At Two Forums––

Candidates Lay Out Their Ideas And Agendas For Newtown Voters

By Jan Howard

The two candidates vying for election as first selectman contrasted their differing views on a number of issues facing the town at two forums this week.

Democratic incumbent First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and his challenger, Republican William Sheluck, were among candidates at Pizza & Politics October 20 at the Fireside Inn, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, and Woman’s Club of Newtown. Two nights later, October 22, Mr Rosenthal and Mr Sheluck squared off at a debate sponsored by The Homesteads of Newtown.

Approximately 140 residents turned out to ask questions and hear the opinions of candidates for the position of first selectman, selectmen, Legislative Council, and Board of Education at the Fireside. More than 75 residents attended The Homesteads forum in addition to candidates for various town positions.

In his opening statement, Mr Sheluck said that the excitement and energy that fills his campaign is a reflection of the growing discontent that had been building in local residents for some time.

“That excitement and energy has continued to grow as voters are more aware that this year their vote can make a real difference,” he said. “What you have been telling me is that you are not happy with the policy of reactive politics practiced by my opponent.”

Mr Sheluck said people want a leader who is not afraid to take a stand, be proactive, not reactive, and would work in partnership with all elements of town government to manage the growth of the town.

He said his plan for action would contain five elements.

Instead of building a new town hall, he said he would use technology to provide better working conditions for town employees and identify alternative space opportunities.

He would expand commercial tax revenues by looking for companies in growing industries that need a place to expand and show them why they should come to Newtown.

Mr Sheluck said he would aggressively pursue open space acquisitions. He said Newtown had received “a mere $138,000” while other towns had collected a total of $52 million in open space grants from the state. He said he would work closely with Planning & Zoning and other town agencies to ensure that the new Plan of Conservation & Development would be implemented.

Mr Sheluck called attention to the town’s current website, which he termed “antiquated,” noting he would modernize it to allow access to agendas and minutes of every board and commission, and would arrange for Board of Selectmen meetings to be taped for public access TV.

Mr Rosenthal emphasized accomplishments by the Board of Selectmen, Legislative Council, boards and commissions, and residents of Newtown over the past six years.

“Working together we cut our general government budget by over four percent from the prior year, a real reduction of over $1.3 million. We did this because we knew the state mandated revaluation process would create hardships for many taxpayers, and that the state’s economic troubles would cause other problems,” he said.

He noted that selectmen’s budgets have increased on average only two percent per year for the last five years. He noted increased benefits for seniors and benefits and tax breaks for volunteer fire and ambulance personnel.

Mr Rosenthal said Newtown’s bond rating was increased twice in the last three years, saving almost three-quarters of a million dollars “as the result of sound financial planning and conservative guidelines.” He noted the town purchased and sold the Queen Street houses and lots at a profit and preserved the neighborhood and scenic views.

Mr Rosenthal said his administration has saved taxpayers more than $2.8 million through state and federal grants for capital projects and open space, with another $1.6 million “in the works.” He said 1,000 acres have been preserved with more than $1.25 million from state funds and only $200,000 from local taxes.

Mr Rosenthal said the commercial real estate tax base has grown 28 percent and commercial personal property by 27 percent. He noted improvements to emergency services, such as medical dispatch, and to the emergency system for police, fire, ambulance, and other town vehicles and school buses.

Mr Rosenthal said, “When it comes to leadership, I have a long history of bringing people with divergent ideas together to reach a nonpartisan consensus for action on behalf of the people of Newtown, conciliatory as opposed to a confrontational, ‘my way or the highway,’ approach.”

Incumbent Democratic Selectman Joe Bojnowski and Republican Selectman Bill Brimmer made brief statements during Pizza & Politics.

“We have a record of real accomplishment,” Mr Bojnowski said. “The Board of Selectmen reduced the budget by four percent, which is consistent with our current policy.” He pointed to the $2.8 received in state and federal grants for capital projects as well as $1.1 the state paid for the Kazan property that has become part of the town’s open space. He noted efforts on behalf of economic development, and increase in commercial revenue.

Mr Brimmer mentioned his involvement through the years on the Legislative Council, Booth Library Board of Trustees, and Board of Ethics. “Think of me as your selectman,” he said, adding, “Think of the experience I have brought to the position.”

Fielding Questions

During the question and answer period at both gatherings, Mr Rosenthal and Mr Sheluck fielded questions on a variety of topics, such as economic development, open space acquisition, tax reductions for corporations, traffic, town hall space needs, and the budget.

Mr Rosenthal corrected his opponent regarding a statement that the town had lost revenue because of the relocation of Kendro and Dresser Industries. “We have not lost one dime,” he said because those building are occupied and paying real estate and personal property taxes.

Mr Sheluck said homeowners are bearing a larger amount of the tax burden, and that a first selectman needs to take a leadership role in working with companies that want to settle here.

The town needs a plan to acquire open space, Mr Sheluck said, mapping out areas that should be purchased. It should look into buying development rights so farmers do not have to sell their property.

Mr Rosenthal said in 1999 the town looked into purchasing the Kazan property through an open space grant. The property was later purchased through the state at no cost to Newtown. “This was one of the few properties that met the criteria for state grants,” he said. He said he has been proactive through involvement with the Land Use Task Force and the Trust for Public Lands. He said the Pole Bridge Preserve was obtained for $139,000 through a grant.

