Patch Candidate Profile: Peter Schwarz​, Newtown P&Z Alternate

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.

Corporate lawyer Peter Schwarz is running for election as Planning & Zoning Commission alternate, on the Democrat ticket.

Education.

Albany State (NY) BA; Syracuse University JD.

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

Wife: Laura; Five grown children ages 26-32.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My wife Laura Miller is on the Board of Finance

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

I am on the Borough of Newtown Board of Zoning Appeals.

Why are you seeking this office?

Newtown needs dedicated people on its Planning and Zoning Commission who will faithfully attend meetings, do their homework, listen to the community, consider our long-term planning goals, and act reasonably and in the community’s best interest. Although Members and Alternates are elected, the Commission is not generally viewed as a partisan entity, but it needs experienced and professional people to ensure that the process is observed and that all sides are given a fair hearing.

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

Planning and development will be close to the top of our town’s agenda over the next several years. Not only will we have a public discussion of our updated ten-year conservation and development plan, but we will start taking concrete steps in the development of the Fairfield Hills campus. We will, as always, face important questions balancing the preservation of our open space and the encouragement of commercial development.

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

In my career, my role is to put the appropriate agreements and statements of work in place, ensure operations are compliant with statutes and regulations, work with state departments and agencies, and work with our crews when performance issues arise. I work with expert and experienced architects, engineers, landscape architects, and planners, on both large and small projects. Every day I see what helps to make planning and development succeed and what can make it go off the tracks.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

Our Planning & Zoning Commission can always use people with more experience in development and preservation.

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

I see myself as a facilitator and a consensus builder, working with all participants in a team atmosphere to get the best effort out of everyone. I have a long professional career of doing just that.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I promise to work hard and to be dedicated to the betterment of our community. Planning & Zoning is about the long term, and I have always taken the long term view over short term or expedient results.