Date: Fri 21-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

politics-selectmen-transition

Full Text:

Rosenthal And Cascella Look Ahead To A Smooth Transition

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Newly-elected first selectman Herb Rosenthal will be sworn into office Sunday,

December 30, at 2 pm at Newtown High School.

He will take office at Edmond Town Hall for the first time the following day.

First Selectman Bob Cascella sat down with the incoming Board of Selectmen

Monday morning for a four-hour briefing on the state of Newtown's government.

Mr Cascella leaves his office at Edmond Town Hall for the final time

Wednesday, November 25, for the long holiday weekend. Five days later, Mr

Rosenthal's administration will take over. The brand new Board of Selectmen,

which also includes Democrat selectman Joe Bojnowski and Republican selectman

Bill Brimmer -- will meet for the first time December 1.

Both the outgoing and incoming first selectmen agreed that everyone is hoping

it will be a smooth transition since there are plenty of important issues

pending that will need immediate attention.

"Herb is going to be a take charge guy," noted Mr Brimmer. "He's going to roll

up his sleeves and get going right away."

First off, Mr Rosenthal will need to see that the Cyrenius H. Booth Library

project gets completed. The job was supposed to be finished last June and some

work still needs to be finished before a certificate of occupancy (CO) can be

issued. Mr Rosenthal is hoping the town's recent hiring of the construction

management firm O&G Construction of Torrington will ensure that the

much-maligned job is done sometime around Christmas.

Another item high on the agenda of the first selectman-elect is the future of

Fairfield Hills. In the coming months, the state's Office of Policy &

Management (OPM) will determine the future use of the former state mental

hospital grounds.

Last week, Mr Rosenthal received a bit of good news during a luncheon with

State Rep Julia Wasserman and OPM director Richard Nuclo. Mr Rosenthal

received assurance from Mr Nuclo that the state will hold public hearings

before any final decisions on the use of the property are made.

A report on the best use of the Fairfield Hills site is due this spring from

the consulting firm of Arthur Anderson.

Another priority for Mr Rosenthal is to find an architectural firm to conduct

a space needs study for the town. The last Board of Selectmen voted to hire

Antinozzi Associates of Stratford, but that decision was overturned by the

Legislative Council after some residents reminded town officials that it was a

flawed report by Antinozzi that may have been the deciding factor in the

state's choice of Newtown as the site for the Garner Correctional Facility.

Mr Rosenthal will also make every effort to make good on his election promise

to remove some of the town's notorious eyesores, such as the Obergs gas

station on Church Hill Road and the old Highway Cleaners building, also on

Church Hill Road. He is currently trying to contact owners.

There are also several legal issues currently pending. All that on top of the

routine matters that pop up each day in the first selectman's office.

Mr Rosenthal said he plans to meet with the various town agencies to review

their job responsibilities and to listen to recommendations on how to improve

areas of government. Newtown's next first selectman has said that he would

seek more efficiency from the town's highway department and plans a complete

organizational review.

Jan Andras and Carole Ross, Mr Cascella's office staff, will remain in the

first selectman's office for at least the month of December. Mr Rosenthal said

he still needs to decide in which direction to take his administration.