Date: Fri 10-May-1996

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

police-chief-candidates

Full Text:

118 Vie For Job As Newtown Police Chief

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The Police Commission has received 118 letters of interest from people who

want to become the town's new police chief, replacing Michael DeJoseph who

retired from that post in March.

The commission has stopped accepting applications for the position, according

to Carol Mattegat, commission chairman.

In the coming weeks, commission members will be reviewing applications that

have been submitted, she said.

After the commission culls from the list a number of candidates who appear to

have good prospects for the job, possibly 10 people, those applicants'

credentials would be closely reviewed, Mrs Mattegat said at a May 7 Police

Commission meeting.

In the past, when Mr DeJoseph was a candidate to become chief, the

then-sitting police commission of which Mrs Mattegat also was a member

enlisted a panel of three police chiefs to aid them in their review of

candidates' qualifications.

Mrs Mattegat said she will ask current Police Commission members to again use

such an approach in reviewing applicants for the job.

There is no target date for having a new police chief at work at the police

department, she said.

Acting Police Chief Michael Fekete has said he will in that post until June.

Mr Fekete served as a captain, the second-ranking officer in the department,

under Chief DeJoseph.

Police Commission member James Reilly said that of the 118 resumes received

for the town's top law enforcement job "most look pretty good."

Robert Connor, Jr, the commission's vice chairman, said specifications for the

police post include that the applicants have a bachelor's degree; that they

currently have the rank of police lieutenant or higher; that they have a

minimum of seven years in police work; and that they have a background in

community policing. The community policing approach to law enforcement seeks

to encourage a sense of cooperative spirit and positive relations between the

public and police, rather than having police operate as restrictive

authoritarians.

Two forces have been driving the Police Commission's selection of a new chief.

The panel wants to select someone soon. But it also wants to ensure that it

takes the time needed to pick the best possible person for the post.

"We'd like to see the process expedited, but we'd like to (select) the best

person for the job," Mrs Mattegat has said.

The salary given to the new chief will be commensurate with the person's

experience, Mrs Mattegat said. When he left the police department, Chief

DeJoseph was earning more than $60,000 annually.

Acting Chief Fekete has said he isn't interested in becoming the police chief.

Mr DeJoseph announced in February he would be leaving the police department to

take a newly-created post with the International Association of Police Chiefs

in Alexandria, Virginia. He started his new job April 1 serving as the

organization's technical assistance manager. Mr DeJoseph left the Newtown

police after 29 years of service, eight years of which he served as chief. Mr

DeJoseph was hired as the town's fifth police officer and worked his way up

through the ranks to become chief.

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Choral Society Planning ‘Voices Of America’ Performance

The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

Second Newtown DTC, League Of Women Voters Candidates Event Planned

Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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Date: Fri 10-May-1996

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