Republican Candidates Accept Independent Support, With Reservations

By John Voket

A local political group seeking to become an established local party has thrown its support to three leading Republican candidates seeking several top elected offices in November. The support was subsequently acknowledged and accepted by the three Republicans, though one of those candidates summarily rejected the group’s campaign platform.

In a press release Monday, the Independent Party of Newtown committee indicated its support of the Republican team of Joe Borst for first selectman and Paul Mangiafico for selectman in this fall’s election. The IPN release said the committee will also support the candidacy of Republican Robert A. Mulholland, Sr, for a seat on the Planning & Zoning Commission.

The IPN grew out of a school advocacy group, We Care About Newtown (WeCAN), which began organizing more than a year ago to advocate for increased school spending and aggressively criticized school budget cuts. While naming itself a party, the IPN committee cannot achieve the legal status of a minor party until securing a certain percentage of votes in the November elections.

“Joe, Paul, and Bob are independent thinkers who, like the candidates for IPN, desire to see a change at the top of our town government,” said IPN spokesperson Po Murray, who is also a Legislative Council candidate on the party’s petitioning ticket.

Declaring his own independence, however, Mr Mangiafico told The Bee Wednesday that he rejects in total the IPN’s so-called “Declaration of Independence,” a multipoint platform that promises, among other things, greater accountability, transparency, and enhanced checks and balances in local government functions.

“I don’t support their platform. I’m running on the Republican ticket,” Mr Mangiafico said. “There is no reciprocity in them supporting me. I’m representing all Republicans running on the Republican line.”

This week, the IPN e-newsletter took the Democrats and Republicans to task for failing to produce platforms, or introduce any significant campaign issues, saying, “We anxiously await the detailed platforms from the Democratic and Republican Town Committees so that the citizens of Newtown will have an opportunity to evaluate where they and their candidates stand on the issues compared to IPN.” The group has posted its own platform on its website (www.independentpartyofnewtown.com).

“However, the RTC and DTC so far have chosen to react to our platform rather than provide their own platforms,” the IPN newsletter stated.

When asked why he is accepting the support of a political entity that is criticizing the under ticket of his own declared party, Mr Mangiafico said IPN is entitled to its point of view.

“It doesn’t bother me. If Herb Rosenthal wanted to support me, I would accept his support,” Mr Mangiafico said of the incumbent first selectman, who is a Democrat. “It doesn’t mean I agree with him or with anything IPN is doing. And there are things IPN is doing that I don’t agree with.”

Despite Mr Mangiafico’s assertions, the IPN release states its slate of candidates looks forward to working with the three Republicans. Mr Borst, who currently serves on the Legislative Council, said he was also firmly behind the entire GOP ticket, but in regard to the IPN endorsement, he said, “I’m in support of any Newtown voters who want to vote for me.”

When asked why Mr Borst was accepting support from a party and some of its members who were highly critical of fellow Republican Council Chairman Will Rodgers, who is a candidate this fall, and finance board chairman John Kortze, Mr Borst said he has “heard rumors,” about the negative statements but has not heard any criticism of those officials directly.

“It’s Will’s and John’s problem, not mine,” Mr Borst said. “People have a right to speak their piece.”

Mr Borst then said while he did not read the IPN news e-mail, he was looking forward to answering to the IPN’s call for a GOP platform, “once the Republicans get it together.”

Mr Mulholland said he thought the IPN support came in part as recognition of his work as a Planning & Zoning alternate since 2003. But Mr Mulholland also said he was in full support of the GOP ticket.

“The majority of people in town are unaffiliated,” he said. “For every issue facing the town there are three sides with ideas on how to deal with it. I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with any of them.”

Independent Party spokesperson Gary Davis said IPN candidates would actively support Mr Borst, Mr Mangiafico, and Mr Mulholland, as well as Ruby Johnson, an unaffiliated candidate for Legislative Council in District 3.

He added that IPN would continue to assess other candidates for town positions it might support.

“We need a change from the same old approaches to government that have led to a lack of vision and long-range planning, and deterioration of our school, town, and recreational infrastructures,” said Mr Davis in the release.

Mr Borst, who at age 80 has served Newtown in some elected or appointed political capacity for 47 years, said he plans to campaign on improving communication between some town departments. But Mr Borst said it is “not fair” for him to name which departments he is referring to.

The candidate said he was also against using speed bumps as a means to improve traffic control in the town’s center.

“We’ve got to do something about the traffic situation in town. I don’t think putting in speed bumps is the answer,” Mr Borst said, adding that he is concurrently working on other suggestions to pose to the Republican Town Committee for the forthcoming platform.

Responding to the IPN’s criticism, Democratic Town Committee Chairman Earl Smith suggested that a platform often causes as much liability as a benefit politically.

“Who needs a platform? You have to look at the accomplishments of the people running, not a wish list,” Mr Smith said. “After decades in Democratic politics, I have seen too many sincere people promising things in a platform that have taken 20 years to see their promises implemented. A platform is only as good as the ability for people to implement it.”

Mr Smith said to let all the parties put up their best candidates “because in two years it will be those who are elected this November who will be ultimately be accountable for their promises.”