Welcome to our NEW blog: ‘Developing Views’

Submitted January 5, 2026 by Newtown ECD Director John Voket

Newtown’s Dept. of Economic and Community Development is far from the first agency to launch new programs, activities, or other ventures during the early days of a new year – and we will certainly not be the last.

So, here we are with 2026 freshly unwrapped and still sporting that “new car smell” – and we’re hoping that a brand new blog being launched on our newtown.org website will serve to deliver relevant and engaging snippets of information to Newtown businesses, officials, and taxpayers on a regular basis.

As this blog’s principal author and ECD Director, I also bring a respectable level of community-building, writing, reporting, and public relations experience to the table, and my plan at least from these humble beginnings, is to deliver updated “developing views” on at least a weekly basis.

My hope is that this blog will become a complement to our widely read “Developing News” e-newsletter, which we publish and deliver regularly throughout the year to thousands of subscribers. All you need to do to catch up on “Discovering Views” is return to newtown.org or click through corresponding social posts on our Facebook and Instagram sites.

If you would like to add a free subscription to our e-newsletter “Discovering News” – all you need to do is scroll down to the bottom of our home page and supply your name and email address (rest assured we will never share or sell your submitted information).

And if you are a Newtown business owner, service provider, or home-based entrepreneur and you are not included in our FREE online “BUSINESS DIRECTORY” – we encourage you to provide the required information to expand your local exposure and drive new clients or customers to patronize your venture!

In closing out Discovering Views “first edition”, I would like to briefly mention:

I was recently invited to be part of the Western CT Tourism District Executive Committee (@visit_westernct) / (@visitwesternCT) after serving as Newtown’s appointed liaison to the District for almost two years. A humble thank you to my long-time friends Gregg Dancho and Terry Macary for their nomination support. This elevation to the executive committee will help my office better identify opportunities to bring visitors to Newtown to explore our beautiful spaces and patronize our businesses.

I was also recently nominated to be part of the Regional Brownfields Partnership (RBP) Executive Board. The RBP is a committee hosted by the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) whose staff is working together to meet the collective redevelopment challenges that brownfields present in the region.

The partnership is made up of Municipal Member representatives and community partners who are invested in transforming brownfields into community assets – something my department has been working to take the lead on here in Newtown. The RBP – utilizing NVCOG staff – provides municipal members with access to federal and state brownfields subgrants and loans, as well as guidance and expertise on how to navigate the environmental assessment, remediation and clean–up process. 

Similar to the Tourism District appointment, it is my hope that this opportunity to work more closely with experts and communities around brownfields redevelopment will promote enhanced education, networking experiences, and potential access to programs and funding as my office works to assess, remediate, and return unproductive Newtown brownfield sites back to the tax rolls!

That’s all for now – Happy New Year, thanks for reading our inaugural blog, and check back often to check out the latest “Developing Views”.