Power To The First Selectman

 

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal has to be happy with the way he sees things going with the Charter Revision Commission. The charter panel still has a lot of work to do, but already it is reaching consensus on one issue of vital importance to Mr Rosenthal and all future first selectmen in Newtown: the relative power of the town’s chief executive officer to other branches of local government, especially the Legislative Council. In the commission’s early discussions, power already appears to be flowing toward the first selectman.

The Charter Revision Commission has already concluded that strategic planning for the town, the hiring and firing of employees, and the right of full participation in Legislative Council meetings should be invested in the first selectman. And they are leaning toward giving the position veto power over council actions.

The commission should be commended for trying to clear up some of the ambiguity over who takes the lead on issues affecting the town and its welfare. Last year we witnessed a rising inclination by the Legislative Council to insinuate itself into some of the gray areas of responsibility that came up in connection with the town’s efforts to purchase Fairfield Hills. The charter panel is properly trying to restore the mantle of town leadership to the first selectman where it belongs. It may even consolidate that power by recommending the elimination of the Board of Selectman, which has over the years lost much of its relevance to the administration of the town. (If the board is dropped, the title of first selectman should be dropped as well, since Mr Rosenthal, or whoever occupies the office, would be the first, last, and only selectman. We may as well have a mayor.)

In its efforts to fill the first selectman’s pockets with power, however, the Charter Revision Commission is contemplating a step too far. The commission has concluded that if there is to be a stronger first selectman, he or she should have a four-year term, doubling the current two-year term. The advantage to the longer term, they suggest, is that it would be easier to find qualified candidates. Few people skilled at administration, public or private, are likely to be lured into running for a position where job security is assured in only two-year increments. It would also prove less of a distraction to a first selectman if he or she didn’t have to spend every other year campaigning for reelection, allowing the time for the planning and implementation of long-term strategies.

It is true that on the state and federal levels, chief elected officials stand for election every four years. But in Hartford and Washington, D.C., governing is like piloting an ocean liner. It takes a long time to get large bureaucracies and complex policy initiatives up to speed, or to change directions, or to stop. By comparison, local government is a relative sports car. With the exception of the Fairfield Hills issue, which has been exceptional in every way for Newtown, most issues arise and are resolved well within a two-year span. Even the town’s five-year capital plans are amended almost every year.

As for the job security for the chief elected official or the distractions a biennial election might cause, we don’t believe any public office should be contrived to accommodate the personal preferences and emotional comfort of the officeholder. The only consideration should be the public interest. In the context of municipal administration, four years is a long time, especially in a political environment in which poor candidate choices, or no choices, are far too common. Newtown should have enough institutional memory to recall at least one first selectman for whom a two-year term was at least one year too long. If Newtown wants to attract higher caliber candidates for the town’s top elected office, it should raise the first selectman’s salary. Responsible and effective leaders create their own job security in a democracy, and irresponsible and ineffective leaders don’t deserve it.

The two-year term has established a high standard of accountability for Newtown’s first selectmen throughout the town’s history. It should not be abandoned now.