the Newtown Police Department remain dedicated to working with our elected leadership to reach a consensus that reflects our community's shared values.

Respectfully,

Chief David Kullgren

08/20/2026

Can you afford another $500 per year added to your tax bill?

Newtown officials want to build a new Middle School, which midpoint estimates put at $110m to $125m using $/sqf costs from recent area school construction projects. Even if they can get that number down to $100m with state grants (still our tax dollars), that is a huge bond issuance. The Debt Service payments on a $100m of bonding at 4% interest is ~$7.36m per year.

Newtown repays bonding through the debt service budget line which is limited to an annual maximum. In the current budget debt service is about $10m per year. This is how they fund things like infrastructure improvements, building maintenance, bridges, HAVC upgrades, Newtown Parks and Recreation projects, Edmond Town Hall updates, Cyrenius H. Booth Library building improvements, paving, fire trucks, and open space purchases. These are planned and prioritized through the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) shown below. Many of these are needs, not wants. Yet most of these types of projects would need to be removed from the bonding plan for 20 years if a new school is built.

What do you cut?

OR those appropriations get moved into the operations budget. If that happens, adding $7m/year of spending would increase the Mill Rate approx 5%, or $500 per year on an average $10,000 annual property tax bill before any other increases we deal with every year. Over 20 years, making room for a new school could cost each household an average $10,000, all for a school we may not even need.

We pay for it one way or another.

As I said to the Council last night, Newtown schools have a capacity of 4,991, but enrolment is only 3,778.. about 25% empty by their own numbers. That is not a space needs problem, but a space usage problem.

Having a new school sounds nice, but at what cost? Delayed maintenance? Putting off other needs? Or passing it onto the taxpayers? Most households can't afford it, and we likely dont need it.

08/19/2026

Does Newtown need a new $50M school? (I’ve seen estimates north of $120M) Below are the 2025 enrollment and capacity numbers that MP Planning Group presented to the BOE last November. Their "medium" enrollment projection has the system gaining approximately 300 students over the next decade.

Elementary Schools:
-Capacity: 1,507
-K-4 Enrollment: 1,405
Reed Intermediate:
-Capacity: 858/704 (with Pre-K)
-5-6 Enrollment: 594
Middle School:
-Capacity: 854
-7-8 Enrollment: 594
High School:
-Capacity: 1,772
-9-12 Enrollment: 1,185
Total System Capacity: 4,991 (4,836 with Pre-K)
Total Enrollment: 3,778

At its Tuesday, August 11 meeting, the Board of Education (BOE) voted to recommend the Town of Newtown proceed with a school building project for the construction of a new grade six through eight midd...

08/15/2026

See a lot of NY plates around town? The car tax you just paid is why people register their cars in other states, and the state loses out on the registration fees. It’s also a disincentive against buying a new car, and that’s a missed opportunity for the state to get sales tax $

08/12/2026

Congratulations Chris Shea for Congress!

This race showed candidate quality and campaigning matter more than grievance and identity politics. Even Jahana Hayes said this morning “Elections are won by organizing and turning out voters, not in the comments on social media or with hateful attacks. That time, energy and effort is better spent working to get your candidate elected.”

The proof is in the numbers.

08/08/2026

Chris Shea has earned trust through a lifetime of service. I urge readers to learn more about him and support his campaign for Congress, both in the August 11 primary and in November.

To The Editor: I first learned about Chris Shea through friends in law enforcement who knew him long before he considered a run for office. They spoke highly of him because of his work with Hero to H...

08/07/2026

I believe the Legislative Council absolutely has an interest in the use of ALPR technology and what this company could do with our data as it may expose the Town to liability (civil liberties are limitations on government after all.) This is one example of a lawsuit brought against a municipality, and Newtown may be even more exposed when considering Connecticut state laws on data privacy and others such as the TRUST Act.

The Kansas Justice Institute argues that Wichita's "warrantless ALPR dragnet surveillance program" violates the state constitution's privacy protections.