Factions Emerge –

Council Divided, But Not Along Party Lines

By Steve Bigham

In Newtown these days, you may need a scorecard to determine who is from what political party. Few issues, if any, are decided along party lines. This has been particularly true on the Legislative Council.

In its recent dealings, the council has found out that the issues themselves seem to have more of a constituency among voters and public officials than the political parties do. Some say that the mere nature of local politics seems to lead to non-partisan voting. That may be especially true in Newtown.

“There doesn’t seem to be any voting along party lines,” noted First Selectman Herb Rosenthal. “Once the elections are over, everyone goes to work for the good of the town.”

Democratic Town Committee Chairman Earl J. Smith said he served for three terms on the council and can’t remember ever having a Democratic or Republican vote.

“People vote on issues and don’t vote along partisan lines,” he said.

The current Legislative Council has been split into two non-political factions, and the split was apparent at last week’s regular meeting of the council. During a discussion on the formation of the Charter Revision Commission, the council tried to reconcile two competing views, with a handful of members taking the middle ground. The Fairfield Hills issue has also created a split on the council.

Voting records indicate that there is a group of neutral members who tend to be the swing votes on various issues. They include Don Studley, Brian White, and Peggy Baiad, as well as John Kortze and Joe Borst to a lesser extent – all Republicans except Mrs Baiad, who is a Democrat.

Voting records also indicate that the factions pit Dan Rosenthal and Tim Holian, both Democrats, and Republican Will Rodgers against Pierre Rochman and Doug Brennan, both Republicans, and Democrats Melissa Pilchard and Ruby Johnson.

Republican Town Committee Chairman Marie Sturdevant, who also serves as the council’s clerk, has closely watched the evolution of these factions.

“It bothers me very much,” she said this week. “Other councils really became very cohesive quickly. I’ve never seen factions like this before. It’s hard to explain. I would hope that they would be a little bit more cohesive in communicating with one another.”

Mr Smith called it disappointing to hear of the infighting that has gone on during recent Legislative Council meetings.

“Sometimes I’m disturbed that certain members seem to be bent on coming out with their own agenda. It makes for some unpleasantness at council meetings,” he said. “By and large the majority of council members want to do a conscientious job and they want to address the issues objectively and avoid bringing their own prejudices into the area. I hope the Legislative Council can discipline themselves and try to look objectively at issues. That’s their responsibility.”

Mr Studley is considered one of the more neutral members of the council; so neutral, he says, that he often doesn’t know what is going on until he arrives at the meeting.

“The council has been fairly contentious over probably the last year,” he said. “Why it’s that way is hard to pinpoint. I think the reason we haven’t agreed on issues is related to personality more than anything else.”

Mr Studley said he sees some council members involved in a “political game” and tending to enjoy creating a “fomenting of dissension.”

The recurring disputes between the two factions were described by one person at a recent council meeting as “the best show in town.” Others have walked out disgusted with the proceedings.

Four Newtown High School government students attended last week’s meeting. They were there to get information on the Charter Revision Commission for their senior project. They may have learned more about council division than charter revision.