Council Candidates

Top Political Pizza

By Steve Bigham

In Newtown, they are calling the 1999 political season a bit of a snoozer, but when it comes to politics, things can heat up in a hurry. If that is going to happen, it will happen at next Tuesday’s Pizza & Politics Night.

Doors open for the annual Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event at 6 pm Tuesday at the Fireside Inn. Pizza and salad will hit the tables at 6:30 pm and the debate gets underway at 7:30 pm. The cost is $8 per person, $5 for students and seniors.

The Newtown Lions Club is co-sponsoring the event, taking over for the League of Women Voters, which disbanded this past spring.

For just the second time this century, there is no first selectman’s race in Newtown (the Republicans failed to find a candidate to run against Herb Rosenthal). So with Mr Rosenthal guaranteed a free ride back into office, this year’s political spotlight shines on the Legislative Council where 18 candidates are vying for 12 seats. Organizers say they plan to put all 18 of them up on the podium together. This will be a new experience for council candidates who have never before been asked to speak at the forum.

It has been said that the annual political season begins at Newtown’s Labor Day Parade. But with things being relatively quiet since September 6, the start of this year’s season may come next week with a slice of pizza. Election Day is November 2.

The event will be moderated by a state-level official from the League of Women Voters and will follow a format that allows the public to ask general questions. Each candidate will have a cumulative time limit of five minutes to speak and can respond to any of the questions. Every candidate does not have to answer every question and no candidate will be permitted to dominate the 90-minute debate. There will be opportunity for rebuttal.

So will sparks fly? Probably not, say council members. To have a heated political season you need controversy. The Legislative Council seems to be working well together and there appears to be little friction with First Selectman Herb Rosenthal.

“The town is working well and working together. That’s a good thing, but it does not make for a colorful election. You have good people working hard for the town,” noted longtime council member Melissa Pilchard.

No doubt, the large number of impending capital projects currently facing the town will be discussed, as will the future re-use of Fairfield Hills. Everyone will want to know which proposed development plans candidates favor. Should the town buy the land or should the town allow an outside developer to come in and take over? And since these questions have never been asked of council members, the responses may have pizza eaters on the edge of their seats.

This week, the Legislative Council was slated to meet with members of the Fairfield Hills Selection Committee who will have the final say on which developer is chosen. Ultimately, the town of Newtown will have right-of-first-refusal on whether it wants to purchase the land.

With the focus now on the council, many believe this is a perfect year to make sure council members make good on their promises. It all starts over a slice of pizza next Tuesday.

This year’s Legislative Council candidates include:

District 1: Charles B. Browne, III (D), Melissa Pilchard (D), Pierre Rochman (R), Daniel Rosenthal (D), Donald Studley (R), Edward Lucas (R);

District 2: Peggy Baiad (D), Joseph Borst (R), Douglas Brennan (R), Andrew Buzzi (R), Joseph Hemingway (D), Timothy Holian (D);

District 3: Ruby Johnson (D), John Kortze (R), William Rodgers (R), Lisa Schwartz (D), Brian White (R), Anna Wiedeman (D).