First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, who followed a similar municipal service path as his father Herb and grandfather Jack, told The Newtown Bee February 1 he was not planning to seek a fourth term as the community’s top elected leader.

In a written statement he provided the newspaper, Rosenthal admitted, “This is not a decision that I arrived at easily and without a great deal of soul searching.”

“Serving the town that I love has been a privilege of a lifetime and only gratitude comes to mind when I think about leaving it behind,” he stated.

Reflecting back six years when he decided to run for first selectman Rosenthal recalled, “My daughter, Hana, was still in high school, my daughter, Emi, in middle school and my son, Ben, was in fifth grade.”

“They, along with my wife, Meri, got behind me and gave me the push I needed to run and the love and support I needed to be able to do the job,” he said. “Fast forward to today and Hana is out of college, Emi is nearing the halfway mark in college, Ben is closing in on completing high school and Meri is home while I attend meeting upon meeting.”

Rosenthal said his loved ones “all sacrificed time with me and wholeheartedly supported a job with its 24/7 responsibilities.”

It’s time I give them all of my focus and attention,” he said.

One of the first people Rosenthal said he sat down with when contemplating running back in 2017 was current Selectman Maureen Crick Owen, who became and remained his running mate through the last three election cycles.

“Maureen had the same love for the town and approach to governing, we became fast friends and I am grateful that I was able to run and serve with her,” Rosenthal said. “She is unquestionably an asset to our community.”

After he was first elected Rosenthal said he reached out to former Selectman, Jeff Capeci.

“[I] said I very much wanted us to serve as a team of three,” Rosenthal said. “Jeff embraced that and always put the town first, never partisanship. That spirit has continued with Ed Schierloh and I am lucky to have served with both of them.”

Capeci has since gone on to be elected to the Legislative Council, where he is currently serving as chairman.

“What I have loved most about being First Selectman is the backstage pass I’ve had to witness all the truly remarkable things that happen day in and day out to move our town forward,” Rosenthal continued. “We are so fortunate to have a capable and dedicated town staff, along with an army of volunteers serving in a myriad of capacities to make Newtown the special place that it is.”

As Rosenthal begins the final months of his third term, he reminds Newtown residents that, “Our town depends on people stepping up to serve.”

“I hope that as the news of my plans makes its way into the community, someone will be inspired to consider taking on this role,” Rosenthal concluded. “I pledge to help ... in any way I am able. For the next ten months I will continue working hard for our community and cherish every minute of it.”

Editor John Voket can be reached at john@thebee.com.