To the Editor:

The daily tasks of a first selectman seldom makes headlines. They are administrative and generally noncontroversial. Still, they require skill and training. I know this because I served as Weston's first selectman for 12 years. And I know Will Rodgers. Without question, Will has the best understanding of the office and its challenges. And he has the negotiating skills and temperament to deal with the diverse interests of our citizens.

Every day a first selectman hears requests and concerns from various individuals and groups - business owners, residents, town employees, plus outside parties dealing with the town, from governor on down.

Will is ideally trained for these tasks. First, as a former chairman of Newtown's Legislative Council for six years, and a selectman for the past eight years, Will Rodgers is knowledgeable about all of the issues that Newtown currently faces. Second, he is an attorney whose training and skill has been to solve problems. Finally, as a retired marine colonel, he has held a variety of important and challenging leadership positions over his career, including serving as liaison officer between the Marine Corps and USAID in Iraq.

Newtown is now confronted with a multimillion-dollar reduction in State Education Grants. We need Will's abilities and institutional knowledge. To avoid a double-digit tax rise, we need a leader who already knows how to raise revenue and cut costs. Will has publicly cited steps he'll take to do both, namely, hands-on involvement with attracting commercial development, regionalizing, and privatizing services where appropriate, and increasing collective purchasing by the town. Will Rodgers will seek counsel from many people and groups, but our town does not have time for a first selectman to learn on the job.

For these reasons, join me in voting for Will Rodgers and Jeff Capeci on November 7.

George C. Guidera

24 Equestrian Ridge, Newtown         October 23, 2017