To the Editor:

It is my pleasure to endorse Rebekah Harriman-Stites for State Representative. Given my endorsement last year and our party affiliation, this probably won’t be seen as groundbreaking, however I view my reasons for doing so again as important to consider.

A recent piece of legislation, The Police Accountability Bill, was of concern to me. Many of the items addressed in the bill were already in practice in our department and I felt were worthy of adoption statewide, however there were several areas I felt needed more work, should they be considered at all. In addition, the bill did not go through the normal committee process, which would have provided clarity around the municipal impact and more transparency altogether.

While I would not have voted for the bill as written, I noticed Rebekah promptly said she would have, which gave me pause. I contacted Rebekah on the issue thinking that perhaps we were in a different place and we would respectfully agree to disagree. Refreshingly, Rebekah volunteered to speak with Chief Viadero to better understand what improvements were needed and agreed to champion them if elected, which I witnessed her do in The Bee forum and in an online conversation with Rep Stafstrom, one of the bill’s architects. Rebekah’s willingness to listen rather than insist she was right is what is needed now in a political environment that seems to value self righteousness over being reasonable.

Please join me in supporting Rebekah Harriman-Stites on November 3rd, as I’m certain she will listen, be open-minded, and put Newtown first in all she does.

Sincerely,

Daniel Rosenthal, Newtown First Selectman

9 Megans Circle, Newtown October 13, 2020