Comments Clarified

To the Editor:

First, a thank you for so many people coming to Margot’s retirement reception last Friday evening at the Alexandria Room at the Edmond Town Hall. Thank you all for coming.

Apparently, however, I need to set the record straight, because my remarks at the reception have been misconstrued.

I am not supporting any candidate running for her unexpired term in the election being held this November, including Peggy Jepsen, her clerk, who is not a lawyer.

The background of the remarks being misconstrued is that the Connecticut General Assembly this year enacted a dreadful law consolidating probate districts. The legislation contains a prohibition on having a probate judge who is not a lawyer starting with the 2010 election. That limitation is probably unconstitutional because probate judges are elected and being a lawyer is not a qualification required by the Connecticut constitution. The part of my speech being construed as an endorsement for Peggy Jepsen was that Newtown has had a probate court for 189 years and in that entire time had only one judge who was a lawyer. We researched that point in the 1990 election when Margot and Attorney Ray Connor were the candidates.

I made the comment partly because I am proud of my wife for having done a good job without being a lawyer, and partly because the primary architect of the legislation, Connecticut probate court administrator, Judge Paul Knierim, was an invited guest and in the room. He knows how I feel about the legislation, and I am sure he understood that my comments were directed at the stupidity of it.

The voters need to look at the three candidates and evaluate which of them will best serve Newtown’s interest, not only for the remainder of Margot’s term but also in the upcoming consolidation when the new district, expected to consist of Newtown, Bethel, Redding and Ridgefield is adopted. Which of them is strong enough to be nominated as a candidate for judge in the entire district in 2010, and win. The winning part is critical, because with a linear district the seat of curt is almost guaranteed to be in Bethel and not Newtown unless we have a Newtown judge who can arrange to sit here anyway, regardless of where the records are stored.

I close by stating that Newtown Republicans and Democrats fought against this outcome all year, with First Selectmen Joe Borst, being particularly helpful. The General Assembly simply was not listening.

Sincerely yours

Robert H. Hall

5 Nettleton Avenue, Newtown                             September 15, 2009