Patch Candidate Profile: Don Mitchell, Newtown Zoning Board of Appeals

NEWTOWN, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Newtown and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Newtown Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Attorney Don Mitchell is running for election to the Newtown Zoning Board of Appeals as a Democrat.

Education.

B.S., Economics, Villanova University; Juris Doctor, University of Denver School of Law

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

My wife, Claudia, retired from teaching Art at the Newtown Middle School for many years. We enjoy our five grown children and many grandchildren.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Attorney for a long-past Charter Revision Commission, Town Meeting Moderator, Attorney for the Borough of Newtown and its zoning commission for 37 years, Member of the Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission for six years and currently an alternate member of the Borough Zoning Commission.

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I'm running to lend my experience and skills to make zoning (and planning) in Newtown more fair and open than it has been and to increase our residents' participation in the process - all of which are essential to our future as a town.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

There has been a noticeable lack of openness and of good technical and legal support in both the planning and zoning functions. If elected to serve, I expect to use my legal training, my years of hands-on experience and my ability to bring people together to encourage public participation and to foster our residents' trust in our local government through clear, predictable and transparent zoning decisions.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The primary difference is in the depth of my planning and zoning experience, in my knowledge of both and in my ability to conduct open and civil meetings.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Since my campaign is limited to the Zoning Board of Appeals and since its jurisdiction is somewhat limited, I can only hope to make its processes and decisions better for Newtown. Beyond that, I hope to bring the focus of our local elections back to local issues.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Specific accomplishments would include advising and representing the Borough's zoning commission through 37 years and more than 20 zoning appeals to the Superior Court and to Connecticut's Supreme Court - where we never lost.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

There's almost always time to resolve issues. Think about them and take that time.