State legislators seek public input in New Milford

Article as it appeared in the Litchfield County Times | Sunday, February 16, 2014 | By Gayla Cawley

State Representatives hosted a Town Hall style forum last Thursday in New Milford, addressing issues raised by the public ranging from aquatic invasive species and the struggling economy to the common core curriculum that teachers and schools have taken issue with.

State Sen. Clark Chapin, who represents the 30th District, including Brookfield and New Milford, State Rep. Cecilia Buck-Taylor, 67th District, which represents New Milford, and State Rep. Richard Smith for the 108th District covering New Fairfield, Sherman, New Milford and Danbury, hosted the forum to get public input on issues that they might then discuss in the upcoming legislative session. “The forum was an opportunity for us to as legislators to listen to the public,” Representative Smith said following the session. “[It was a chance for us to] get into the districts we represent. There were a nice number of people in attendance—on that level, it was a success.”

Senator Chapin said there were about 30 people at the meeting that night with the main concern of those residents being the Common Core curriculum, educational reform and teacher evaluations. He said Common Core refers to educators trying to find a common ground for school curricula. He said there seems to be a move to a “one size fits all” curriculum for students regardless of different children’s aptitudes.

“Teachers continue to be concerned,” Senator Chapin said. “Other entities keep moving the target. Most teachers would just like to go into the classroom and teach. Teachers are very frustrated because they continue to have to adapt to change.”

Another issue that Senator Chapin said was on residents’ minds was the issue of aquatic invasive species, including invasive plants and animals.

The two that are affecting New Milford and other towns in Litchfield County are Eurasian milfoil, which he said is like a seaweed, and zebra mussels.

He said Candlewood Lake has been having an issue with milfoil, where large patches of it cause problems with boats and swimmers. He said zebra mussels have been found in Salisbury and have traveled down the Housatonic. The issue with those creatures is that they attach to anything they can, plugging up pipes and the covering the bottom of boats.

“We’ve been watching zebra mussels over the past couple of years,” Senator Chapin said. “They have become colonized in Lake Zoar, much to people’s dismay. One of the things we’ve learned is you get a new invasive species about every 10 years. The only way to stop it is to prevent it from happening.”

Senator Chapin and Representative Smith agreed that the economy is still the most pressing issue statewide and in the districts they represent.

“With the budget and the economy—those are the two most pressing issues,” Mr. Smith said. “People are losing jobs and leaving the state of Connecticut to go elsewhere. We’re driving people away because it’s too unpredictable with what taxes will be year after year. It’s an unstable economy. People say, ‘Stop taxing us so much; just let us do our jobs.’”

Mr. Smith said too much money is being allocated in the state budget to legislative programs or those programs that people rely on the government for. He said people should less reliant on the government to solve their financial problems.

“The state of Connecticut is the number-one employer in the state,” Mr. Smith said. “We would rather have a business be the number-one employer. [We need to] be less reliant on the government. Government is not the answer. There are more and more people relying on retirement programs.”

Senator Chapin agreed saying that the issue is a statewide problem and although there was more focus at the forum on Common Core, the economy is still on the forefront of people’s minds.

He said the people of New Milford are concerned, whether they have just lost their job and haven’t been able to find another one, or if they continue to see an increase in their taxes.

“I am a self-employed carpenter,” Senator Chapin said. “The business at the lumber yard can be kind of depressing. I continue to see fewer employees and fewer customers there. It can be discouraging.”

“It’s hard to govern in a vacuum,” Senator Chapin said. “We like to hear what people have to say. We, as legislators, can’t master all of the issues so the issues that concern those that we represent—we pay attention to their input on them.”
State Representatives hosted a Town Hall style forum last Thursday in New Milford, addressing issues raised by the public ranging from aquatic invasive species and the struggling economy to the common core curriculum that teachers and schools have taken issue with.

State Sen. Clark Chapin, who represents the 30th District, including Brookfield and New Milford, State Rep. Cecilia Buck-Taylor, 67th District, which represents New Milford, and State Rep. Richard Smith for the 108th District covering New Fairfield, Sherman, New Milford and Danbury, hosted the forum to get public input on issues that they might then discuss in the upcoming legislative session. “The forum was an opportunity for us to as legislators to listen to the public,” Representative Smith said following the session. “[It was a chance for us to] get into the districts we represent. There were a nice number of people in attendance—on that level, it was a success.”

Senator Chapin said there were about 30 people at the meeting that night with the main concern of those residents being the Common Core curriculum, educational reform and teacher evaluations. He said Common Core refers to educators trying to find a common ground for school curricula. He said there seems to be a move to a “one size fits all” curriculum for students regardless of different children’s aptitudes.

“Teachers continue to be concerned,” Senator Chapin said. “Other entities keep moving the target. Most teachers would just like to go into the classroom and teach. Teachers are very frustrated because they continue to have to adapt to change.”

Another issue that Senator Chapin said was on residents’ minds was the issue of aquatic invasive species, including invasive plants and animals.

The two that are affecting New Milford and other towns in Litchfield County are Eurasian milfoil, which he said is like a seaweed, and zebra mussels.

He said Candlewood Lake has been having an issue with milfoil, where large patches of it cause problems with boats and swimmers. He said zebra mussels have been found in Salisbury and have traveled down the Housatonic. The issue with those creatures is that they attach to anything they can, plugging up pipes and the covering the bottom of boats.

“We’ve been watching zebra mussels over the past couple of years,” Senator Chapin said. “They have become colonized in Lake Zoar, much to people’s dismay. One of the things we’ve learned is you get a new invasive species about every 10 years. The only way to stop it is to prevent it from happening.”

Senator Chapin and Representative Smith agreed that the economy is still the most pressing issue statewide and in the districts they represent.

“With the budget and the economy—those are the two most pressing issues,” Mr. Smith said. “People are losing jobs and leaving the state of Connecticut to go elsewhere. We’re driving people away because it’s too unpredictable with what taxes will be year after year. It’s an unstable economy. People say, ‘Stop taxing us so much; just let us do our jobs.’”

Mr. Smith said too much money is being allocated in the state budget to legislative programs or those programs that people rely on the government for. He said people should less reliant on the government to solve their financial problems.

“The state of Connecticut is the number-one employer in the state,” Mr. Smith said. “We would rather have a business be the number-one employer. [We need to] be less reliant on the government. Government is not the answer. There are more and more people relying on retirement programs.”

Senator Chapin agreed saying that the issue is a statewide problem and although there was more focus at the forum on Common Core, the economy is still on the forefront of people’s minds.

He said the people of New Milford are concerned, whether they have just lost their job and haven’t been able to find another one, or if they continue to see an increase in their taxes.

“I am a self-employed carpenter,” Senator Chapin said. “The business at the lumber yard can be kind of depressing. I continue to see fewer employees and fewer customers there. It can be discouraging.”

“It’s hard to govern in a vacuum,” Senator Chapin said. “We like to hear what people have to say. We, as legislators, can’t master all of the issues so the issues that concern those that we represent—we pay attention to their input on them.”