Time To Make A Change

To the Editor:

Last week I read in The Bee where the charter panel is going to have to make a decision on maintaining the role of the first selectman or change to a council (town) manager form of government.

Mr Rosenthal spent two hours discussing his role and that of the Board of Selectman. I think the time has come to make a change. Maybe a town manager could get things done. For years we have heard about Fairfield Hills and nothing has been done. We closed one of our town pools without a replacement plan. Danbury has a beautiful public golf course that makes the town money. Ridgefield is building a new rec center for the kids (they already have a senior center). New Milford built a new high school. Where is our plan, Mr Selectman? We need vision, leadership, and someone who can make a difference. We need a senior center, a new teen center, to replace the town pool.

In the article, Mr Rosenthal references an upcoming town meeting to endorse the purchase of a new fire truck. He expects less then a dozen people to show up. The people of Newtown are smart enough to know if our equipment that protects us is aged, go and get a new one. An idea would be for our selectman to sit down with the authority create a long-term town plan, include costs, needs of the taxpayers (both young and old), a timeline for execution and include alternatives, and ask the people of Newtown to pick which plan they support. Once the great people of Newtown have decided, you need to execute the plan. If that seems too difficult, we need a change, maybe it doesn’t need to be the role, but at least the person.

Tim McDonald

11 Fox Hollow Lane, Sandy Hook                           August 14, 2006