Candidates Outline Issues For 2003 Campaign

By Jan Howard

Fairfield Hills, open space acquisition, financial strength of the town, efficiency in government, economic development, leadership, volunteerism, and the record of the incumbent — these are just a few of the issues the two candidates for first selectman have put on the agenda for the upcoming campaign.

Democrat First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and his Republican challenger William Sheluck were endorsed last week by their respective party caucuses. This week Mr Sheluck was assured of his candidacy when Owen Carney, the Republican Town Committee endorsed candidate who was outpolled by Mr Sheluck at the caucus, 82-52, decided not to petition for a primary vote.

Running On A Record

When an incumbent is running, his or her record is always an issue, Mr Rosenthal said. “I think the record will show that my administration has had a successful six years,” he said, citing its record on infrastructure, finances, and public safety, among others.

“We’ve delivered on our promises,” he said. “This administration’s accomplished a lot, but I can’t do it alone.”

Ability of the first selectman to work with other governmental bodies is the key to getting things accomplished, he noted. “I have a proven record of working with the Legislative Council, Board of Finance, and other governmental bodies.

Mr Rosenthal said he has a proven style of open government. “My door is always open,” he said, adding he makes a conscious effort to respond to all phone calls.

He said he practices a bipartisan government when appointing members to boards and commissions. “I’ve tried to take the approach that it’s not just a political appointment. I try to pick the best people.”

He pointed to his experience on the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen as well as other governmental agencies, such as Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, Housatonic Economic Development Partnership, Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM), Council of Small Towns, and CCM’s Task Force on Property Tax Reform. The knowledge he has gained from membership on these agencies has benefited Newtown, he said.

He discussed the tension between the need for public services and the people’s ability to pay, as witnessed in the last budget period. “You have to be aware of the balance. You have to recognize the needs but also recognize the taxpayers don’t have unlimited funds to spend.”

He explained that over the past five years there has been a total increase in the budget of ten percent. This year, there was a four percent decrease. That cut in the town budget, he said “left more water in the well to take care of education.”

Mr Rosenthal said his administration is running the government efficiently. “Can we do better? Certainly,” he said. “If you feel satisfied, that there is no more to be done, then you should leave office. We have many challenges ahead.”

He sees Newtown’s first selectman as a facilitator, encouraging people to volunteer and be successful on boards and commissions. “The first selectman can set a tone or style,” he said. The first selectman should be a consensus builder, he noted.

The most difficult thing is to get people to volunteer to run for office, Mr Rosenthal said. “We’ve been criticized because we don’t have challenges to incumbents, but people do not come forward to volunteer. I’d like to see more people involved. We wouldn’t be the town we have without the people who volunteer their time and treasure.”

As to Fairfield Hills, Mr Rosenthal said, the master plan “is a good plan. It received the unanimous support of the Board of Selectmen and the Legislative Council. The Advisory Committee worked very hard.”

He said everyone was committed to a process that involved the public. “On August 12 [the date of the advisory referendum on the master plan], we will have done what we said we’d do.

“It’s flexible enough to allow future generations to make decisions on the property. If it needs to be modified, there is a method to change it. I think the process was a success. ”

The Fairfield Hills Authority would have very narrow responsibilities, he explained. “It has no vast power. It has administrative functions only. The Legislative Council and the selectmen did a good job in approving modifications that clearly set out responsibilities and how the plan would be implemented.

“Fairfield Hills is the heart of the community. It is a vital part of Newtown’s future,” he said, offering possible future uses for recreation, governmental and school buildings, fields, cultural arts, among other uses.

Mr Rosenthal said he hopes the plan is approved. “We need to get the process moving forward. There has not been a more studied or researched project over the last ten to 12 years. It’s time to get the plan in place and implement some things.”

In regard to public safety, Newtown is one of the first towns to implement a state mandated emergency medical dispatch system. “It’s an important public safety issue that a committee has worked on for some time,” he said. “It’s an important benefit to the community.” He said the town has also upgraded its emergency radio system in regard to homeland security and other issues.

Mr Rosenthal said he reinstituted the Open Space Task Force, which has identified parcels of land of more than ten acres and sent letters to land owners asking them to consider selling the property to the town. “The Legislative Council committed by consensus to looking at an authorization so in the future when parcels come available we can go out and purchase them,” he said.

In August, Mr Rosenthal said he is planning a joint meeting of the Legislative Council, Board of Selectmen, and Board of Finance to hear presentations on how to set up a significant program of open space acquisition.

One of his administration’s accomplishments, Mr Rosenthal said is an upgrade to AA 2 for the town’s bond rating, the third highest rating, and the second upgrade in the last three years, reaping significant savings for the town in interest payments. “It shows that our financial planning and our house is in order or Moody’s would not have increased our bond rating.”

Mr Rosenthal said his background in financial consulting is a personal strength. “I’ve developed a lot of budgets over the last 20 years, on the Board of Education and as first selectman. It is very different from the private sector.

