New Administration Will Focus On Fairfield Hills Projects

By John Voket

Without making any promises, the newly elected Republican team of First Selectman Joseph Borst and Selectman Paul Mangiafico said they are committed to a full review of all activities at Fairfield Hills. Both officials agreed in separate interviews with The Newtown Bee following the election that public concern over the town-owned campus and former state hospital was among the driving forces that motivated voters to seat new leadership.

Mr Borst said one of his first responsibilities upon taking office will be to evaluate the whole project. He expressed disappointment that a recent presentation on phase one developments to the Legislative Council by the Fairfield Hills Authority failed to touch on how the management panel was planning to fund future development phases.

The future first selectman said he would honor his promise to scrutinize the status of a town office project to determine if it can be stopped or put on hold.

“The construction [phase] is still not out to bid,” Mr Borst said. Whatever the final outcome on that matter, Mr Borst said he will work to keep the public well-informed on any future action at the facility.

He said he was never happy with the idea of Bridgeport Hall housing town offices, and that he “liked the idea” brought forth by Independent Party of Newtown (IPN) contenders who are calling to use existing bonded funds to clear two vacant buildings from around the site of a new private recreation facility already scheduled to be built on the campus.

Mr Mangiafico recalled a letter he wrote to The Bee about a year ago opposing public spending for a new town hall at Fairfield Hills. While he concedes that new town office space is a “good idea,” he still feels that spending the money at this point is “not wise.”

“I was opposed to the idea before it was fashionable to oppose it,” Mr Mangiafico said. “But I don’t know if it is too late to do anything about it. If we must continue on the existing course, we have to move on.

“We can’t cry over spilled milk,” Mr Mangiafico added.

Outgoing first selectman Herb Rosenthal said it was hard for him to speculate on what kinds of changes might be effected by the new administration.

“The voters didn’t mandate a big change on the council. They returned six of the seven incumbents,” Mr Rosenthal observed. “And the Democrats who are new were all strong supporters of my administration’s work.”

Mr Rosenthal said throughout the town hall project planning stages, he received support from a number of leading elected officials and bodies, including the Board of Finance and the council.

“Even Mr Borst supported all the initiatives our administration put forward,” Mr Rosenthal said of the newly elected first selectman.

The outgoing official said as he was weighing future options, that he was most concerned about any inference of wrongdoing in his administration.

“I prize honesty and integrity most, and any aspersions to that end are unfair and untrue,” Mr Rosenthal said. “I understand certain people wanted certain things, but sometimes you just can’t, or don’t have the authority to do what they want.”

He said a comment of his was widely interpreted by opponents, and taken out of context. The comment related to a statement he said he made during a February council meeting at the Newtown Middle School.

“Maybe I didn’t articulate it well, but I was making a case for the decision I made based on all the facts and the support of many other town officials and boards,” Mr Rosenthal said. “I was just being honest and stating the obvious. I was not being arrogant when I said that voters always have the option to vote for someone else if they don’t agree.”

Reelected council chair Will Rodgers foresees changes happening under a new administration, but he was not certain at this early juncture how any changes would play out.

“I was pleased to see Joe [Borst] publicly calling for a review of the Fairfield Hills projects, versus more dire statements,” Mr Rodgers said. “That said, changes at Fairfield Hills may be among the first voters see.”

Mr Borst said he was also anxious to establish a citizens academy, which would be similar to the citizens police academy. The first selectman-elect said the program would be based on a similar popular curriculums in New London and Windsor.

“It would be perfect for anyone interested in hearing from elected officials and department heads throughout the town about the processes of our government,” Mr Borst said.

Representatives from IPN were pleased to have apparently qualified for minor party status in every race they positioned candidates. Party co-founder and successful council challenger Po Murray said the group will offer plenty of choices in future elections, with the goal of promoting contested races for elected positions.

“This will make the elected officials more accountable to the voters,” she said. “IPN also plans to open the floodgates to allow more citizens interested in town government to participate.”

Councilman-elect and IPN co-founder Gary Davis anticipates seeing much more public participation in addressing the issues facing the community.

“The results of this election have given people hope that we will now forge a new direction for Newtown, and that the public will be invited to play a greater role in that process,” Mr Davis said. “I know that I will be challenging existing policies and practices to get the most out of the talents of my fellow elected officials, and I will be encouraging the public to do the same.”

The councilman-elect added, “I also see Po and myself pressing the Legislative Council to amend its ordinance governing the Fairfield Hills Authority. The council should take on greater oversight of activities at Fairfield Hills to provide stronger checks and balances on how our money is being spent by the Board of Selectmen to develop the property.”