Baseless Logical Leaps

To the Editor:

Two letters in the Letter Hive last week contained inaccuracies as related to me.

Unfortunately, Bill Brimmer made a mistake in his letter last week detailing recent Republican accomplishments [“What The GOP Has Already Done”]. I am not the co-chair of the Legislative Council’s Ad Hoc Facilities Management Committee that I created as chair of the Legislative Council. Instead, Paul Lundquist, a Democrat recently appointed to the council and thereafter appointed by me to that committee, now co-chairs that committee with Pat Llodra (the committee chose its own co-chairs). Presumably most readers recognized the mistake as just that, a mistake, because ordinarily a chair of a larger body does not serve as a chair of any lesser body. In addition, most leadership positions are split between the two major parties. Hopefully that one error did not obscure the larger message Mr Brimmer intended to convey, to wit, the Republican party’s accomplishments for Newtown.

In a separate letter last week, Sarah Hemingway, vice chair of the Democratic Town Committee and a daughter of Joe Hemingway, one of my opponents for the Board of Selectmen, purported to “boil down” my campaign literature [“Moving Newtown Forward”]. Rather than fairly condense or summarize, however, she actually expanded on my literature by making some baseless logical leaps.

First, after neglecting to indicate my desire to continue volunteering, she then equated my statement that I wish to transfer to the Board of Selectmen because it requires less time than chair of the Legislative Council to an intention not to spend the time required to perform selectmen duties. Unwarranted leap. I wouldn’t run if I couldn’t devote the time required to for the job.

Next, she stated I maintain “I already know everything [I] need to” when in actuality I merely stated I have the background to contribute to the board from day one, with no need for a “learning curve” or on-the-job-training. That is not by any stretch equivalent to “I know everything.” I don’t. Logical leap two.

Finally she states I am content with the status quo and unwilling to work with anyone other than my own party. I can’t even imagine where she draws those conclusions from my literature. Indeed, anyone who is familiar with my background, as she is, knows I have occasionally taken flak from my own party for my bipartisan approach to both my role as council chair and issues facing Newtown. I was twice elected chair of councils evenly composed of Republicans and Democrats, a testament to my recognized ability to work with others. These statements, therefore, are not even logical leaps, but pure fancy.

I urge voters to rely on my literature and knowledge of me, rather than any summary prepared by an opposing camp. My running mate, Pat Llodra, candidate for first selectman, and I certainly are too busy addressing issues and meeting voters to prepare unfair summaries of our opponents’ literature, nor would we ever want our family members to do so.

Will Rodgers

Chair, Legislative Council

Board of Selectman Candidate

208 Hattertown Road, Newtown                                 October 6, 2009