Ryan Knapp Running For Newtown Legislative Council

NEWTOWN, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Newtown will be on the ballot.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 2, Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in town.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next several days, so check back often to see the latest.

Republican Ryan Knapp, 35, is running for Legislative Council in Newtown.

Occupation: Mechanical Engineer

Family: My wife Brittany and I live with our three dogs.

Experience: 8 year member of the Legislative Council

Family in government: No

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

The single most pressing issue facing Newtown is our preparedness for future challenges. From the pandemic, to job losses, to storms, to the state’s financial issues, Newtown has been tested on all fronts during my tenure. We have managed these well, but it is highlighted the importance of resiliency. We have to always strive to do better. This means reducing our reliance on Debt, protecting our “rainy-day fund," and growing in a sustainable way that provides good local jobs for Newtown residents – all while continuing to deliver the services taxpayers expect.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I believe my party has put forward and impressive list of candidates with diverse backgrounds and skillsets that will all benefit Newtown. It would be easy to say my contribution to that is experience, but I believe my strength is perspective. For example, and I work to maintain relationship with officials in other similar communities because they face similar challenges and often have different ideas on how to deal with them that warrant consideration.

Accomplishments:

While I have led several ordinance processes, I am particularly proud of changes to our Debt Policy which set a plan to reduce our reliance on borrowing and established benchmarks and metrics relative to other communities. Rather than managing by making cuts, and this was incorporated into our planning process and is already saving the taxpayers money.

Other issues:

I pledge to continue to working with Newtown’s state delegation to ensure our voices are heard in Hartford and that we benefit locally for the taxes paid to the state. This means protecting our education and roads funding and advocating for state infrastructure projects and coordinating on legislation.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

My goals for the next term are to see the Council return to a more proactive role in planning and leading as it was when I joined, particularly with respect to improving BOE and Town cooperation and coordination which has drifted apart was evident in the recent Charter Revision process. At the time Jeff Capaci was our Chair and I am excited at the prospect of him returning to be Chairmanship. However, and that only happens with a Republican majority so it is my sincere hope voters will see fit to elect the wonderful candidates on our slate. Thank you