“In a political campaign, it always comes up that it’s time for a change. That’s a two-edged sword,” Mr Rosenthal said. “When hiring a first selectman, if thinking of changing, what’s the upside and what’s the downside? The voters have invested six years in me.”

Questions About          Fairfield Hills

Republican challenger William Sheluck believes that Fairfield Hills would be a major issue in the upcoming campaign. “It’s right in the heart of town,” he said. “It can be a deciding factor of what Newtown would look like ten to 15 years from now.

“I’m concerned we are going to make poor short-term decisions that will come back to hurt us in the long run,” he said.

Of the master plan for Fairfield Hills, Mr Sheluck said it should be fluid and flexible. “There are too many questions. I consider it not a plan but a wish list.”

Mr Sheluck said he is also concerned about establishing a Fairfield Hills Authority that would have certain pieces of property assigned to it “before we have really assessed town needs.”

Mr Sheluck said he believes the town will not take title to the property until next spring at the earliest. “I don’t know why we’re rushing into approving the master plan and authority.”

He said the vote to appropriate the $21 million expenditure for Fairfield Hills was “not an overwhelming endorsement” because the town meeting that approved it also included other items on the agenda, such as the 5/6 school, improvements to Edmond Town Hall, and other items.

Interest in a new school was used as a means to gain approval of the Fairfield Hills property, he said, adding that most people attending that town meeting did not understand what they were voting for in regard to Fairfield Hills.

He said Newtown should negotiate an agreement with the state to protect the town in regard to Fairfield Hills. “The state’s not willing to hold us harmless,” he said. He said a hold harmless agreement should be negotiated with the state “in the best interest of the people of Newtown.”

Mr Sheluck contends there is no overwhelming support for the master plan for Fairfield Hills because of a lack of knowledge about the plan.

“How many people are going to go to the town hall or the library and read through the master plan or even the summary,” Mr Sheluck said.

“The first selectman has chosen a date [for the advisory referendum] that he’s comfortable with because of its being a future primary date in Connecticut,” he said. “People don’t vote in primaries.

“If it’s approved, what’s the turnout that would be considered sufficient to believe this is the will of the town?” he questioned.

Mr Sheluck said the people are being asked to vote this summer on the master plan even though the town is not in a position financially to do anything on the site for a while. Additional bonding would have to take place first, he added.

Mr Sheluck noted his support for an open space initiative. “I’m in favor of it,” he said. He questioned, however, “What is the best use of taxpayer dollars right now?” He said it is necessary to focus on what are Newtown’s needs before allocating any large amount of money.

“They’ve talked about a town hall, recreation center, a new school, and cultural arts,” he said. “It’s just discussion. Nothing is settled.”

Mr Sheluck said the town has had a poor record in open space acquisition, explaining that the state program that would provide up to 50 percent for open space acquisition had not been utilized in the past. Last year was the first year the town benefited from it, he added.

“We’ve given money away by not taking advantage of that plan,” he said. “We have to have a plan.” The town needs to determine where property is up for sale and influence people to sell to the town, he said. “We have to make it happen.

“Properties have been identified, but no one has done anything with that information,” Mr Sheluck said. “The first selectman should be proactive.”

However, he noted, “We don’t need to rush into a decision like that right now because of the economic condition we find ourselves in.”

Mr Sheluck said he is not sure how effectively the town government is managed. “I would take a fresh look at how decisions are made,” he said. “How do we manage our highway expenditures? Is there a better way? Should it be outsourced rather than keeping equipment and people?

“A fresh look at how we make decisions could bring some efficiencies,” he said.

Mr Sheluck said he would work consistently to see that tax dollars are being spent in the most efficient manner.

He said another issue is the lack of attracting new businesses to town. “There are certain places for opportunities to bring in new business,” he said. He said a recent acquisition of open space in Fairfield Hills could make the packaging of an adjacent commercial area more attractive to business.

“We should look at how we approach new business opportunities in town,” he said. Mr Sheluck said as first selectman he would sit down with the Planning and Zoning Commission to make the process friendlier.

He said there is a lack of planning for business. He said Route 25 is a “hodgepodge of businesses with no common bond. It’s not even aesthetically pleasing. We should plan how an area is to be developed.”

Mr Sheluck said, “There is a feeling in town we need leadership. We’re not getting it now. There were new faces at the Republican caucus. I think they feel disenfranchised and not part of the process.”

Mr Sheluck said he expects to speak to as many people as he can to determine what they believe are the needs of the town.

“Newtown is going to grow,” he said. “We just have to control how it grows. This can be accomplished through vision, leadership, and management.

“We have to make decisions that are as good as they can be for people who’ll be here long after us,” he said. “It is very easy to decide today’s needs, but you have to balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s needs.

“We owe something to the people who come after us,” Mr Sheluck said, “so they will say that the people who were here before them made the right decisions.”