Rosenthal Announces His Bid For Reelection

By Jan Howard

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal announced his candidacy on July 9, ending recent speculation as to whether or not he would seek reelection to a fourth two-year term.

It is expected that Mr Rosenthal and his running mate, incumbent Selectman Joe Bojnowski, will be endorsed by the Democratic caucus on Thursday, July 17, at 8 pm, in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall.

The Democratic Town Committee is meeting Thursday, July 10, after The Newtown Bee’s press time to finalize its slate of candidates to be presented at the caucus.

Mr Bojnowski was out of town on business and not present for the announcement.

Mr Rosenthal had high praise for his running mate, noting “the team Herb and Joe will continue. Any successes that our administration has had would not have been possible without the advice and support of Joe Bojnowski, and I look forward to serving with him for two more years.

“We’ve worked very closely together,” the first selectman said.

Reading from a prepared statement in front of Edmond Town Hall to an audience of family, friends, staff members, and Democratic Party faithful, Mr Rosenthal said, “The last six years have been both challenging and rewarding for me personally and for the Town of Newtown. Our administration has kept our word, delivered on our promises, and in so doing has compiled a long list of accomplishments for our town.”

Mr Rosenthal said, “My main objective is for Newtown to continue to be a town in which everyone can be proud to reside. This does not mean that my decisions are always right, and there will be people to point that out, but it means that you will know that my decisions come from my desire to preserve the character of Newtown by striving to make it better without changing its fundamental nature.”

Mr Rosenthal said he is particularly proud of the way town departments responded to his request for a tight budget this year. “For the first time in memory we were able to produce a general government budget that represented a real cut from the prior year. The final selectmen’s budget is a 4.2 percent reduction in spending. We achieved this while maintaining the level of essential services.”

For this effort he thanked town department heads and employees, especially his personal staff, Jan Andras, Carole Ross, and Mary Kelley, noting they are “the real unsung heroes of our administration.”

He said the accomplishments of his administration could not have been achieved without the help of his colleagues on the Board of Selectmen, Mr Bojnowski and Republican Bill Brimmer, a bi-partisan majority of the Legislative Council, and the support of residents. “For this I am forever grateful,” he said.

However, he noted, “There are more challenges ahead in our continuing quest to improve our quality of life and preserve the character of Newtown.

“Therefore, I am asking the voters of Newtown to give me the honor and privilege of serving you for another two years as your first selectman.”

Mr Rosenthal said, “Preserving the character of Newtown is much more than the campaign slogan we have used in our previous campaigns. It is the most important guiding principle in why I run, why I serve, and how I make decisions. What that means in these difficult times for our country, state, and town is to strive for fair and balanced leadership that is flexible in exploring many options, open to new ideas, and encourages community participation in decisions concerning the future of our town. Our administration has consistently done this and will continue to do so.”

He said examples of this include ad hoc committees of residents that have been appointed to study issues and provide recommendations for solutions, such as the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee for the Master Plan for Fairfield Hills, Open Space Task Force, and the newly appointed committee to study formation of an arts commission.

He also pointed to his administration’s history of appointments of people to serve on appointed boards, commissions, and advisory committees as well as filling vacancies on elected boards, noting particularly appointments of members of the Board of Finance.

“Our goal as with all appointments was to select the best people who apply because the character of our community deserves professional government,” he said.

Mr Rosenthal concluded, “It is particularly important in these times that this campaign not be about politics, but that my leadership efforts continue to be about this community and its best interests.”

Mr Rosenthal has been a resident of Newtown since 1953. He and his wife Michelle are the parents of four children. Prior to becoming first selectman six years ago, Mr Rosenthal had been employed in the insurance, investment, and financial planning field since 1971. He was a longtime member of the Board of Education, serving as chairman for much of that time.

Mr Rosenthal was elected for the first time in 1997 when he soundly defeated Republican Russ Melita. The GOP failed to put up a first selectman candidate in 1999, and Mr Rosenthal ran unopposed. In 2001, he defeated Republican Owen Carney, who has been endorsed by the Republican Town Committee as its first selectman candidate to run once again against Mr Rosenthal.

It is expected that William Sheluck, who also recently announced his intent to seek the Republican nomination to run for first selectman, will be nominated from the floor at the Republican caucus Wednesday, July 16. Mr Sheluck is a retired bank CEO and former chairman of the recent Charter Revision Commission.

A Republican primary in September may be likely, depending upon decisions made following next week’s Republican caucus.