There was a whiff of politics in the air this week – or was that barbecue?

The Democratic Committee fundraiser Saturday night at Treadwell Park proved to be a big hit. Michelle Rosenthal and Jane Bojnowski enjoyed themselves. They are, of course, the spouses of First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and Selectman Joe Bojnowski, who will again head the Democratic ticket this year. Mrs Bojnowski referred to Michelle as the First Lady of Newtown and to herself as Second Hand Rose.

Jay Gill, who cooked up all the fixings for the event, is said to be a professional chef. Either way he sure cooked a mean meal for all the Democrats.

Congressman James Maloney could change careers from legislator to auctioneer. He worked the crowd to $180 for lunch for two with Attorney General Dick Blumenthal. Maybe if District 5 is redistricted Mr Maloney will have a career to tend to if he is unable to continue being a representative.

A lot of high-powered politicians testified in recent weeks about reapportionment in the state, but of all the testimony we heard about, the comments of Ham Bosious of Newtown on the topic seemed to be the most reasoned and rational. To those who have been arguing that the 5th or 4th Congressional Districts should be cut to comply with the new census data that has deprived the state of congressional district, he said it was simply a question of fairness. The slow growth in the eastern part of the state lost the congressional seat for the state, so why should the fast-growing western part of the state pay the price? Good question, Ham.

The Republicans seem to be revving up their engines for the election campaign as well. I ran into Republican first selectman candidate Owen Carney this week. He said he was getting ready for next week’s GOP caucus. He plans to kick off his campaign once he’s officially nominated. Owen plans to be seen down at the recycling center and even plans to go door-to-door, a daunting task even for Owen, a former member of Newtown Police Department, who surely knows this large town like the back of his hand.

Less than an hour after completing a grueling triathlon event in Middlebury, Newtown resident Mike Floros would have probably preferred to be home resting. Instead, he went straight to last week’s public hearing of the Legislative Council on the proposed town charter revisions.

Speaking of that triathlon, Mark LaRosa also competed in the July 11 race. It was his first triathlon and he finished within the top ten out of a field of 200 competitors. Mark works in The Bee’s production department.

Summer is always the busiest time of the year at Dickinson Park, but this year seems especially busy. First, there is day camp taking place under the pavilion, then there’s tennis camp on the courts and swimming at the pool. And this year, there’s the Newtown highway department erecting the new bathrooms.

Ken Lerman can now be addressed as Sensai (teacher). The very busy EMT volunteer received that honor last week from his Sensai, a seventh degree black belt, for his outstanding work teaching Ju Jitsu at Danbury’s Aiki Budokai.  At the same time, Ken  was also awarded a third degree black belt, the rank of Sandan.

The Anthony Edwards Watch was on earlier this week at Edmond Town Hall. Word had it that the “ER” star, who recently moved to town, was spotted in the building on Monday, probably there to pay his taxes. The TV star is now a Newtown resident after purchasing children’s author Steven Kellogg’s house in Sandy Hook.

Chamber of Commerce President Christina Maturi is gearing up for next Thursday’s (July 26) Chamber of Commerce golf outing at Newtown Country Club. Christina only recently played her first round of golf and says she’s excited about hitting the links a second time. Tee off is at 2 pm. Call the Chamber office at 426-2695 to get involved.

Speaking of the Chamber, the local business organization held its annual picnic last Friday night behind the Inn at Newtown and reports a record turnout of more than 60 people. Afterwards, the group went next door to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library for a concert on the lawn. The featured artist was Mary Sippin and the Diamond Spurs.

Did you hear that loud explosion in the area of South Main Street and Elm Drive on Wednesday afternoon? Does anyone know what it was? Normally, such a big boom is quickly followed by sirens, but no emergency calls came in afterwards. Perhaps it was just the earth shifting a bit at the news that Scudder Smith was home sick that day. It was the first sick day the Bee publisher — who, in case you missed the story in last week’s paper, has just finished celebrating his 40th anniversary as a full-time staff member — has taken in recent memory.

The boss may be away, but I still can’t play. Gotta get back to work on some interesting stories, so be sure to…

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