Mr Rosenthal’s End Run

To the Editor,

At the June 2 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, I inquired of First Selectmen Herb Rosenthal if and when the public would be allowed any input with regard to his draft of the enabling legislation to create the Fairfield Hills Authority. The essence of his response was that the Board of Selectmen were finished with it, and that any public input would now have to go to the Legislative Council.

On June 4, I attended the Legislative Council meeting, attempting to learn why an elected vs appointed authority had not been considered. At that juncture, I found that any public input would be a moot point. The enabling legislation was on the floor in Hartford as we spoke... without any review by the full council.

Legislative Council member Joseph Borst, justifiably irked, referred to this maneuvering as an “end run,” played out by Mr Rosenthal. In some athletic circles, an end run might be viewed as a smart play. However, in this case, it is simply more of Mr Rosenthal’s Machiavellian tactics used as the means to achieve his own desired end.

The government of Newtown is supposed to exist to listen to its people, to be attentive to their needs, and to facilitate their demands. Government is supposed to open and above-board. If Mr Rosenthal continues circumventing the people, surreptitiously acting in the shadows, continues to ignore our other elected representatives (i.e., Legislative Council), then it just may be and end run... the end of his run.

Sincerely,

Owen D. Carney

81 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook                                                                     June 16, 2003