Two Newtowners Join The Throng At Democratic National Convention

By Steve Bigham

Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Recent Newtown High School graduate Josh Stern happened to be interning in Joseph Lieberman’s Connecticut office this summer when Al Gore chose him as his running mate.

Suddenly, Josh, now a paid staffer, finds himself right in the middle of a national presidential campaign. On Tuesday, he headed off to Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention.

Josh, 17, joined the Lieberman team back in January when he landed an intern position through the NHS mentorship program. He worked part-time in the Lieberman office from January until earlier this summer when he became a paid member of the staff and started working full-time.

But the excitement doesn’t end there for Josh Stern. Later this summer he heads off to Dartmouth College where he will major in political science. The son of Michael and Karen Stern has had an interest in politics since he was a boy and chose Dartmouth for its strong political programs.

But what if Senator Lieberman asks Josh to remain with the staff right on through the November election? He’s heading off to college no matter what, says his mother.

“At this point, he’s going to college. He loves the campaign, but he’s also very excited about going to college,” she said.

For the past two summers, Josh took part in a special program at Georgetown University where he and other high school students studied political science. He also started the NHS chapter of Junior State of America (JSA), which puts on mock congressional hearings and travels around the state competing against other junior chapters. Josh was also a member of the high school’s debating team.

Newtown resident Brad Greene is also in Los Angeles this week for the convention. Mr Greene left as a Bill Bradley delegate but was expected to ultimately cast his vote for Al Gore.

The Bradley delegate, whose first name is Bradley, left Sunday from… Bradley International Airport, of course.

“I got involved right after Bradley announced his candidacy,” Mr Greene said last week. “I got on his Web site and indicated an interest in volunteering. I was hooked up with a group from Connecticut and I actually worked for Bradley right up to the primary.”

Despite being a Bradley, Mr Greene says he also supports Vice President Gore and believes Joseph Lieberman was a good choice.

“I think he strengthens the ticket. I didn’t initially think he would be chosen, but if you look at what he brings from the standpoint of integrity he helps to separate Gore from the negative part of the Clinton administration,” said Mr Greene, 38, a new member of Newtown’s Democratic Town Committee.

As of last week, Mr Greene said he was still a Bradley delegate, but he and the 500 other Bradley delegates were scheduled to meet with the former New Jersey senator and NBA basketball star earlier this week to decide whether or not to release the delegates.

“I’m pledged to Bradley until he releases me,” Mr Greene said.

Brad and Lisa Greene moved to Newtown in 1994 along with their two children – Ryan, 13, and Lindsey, 11. After graduating from the University of Connecticut, he received his master’s degree from Cornell University and now works in human resources at GE in Plainville.