The political scene in Newtown, as town officials wait for the state to formally offer the Fairfield Hills property to the town, reminds us of the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot. In the play, two tramps, who are cold and hungry and waiting for the arrival of Godot, seem dependent on each other to act to alleviate their pain and hunger. Yet with the excuse of “waiting for Godot” (who never does arrive), they descend into trivial conversation and meaningless speculation that only heightens their despair.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, his fellow selectmen, and the Legislative Council must also depend on each other to move the town into position to purchase the 185-acre core campus of Fairfield Hills. While it is true that the town must wait for the state to formally offer the property to the town, there is much that can be done now to ensure that the process works to the best advantage of the people of Newtown. The selectmen and the council, however, seem to be getting bogged down in establishing a process for making the decisions that need to be made prior to a town vote on the issue.

If the council and the selectmen are truly having difficulty in figuring out a method for effecting this property transfer, all they have to do is take some guidance from the charter. The authority for purchasing property, for reviewing and addressing the present and future needs of the town, and for coordinating the town’s agencies to effect the policies that grow out of its work clearly lies with the Board of Selectmen. The selectmen are empowered by the charter to conduct joint meetings with other boards and commissions, such as the information gathering session scheduled for June 26 with the Legislative Council, if they find it useful to them in the performance of their duties.

The council recently has been debating its role in determining the extent and nature of the eventual town development of Fairfield Hills. Topics of discussion for the council have included whether an authority should be created to manage the property, how to hire a master planner, and the planning and zoning implications of the development of Fairfield Hills. These are all interesting topics germane to the development of Fairfield Hills, but they stretch the bounds of the council’s authority, which is primarily to serve as the town’s finance board. The council is empowered to draw up town ordinances, and it will be responsible for drafting an ordinance creating a Fairfield Hills development authority if that is deemed necessary. But it should be up to the selectmen to assess the need for and recommend the creation of such an authority.

Instead of waiting endlessly for the Godot of Connecticut to make its formal offer before taking any action, the selectmen should prepare recommendations now on the nature and powers of a Fairfield Hills development authority (if there is to be one). They should also conduct hearings on the mandate of such an authority so that the public can have its chance to influence the direction of development – corporate or community-based. The townspeople are waiting for the selectmen to present a plan for what will be done where at Fairfield Hills, and at what cost. The selectmen already have the report of the Fairfield Hills Advisory Committee in hand, and with the information they glean from their planned public forum on June 26, they should be in a position to make some recommendations to the Legislative Council.

These recommendations should be made sooner rather than later. When the state finally does get around to offering the property to the town, the townspeople need to have a far better idea than they do now of what it is they are voting on when they are asked to approve the funds for the purchase of Fairfield Hills. Let’s not waste the summer engaged in trivial conversation and meaningless speculation.