As Killingworth begins the 23rd month of the Klein Reign of Terror, it is a good time to look back and see what all the commotion is about.

Killingworth is blessed with a large number of people, some of whom sit in its town government, whose policy is to Do Nothing. Thus, when I took office, the Reservoir Road bridge was on the verge of failure, no progress had been made on building athletic fields, state funding (LOCIP grants) sat unused, and unsafe road intersections continued to exist. This, the result of years of neglect by prior administrations.

Remembering the adage that a lie travels around the world before truth can get out the door, let us look at the specious claims by Mr. Sipples and others in recent letters to this forum.

Reservoir Road did not need to be closed. Everyone seems to forget that in 2004, yes, two years before the start of the Klein Reign of Terror, the state of Connecticut was pushing the town to repair or replace that bridge. In June of 2004 the State Department of Transportation offered a temporary bridge to the town so that the road could have remained open while the bridge was replaced. However, the town's policy was Do Nothing, so nothing was done. Two years later, the temporary bridge was not available, the bridge was in worse disrepair, and immediate action was required.

Given the events of this summer in Minnesota, does anyone really believe that the bridge should have been allowed to remain open? Apparently Mr. Sipples does; or, at the minimum, he would have commissioned yet another study to placate the Do Nothing Crowd.

Marty has made Lovers Lane into a problem. It's true - Lovers Lane is only a problem to those people who see a dangerous and seriously outdated road left open to appease the Do Nothing Crowd - again including those who are, or used to be, in government. I have tried to find solutions to keep it open, but the solutions are expensive. The Do Nothing Crowd provide their normal answer - DO NOTHING! Keep the Killingworth Car Wash Open! Don't worry about pollution or potential accidents. Even if the Fire Department won't use the road for access because of the intersection at Route 148, the Do Nothing Crowd claims that they might, just might, if you just leave things alone.

Open space is too expensive to purchase. Mr Cabral has revealed his true thoughts - better not to purchase any land for open space, it is too expensive. Mr. Himmelman gave a thoughtful and reasoned reply that is exactly on point, and I commend him for doing so.

Marty doesn't cooperate with the Regional School District. This chestnut arises from an agreement made by the prior First Selectman and the School Superintendent concerning reimbursement of the town's inspection expenses for the new school building. I stuck to the original agreement, and after many meetings the Board of Education finally lived up to their agreement.

Marty is rude to people. I plead guilty as charged. Please understand that I have spent years of my life working in the poorest countries in the world, with some of the most disadvantaged people in the world, and have become impatient with those who believe it is a major inconvenience to have to spend an extra fifteen minutes in their SUVs or, horror of horrors, obey traffic laws and and maintain a reasonable speed on narrow, twisting country roads.

In the future don't hesitate to discuss your needs with me. Regardless of the opinions of the Do Nothing Crowd, I am concerned. Let's keep the lies and misconceptions locked up, and let only the unvarnished truth out the door.

Martin Klein