Date: Sat 29-Jul-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Earl-Smith-politics-Democrat

Full Text:

Democrats Tap Smith To Head '95 Ticket

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Newtown's Democrats this week tapped Democratic Town Chairman Earl J. Smith,

Jr, to run for first selectman in a bid to unseat incumbent Republican Bob

Cascella.

A popular former high school teacher and administrator who has served for six

years on the Legislative Council, Mr Smith, 67, will join incumbent Democratic

Selectman Gary Fetzer on the ticket. Mr Fetzer, who has served three terms on

the Board of Selectmen, announced last week that personal and professional

obligations prevented him from running for the top spot.

"We're going to run a good-natured campaign and debate the socks off Bob

Cascella," said Bob Connor, Jr, chairman of the nominating committee which

announced the recommended slate of candidates at the Democratic Town Committee

meeting in Edmond Town Hall Tuesday night. The DTC meeting was followed

immediately by a party caucus at which the proposed slate was approved without

opposition.

"Earl Smith is a dedicated person of great talent," said John McCarthy, who

placed Mr Smith's name in nomination. "So many people in town have been

touched by his activities."

School Board Chairman Herb Rosenthal said he has known Mr Smith "since I was a

freshman student in his Latin class" and described his former teacher's

example of public service has "a major influence in my life."

Since Mr Smith retired as assistant principal of Newtown High School in 1991,

he has served as a labor negotiator for the Connecticut Association of School

Administrators.

"I've negotiated a couple of labor contracts with Earl and I don't think that

many labor lawyers know more than he does," Herb Rosenthal said. "He's a very

tough negotiator but always a gentleman. He will ge a great asset to the town,

which has some tough negotiations ahead."

Melissa Pilchard, vice chairman of the Legislative Council, praised Mr Smith

for his work on the council, particularly his service as chairman of the

council's public works subcommittee. "Earl has the necessary and the desirable

qualities to be first selectman," she said. "He is well educated, a family

man, with strong administrative experience, many years of service to the

community through organizations like the Rotary and mamy years of government

service."

In accepting the nomination, Mr Smith said he looked forward to the challenge

of the election although he had planned to cut back on his activities when he

retired three years ago. "My wife, Vera, has tremendous patience," he said.

Mr Smith said he would base his campaign on "the three E's: education, the

environment and the economy."

"These are the things that really concern our town," Mr Smith explained,

adding that he will have much more to say on these subject as the campaign

progresses.

Because he is running for first selectman, Mr Smith will not be a candidate

for re-election to the Legislative Council in District III. Instead the

Democrats will run two former council members, Kevin Tepas and Richard Eigen,

and a newcomer, Lisa Schwartz, in that district.

Incumbent Melissa Pilchard and DTC member Edward Dudeck will be on the ballot

in District I. In District II, incumbent Jack Rosenthal will run for

re-election with a newcomer, David Nanavity, the brother of Republican school

board member Charles Nanavity.

Currently the Democrats hold only three seats on the 12-member council, one in

each district. They opted again not to run a candidate against Republican Town

Clerk Cindy Curtis, calling the town clerk's position, "not a political one"

although it is elected every two years.

There will be no contest in the Board of Education election. Like the

Republicans, the Democrats opted to put up only the incumbent candidate for

their party's empty seat, in this case Peggy Ulrich-Nims.

Others approved at the caucus include incumbent Charles V. Framularo, Jr., for

the Board of Tax Review; incumbents William Honan Jr and Birthe Mellville,

Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers; David Kates, Planning & Zoning Commission;

Daniel Rosenthal, Planning & Zoning alternate; incumbent Gerald J. Frawley,

Police Commission; Steven G. Berg, incumbent, and Alan J. Clavette, Zoning

Board of Appeals; and Mr Smith's son, Earl J. Smith III, incumbent, ZBA

alternate.