Politics & Government

Ryan Knapp: The Patch Voter Guide

Davis Dunavin's profile picture
Davis Dunavin, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Party: Republican
Office: Legislative Council, District 2
Status: Incumbent Seeking First Full Term
Pitch: As a member of Newtown’s Legislative Council I will set my problem solving and critical thinking skills to task with each new challenge presented and use these skills to thoroughly analyze each opportunity from a higher conceptual level down to the nuts and bolts of the issue.  I plan to work with my peers to find creative and innovation ways to make our budget go further without further burdening the taxpaying residents of our beautiful town during these tough economic times. (Courtesy of Newtown Republicans.)

On The Issues


  • The Education Budget
While I was not a part of the budget process last year, I did follow it very closely and it was obviously very contentious as it will always be when everyone's common goal to provide the best possible education to the children of Newtown is weighed against the increasing tax burden.  Many people were blindsided by the increase that was brought to the table.  I also have heard from many voters who were disappointed in the level of reductions between referendums. 

The budget process can be improved through better collaboration between boards and all indications are that is going to take a major leap forward this year.  I attended school in Newtown and God willing, I will have children that do as well some day. I have a vested interest in seeing Newtown public schools succeed.  Both my sister and father are public school teachers so Im sympathetic to the needs and hardships of our educators. However, we need to take a hard look at enrollment and adjust some areas appropriately.  We need to be efficient and effective with our spending to make sure we get the most value out of each dollar spent. There will be some difficult decisions ahead but we as town officials have a responsibility to the parents and tax payers.

  • The Municipal Budget
I have to give credit to the current leadership for doing such a great job managing the growth of the municipal budget.  If elected I plan to continue supporting the responsible fiscal practices that have been going on with the municipal side of the budget. There is always room for improvement, however the immediate decisions relating to this will not be one major addition or cut, but a collection of small decisions that will add up over time.

  • Do you believe Newtown's tax structure needs improvements?

As we are all aware, many seniors, especially those living in adult communities were hit particularly hard by revaluation. I've had some very good dialogue with seniors since being appointed to the Legislative Council. Many of the concerns I have been hearing are of frustration. A large portion of these residents are on fixed incomes and tax increases impact all other facets of their lives. I created a list of questions based on my notes from meetings and requested that those be addressed at the Board of Finance Senior Forum which I attended.  When I spoke with seniors I firstly encouraged them to make sure the information on their field cards was correct. Many followed up with the Assessor's Office. Then we had a discussion about what we as a town can do. Because so much of the tax process and revaluation is governed by state statute, we as a municipality are limited in changing the process. That extends even to how information is communicated between the Assessor's Office and the property owner. 

What we can do and intend to look into after the election is possibly broadening our senior tax relief to raise the income restrictions and increase the pool set aside for relief. This must be done through ordinance so it would fall on myself and the rest of the Legislative Council.

  • What is the most important issue facing residents of your district?

From what I'm hearing, most of my constituents are concerned with taxes. It is still tough out there economically for many people. Realistically there are two ways to lower taxes: decrease spending and increase the grand list to distribute the burden. I'm committed to both.

  • What can the town do to attract more business?

There are several things Newtown can do to attract more businesses.  We have large tracts of undeveloped commercial property that are lacking the infrastructure to support growth. I'm a big support of the Hawleyville sewer project for this reason. Development there will help decrease the tax burden on home owners. I believe developers are going to target the exit 9 area because of trends we have seen as large projects have been popping up along the 84 corridor near on/off ramps starting at the New York state line, working their way towards Newtown. 

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This growth needs to be balanced with a planned effort to maintain the character and charm of our town and community centers.  I believe the progress that is being made in Sandy Hook can be used as a model for other parts of town. 

Fairfield Hills is a particular challenge because while it is in a great location and is architecturally beautiful, the costs associated with abating and developing it have made it difficult for the town to find a partner who can come to a workable solution while still maintaining the elements we want to retain about the campus.

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