To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Herb Rosenthal for first selectman and Joe Bojnowski for Board of Selectman in the upcoming election. I am part of the large contingency that is very satisfied with our town and where our government is leading us. “Preserving the Character of Newtown” is more than just a campaign slogan for these men. It only takes one look at our Labor Day Parade (or one of the other many town events) to experience firsthand the pride we all have in our town. The list of those who tirelessly devote hours volunteering to make our town bright is very, very long. Dedicated employees that are motivated to do their best are motivated by strong leadership. Years and years of hard work have gone into bringing Newtown to where we are today: it has not just happened by coincidence without a plan. Many will continue to work together to improve our town and, yes, some of it will be behind the scenes as it is in all functional organizations. We will continue to see similarly appropriate avenues taken as Herb and Joe lead a full team of dedicated public servants in exactly the right direction. Personally I can’t wait to spend more time at Fairfield Hills as its metamorphosis continues.

We have all suffered enough listening to the steady flow of insults and criticisms against Newtown’s current leadership. I am of course for free speech and democracy and all of those wonderful gifts we are privileged to enjoy (after all I am writing a letter to the editor) but this negative and divisive stance only serves one purpose: to bring others down so that you can get elected yourself. I think the IPN membership as a whole lack a sufficient understanding of the diversity of our entire community, making it challenging for them to work for change from within. The IPN leadership has not exhibited an ability to work with any other boards and commissions the way they work with Board of Education members. Perhaps if they criticized the BOE the way they do the other boards and board members, they might not achieve their platform of shifting local taxpayer dollars to school system priorities as they see them, and before all other local or municipal needs.

I am a huge education supporter myself, but I think you get my point. The IPN candidates have adequately proven they cannot or will not work collaboratively with others or to build consensus, and have never exhibited willingness to compromise. Leadership ala WeCAN/IPN, with their clichéd sound bytes, clever marketing, and frequently changing agendas over the last two years, has brought too much hypocrisy and self-righteous attitude. Newtown deserves better.

Let’s face the issues as a whole community and move forward by electing some tried and true public servants in this election. Let’s elect candidates that deserve our trust.

Sarah Beier

7 Yogananda Street, Sandy Hook                          October 24, 2007