On Fairfield Hills –

Council Chairman Says Rosenthal ‘Overreacted’

To Private Group’s Meeting With State Officials

By Steve Bigham

Town officials this week were still talking about Ruby Johnson’s unauthorized meeting with state officials to discuss Fairfield Hills… but not everyone was criticizing the hardworking Legislative Council member.

Legislative Council member Pierre Rochman believes First Selectman Herb Rosenthal may have overreacted when he harshly criticized Mrs Johnson in public.

“I didn’t personally think it was such a terrible thing,” Mr Rochman said this week. “I think he overreacted, but, had I been in his shoes, I may have had a different vision of it.”

To Mr Rochman, Mrs Johnson’s audience with state officials, including Richard Nuclo of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), appeared to be nothing more than a private citizen trying to get some answers.

But there were others on the council who shared Mr Rosenthal’s displeasure, calling Mrs Johnson’s actions “totally inappropriate.”

“Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown” arranged the meeting between itself and state officials without the consent of Mr Rosenthal, who last week voiced his displeasure, focusing most of his criticism on Mrs Johnson, who also serves as a member of the Legislative Council. The first selectman wondered how the move would affect the current negotiations he is conducting with the state.

Mr Rosenthal attempted to have the issue discussed openly at last week’s council meeting. However, the discussion was moved into executive session, which is closed to the public and the press. No official action was taken on the matter.

Mrs Johnson told The Bee last week that she, William Colbert, and Andrew Willie met with top-ranking state officials in an effort to get more information – the kind of information Mr Rosenthal was not providing to them due to the sensitivity of the proceedings. Mrs Johnson said she did not contact Mr Rosenthal prior to the meeting because she felt there was no reason to. “We are a private citizens group,” she said.

“Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown” advocates the town keeping Fairfield Hills as open space. It disagrees with the conclusions of Mr Rosenthal and the Fairfield Hills advisory committee, which advocates significant commercial development on the land to offset the high costs to buy and re-develop the property.

Council’s Role Questioned

Newtown resident and former selectmen K. Michael Snyder stood up at last week’s council meeting to say that the council does not have the authority to decide what goes on up at Fairfield Hills. Mr Snyder worked on both Fairfield Hills advisory committees since 1992 and believes the council can only say “yes” or “no” on whether it wants the town to spend the money.

“I just wanted to tell them that it wasn’t their position,” Mr Snyder said. “The editorial in The Bee a few weeks back was right on the button. I wanted them to know that someone other than The Bee felt the same way.”

The Newtown resident suggested the council terminate its recently created Fairfield Hills subcommittee, created by Mr Rochman and a source of contention among council members.

“Your study is a waste of time. It has been studied to death. Let the Board of Selectmen come back to you with a decision and then vote,” he said.

Mr Rochman says he disagrees with the sentiments of Mr Synder.

“What happens at Fairfield Hills has a very direct financial bearing on the town,” he said this week. “I think the council does have a responsibility to plan what’s going on there because it will have a major impact on what goes on in this town for many years.”