Date: Fri 18-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Rosenthal-town-politics

Full Text:

Rosenthal Gets Good Reviews On His First Year On The Job

BY STEVE BIGHAM

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal was looking forward to his turkey dinner at the

Mary Hawley Inn last week. He was there for a meeting of the Housatonic Valley

Tourism District, and dinner was supposed to be served at 6:30 pm or so.

The meal didn't arrive until 7:20 pm, just 10 minutes before a Board of

Selectmen meeting down the street at Town Hall South. In haste, the first

selectman took a few bites and asked that his meal be kept warm until he

returned. Proprietor John Vouros obliged, and Herb returned later that night

to finish eating. The tourism meeting was long over.

Two days later, the first selectman spoke at a health and human services

breakfast in the morning, attended the senior center party around noon, then

headed to the Chamber of Commerce Christmas party at night. In between, he

attended a handful of meetings, including a meeting of the municipal space

needs committee.

It is just a day in the life of the first selectman, a 24-hour-a-day,

seven-day-a-week job. Mr Rosenthal has now been in office just over a year. He

took over the reins of the town December 1, 1997 after being sworn in by

longtime friend Judge Bill Lavery.

"I think we're making progress in a lot of areas," noted the first selectman,

who took office promising to do what he could to preserve the character of

Newtown.

These days, that's not an easy promise to keep as the town continues to grow.

How do you have responsible development and, at the same time, preserve

people's property rights and the character of the town, he asked rhetorically.

"People moved here because they liked the character of the town. We're trying

to preserve that," Mr. Rosenthal said.

The first selectman said he wanted to make sure he had good people to enforce

the town's rules and regulations. People like building official Tom

Paternoster and land-use officials Steve Driver, Rita MacMillan, Gary Fernese,

and others. These are the town employees who get paid to enforce the

regulations for more responsible development and protection of its resources.

In 1997, Newtown hit the 200 residential building permit plateau for the fifth

year in a row. By October of this year, the town had already hit 200 and was

expected to hit 250 by the end of the year.

An Open Mind & Door

The first selectman took office promising to always have an open door and an

open mind to ideas and suggestions for ways to improve the local government.

According to both Republicans and Democrats, he has done just that in his

first year. Legislative Council chairman Pierre Rochman, a Republican, gives

the first selectman two thumbs up on his first year.

"I have to admit I am very pleasantly surprised at the fine job he is doing. I

had anticipated that there might be some difficulty between the first

selectman's office and the Legislative Council because of the (political)

party situation," he said.

Democratic Town Committee chairman Earl J. Smith said Mr Rosenthal's first

year has been a highly-successful one.

"I have had a good number of people who have said he is doing a fine job. That

has been a cross section of Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters

who have said that," Mr Smith noted. "He puts in extra hours and works on the

weekends. People like his ability to listen to them. People are impressed by

the fact that he seems sincerely interested in what their concerns are."

Mr Rosenthal had pledged to either remove or improve the look of some of the

eyesores around town. Last month, the dilapidated Hi-Way Cleaner building on

Church Hill Road was taken down, thanks in part to his work. He was also

instrumental in getting Town Hall South a much-needed paint job. The job was

done by Garner Correctional Center inmates. He still hopes to have the former

Texaco gas station at the intersection of Church Hill Road and Queen Street

taken down and has made some headway on the cleanup of the former Batchelder

site.

Mr Rosenthal was concerned about the effectiveness of the Public Works

Department and ordered a study be done soon after taking office. Problems were

found, and the first selectman made it clear he wanted to see improvements in

the department. This week, he said changes have not been made to his liking

thus far.

Mr Rosenthal has also played a major role in negotiations with the state over

the re-use of Fairfield Hills. He had called for an equal partnership with

Hartford during the discussion and he got it.

Rep Julia Wasserman (106th District) has worked very closely with Mr Rosenthal

on the issue of Fairfield Hills.

"I think he is doing a very good job. It's not easy at any time for someone to

step into an office where there are so many things on the front burner," she

said. "He has a good grasp of the issues, pays attention, is responsive to

people and to the needs of the town."

Mrs Wasserman believes the first selectman has a better feel for the state

now. During last year's election, he was vocal in his distrust of the state.

"He's beginning to realize how much goes into the making of the decisions and

actions of the state," Mrs Wasserman said. "He's starting to realize the state

is not all that bad. It's been fair with the town."

True, said Mr Rosenthal, but the "state is still looking out for the state. I

must look out for the best interest of the town of Newtown."

The first selectman has also been involved in Newtown's municipal space study.

The space needs committee is looking at the possibility of building a new

municipal building or adding on to the existing ones. All the while, trying to

juggle expenses.

The town has a lot of expenses and many more coming down the pike. In addition

to municipal construction, the Board of Education is proposing a new school

for grades 5 and 6. And, just this week, the Legislative Council approved the

purchase of property along Queen Street for $1.2 million.

Other pending issues include the expansion of sewers at Exit 9 in Hawleyville

and the 37« acre technology park off Commerce Road.

Mr Rosenthal knew the job of first selectman was never going to be easy, and

it isn't, but he said he enjoys it just the same.

"I get a sense of satisfaction from it," he said. "If you can solve a person's

problem, even if it is a small one, it's a good feeling because it was a big

deal to that person."

The first selectman said he is very pleased with the relationship he has with

selectmen Joe Bojnowski and Bill Brimmer.

"They are both very easy to work with and have the best interest of the town

at heart," he said.

Mr Rosenthal pointed to a portion of the town charter which states that the

Board of Selectmen is responsible for coordinating and reviewing the present

and future needs of the town. Not unlike past first selectmen, Mr Rosenthal

has noted tension between the Legislative Council and the Board of Selectmen

because the council tends to become involved in the planning, rather than

simply dealing with the town's finances.

What about a run at a second term a year from now?

"My inclination is that I would, but I have not decided yet," he said. "I've

gotten away from my business, and I'll need to analyze that first."