The transfer of power, which is normally relatively peaceful and argument-free here in Newtown, was contested on two of the town’s major boards with the members of the Legislative Council having a disagreement over whether its vice-chairman should be a Democrat or Republican, and the Board of Finance ending its meeting in a tie-vote stalemate over who should be its chairman.

As many of us have increasingly found it difficult enough to discuss politics at the dinner table or with friends and acquaintances without it ending in a bitter argument, and the national mood around politics becoming less about compromise and doing what’s best for all Americans and more about ramming through partisan agendas in spite of the objections of those who disagree politically, it’s a shame to see similar squabbles coming to our local boards.

Newtown’s local boards have a long history of working well in a bipartisan manner, sharing power, and otherwise making its decisions about serving all residents of town, regardless of disagreements over whether the Red team is better or the Blue team is better. Newtown itself seems fairly evenly split politically, with boards still changing hands fairly regularly, whereas in many other towns and cities, one party or the other has become deeply entrenched.

First Selectman Jeff Capeci himself noted, in a speech following his swearing in, that his desire was to “represent all residents” and not just Republicans. He said he would “listen to concerns, make sure your voices are heard, and that the government reflects your needs.”

It is in that spirit that we hope that these initial disagreements can be put behind us and that both the Legislative Council and the Board of Finance can find their footing and be bodies that also represent all residents. The Board of Finance, in particular, has its work cut out for it, with a 3-3 split between the parties and two hopefuls for chair who have yet to express any desire to step aside for the good of the board and the town. While The Bee has, and will express, no preference in which candidate gets the final nod on that board, we will express that we hope the situation is resolved amicably and in a way that sets the board on a path for congenial relations in the future.