To the Editor:

Back in 2017, the Rosenthals are frantically printing and taping pieces of paper to the side of our house as a makeshift teleprompter. We are out on the deck, propping up a cell phone to announce the news that would break the internet: our dad was running for First Selectman. And boy — how little we knew about what the ensuing years would hold.

Since then, we’ve had the honor of watching from the sidelines as our dad led our home through some of the craziest times our world and community had ever seen. We’re actually not sure how he did it — but he has led with grace, compassion and strength every step of the way.

Our school nights consisted of finishing dinner, doing our homework, then coming back downstairs to sit with dad as he ate his microwaved meal when he got home from a board meeting at 9 pm. We’ve read countless bedtime stories on Facebook Live, listened to far too many code-red phone recordings, accidentally crept into the back of Zoom meetings, tagged along to ribbon cuttings, and even had a baby bear rescue mission during our college graduation. Even though we couldn’t make it ten feet in the grocery store without running into someone Dad knew, we feel so lucky to have been right there through it all.

And to our mom — the real brains of the operation — thank you for being our glue.

We couldn’t have known what the past six years were going to hold, but one thing has always remained true: Our dad loves Newtown and held himself to the highest standard to lead it. Our parents have made us feel incredibly privileged to call this town our home, and we are beyond grateful that our dad, grandfather and great-grandfather have done everything they could to leave a lasting and impactful legacy here. It is truly a special place that I know our father felt a great responsibility and honor to serve. Dad — we know how proud Grandpa Jack is of you too.

From macrobursts to pandemics, this community has really seen so much during our dad’s time in office. We’ve learned every day seeing him steer the ship and thank the community for being part of our lives too. We couldn’t be more proud and honored to call Dan Rosenthal our dad.

Gratefully,

Emi, Ben and Hana Rosenthal