Attacks Without Facts

To the Editor:

There were two letters in last week’s “Letter Hive,” one by Kevin Fitzgerald [“Where Are The Other Headlines About The New Town Hall?”] and the other by Phil Dinielli [“Painted Into A Corner”], that require a response.

Mr Fitzgerald’s letter follows his repeated pattern of making false statements when he said that we agree “to million-dollar penalties” in the town and school office project underway at Fairfield Hills. I guess his philosophy is: why let facts stand in the way of a sensational letter. The Town of Newtown would not be subject to penalties for canceling the O&G design-build contract for the town and school offices in a renovated Bridgeport Hall at Fairfield Hills. O&G works with many municipalities and did not seek penalties nor would our attorneys have recommended a contract with penalties against the town, nor would the Board of Selectmen have approved such a contract, nor would I have signed one. If Mr Fitzgerald had reviewed the contract, which is a public record on file at the town hall, before writing his letter, he would have known that. He also stated that we “rushed to sign contracts to build a new town hall in just the last few months.” That is another false statement. In fact, O&G was selected from five competing construction management firms in a public process almost two years ago. There have been many newspaper articles about their selection, the process of selecting the architects that followed, and the review of first Shelton House, and then Bridgeport Hall as the site for the renovations. The proposed interior design has appeared in newspaper articles and on the Town of Newtown website almost a year ago.

Mr Dinielli’s letter follows his pattern of personal attacks also without facts. He falsely labeled the O&G contract “one-sided” without ever reading the contract. In fact, most of the protections in the contract benefit the Town of Newtown, not O&G. A friend of mine who retired after a long career as a Naval Officer refers to people like Mr Dinielli as “send button commandos.” They sit alone at their computers in the safety of their homes and “bravely” e-mail their attack letters without ever having to interact face to face or even on the telephone with the people who are the subjects of their vitriol. I don’t think that I have ever met Phil Dinielli. In fact, Joe Bojnowski and I stopped at Mr Dinielli’s condo when we were campaigning, and he would not come to the door.

Sincerely,

Herb Rosenthal

70 Main Street, Newtown                                         December 4, 2007