Mr Rosenthal explained that taxes have been reduced for corporations as a result of state-mandated revaluation. He said businesses, believing that residential real estate values were increasing more than commercial and that they were being overtaxed, convinced the state legislature to change the revaluation cycle to every four years. “The state forced us to do it.”

Mr Sheluck said that the people of Newtown were not educated in the early stages of what would happen as a result of the revaluation process.

 Town needs, open space, and minor industrial uses or offices complexes would be Mr Sheluck’s priorities for the use of Fairfield Hills. Instead of a new town hall, he said he would favor a recreation and community center and a place for seniors, who were in cramped space now.

Mr Rosenthal said the master plan for Fairfield Hills created more open areas than exist now. The master plan did include a new or renovated town hall, but he noted the town would not go forward with one until economic conditions are better.

The master plan was unanimously supported by the committee, Legislative Council, and Board of Selectmen, Mr Rosenthal said, adding, “It was a plan put together by a lot of people.”

 He said traffic concerns in Newtown are unable to be solved by the town alone, but involve the state as well, such as Routes 34 and 25. He said he worked with the state for 18 months to reduce traffic on Route 34 through planning for a temporary entrance to I-84 at Toddy Hill Road. The plan was scrapped because the costs ran higher than expected.

Mr Rosenthal said improvements have been made on Church Hill Road, noting he worked with Rep Julia Wasserman and the state for repairs to the railroad bridge.

Mr Sheluck said the town should be proactive by going to the state to create solutions to traffic congestion. “At the very minimum,” he said, “we need turn lanes on Route 25. We should go to the state and say we want a solution there.”

Candidates for the Board of Education also made statements during Pizza & Politics and took part in a question and answer period (see related story).

At the end of the evening, the gathering at Fireside separated into three groups to hear brief remarks by and to ask questions of candidates for the Legislative Council. Four candidates can be elected from each of three districts.

Democratic candidates are, District 1, Martin Gersten, incumbent Fran Pennarola, and Jay Morrow; District 2, incumbents Peggy Baiad, Joe Hemingway, and Tim Holian; and District 3, Dan Amaral, Kim Danziger, and Jim Shpunt.

Republican candidates are, District 1, incumbents Michael Iassogna, Richard Recht, and Joseph DiCandido; District 2, Robert Mulholland, Barbara Hanlon Bloom, and incumbent Joseph Borst; and District 3, incumbent William Rodgers, Michael Porco, and David Brown.

Pizza & Politics was filmed by the Newtown High School Technology Club to be broadcast on November 2 on Channel 21.

 

More Debate At The Homesteads

During The Homesteads forum, Mr Rosenthal and Mr Sheluck were asked their opinions of the school system’s three-tier bus system and student fees.

“These are not things I would have done when I was on the Board of Education,” Mr Rosenthal said. He added, “I have been a long supporter of our owner-operated bus system because of the safety factor and the good services we’ve received.”

The three-tier bus system unfortunately didn’t work, Mr Sheluck said. “I felt it was a more efficient system, but it didn’t work the way it was supposed to.” He said he is not in favor of a private bus company, noting, “We have an outstanding system.”

Of combined purchasing with other municipalities, Mr Rosenthal said the town participates in combined purchases and would continue to do so. Mr Sheluck agreed it is a good idea to cut costs.

While Mr Rosenthal said the town has not done a lot to promote cultural arts, a study committee has been formed to study the formation of a cultural arts commission. Mr Sheluck said the town has been ranked near the bottom of Connecticut municipalities in cultural arts offerings. “Fairfield Hills will give us an opportunity to resolve that,” he said.

Each candidate was asked to define his success, Mr Sheluck as a CEO and as Charter Revision Chairman (CRC) and Mr Rosenthal as first selectman.

Mr Sheluck pointed to his 35 years in business and 11 years as CEO of Nationar. He said that when he took over, Nationar had no direction. “I put them on the fast track. We achieved record earnings and doubled dividends to shareholders.” In regard to the CRC, he noted 11 people “from 11 different directions” built a consensus, and two of five recommendations were approved by the town.

Mr Rosenthal reiterated the town’s financial status and improved bond rating as well as points listed above as proof of his success as a first selectman. He said the school system is feeling stress because of the numbers of people who want to live here. He said Mr Sheluck’s comments about his success at Nationar “may be true” but referred to press and banking magazine reports that indicated during the last two years the bank was “hemorrhaging red ink,” and was later taken over by the banking commission and no longer exists.

In regard to the school budget, Mr Rosenthal said he sent a memo last year to all departments asking them to hold the line on expenditures for this budget period, which made it possible to cut the town budget. He also went to the Board of Education, he said, and urged them to do the same. Of how much the school budget should increase, he said, “I don’t know the magic number. But unless they come in with a reasonable budget, we’ll have the problem again. We have a fiduciary responsible to the taxpayers.”

“There is no magic percentage,” Mr Sheluck said. “We have to have a quality education system,” because it is the base for property values. The needs of the schools have to be balanced with the town’s ability to pay, he noted. “We need to have the best system the town can afford.”

In regard to the master plan for Fairfield Hills, Mr Rosenthal said the town “got its money’s worth.” He said the plan had the unanimous support of the committee, the Legislative Council, and the Board of Selectmen. However, because it didn’t receive support from the public, which defeated it in an August referendum, the plan will have to be changed.

“I don’t believe in scrapping all the plan,” he said. He said he is currently considering a survey that would address why people voted as they did, adding there were widely divergent reasons, sometimes on the same issue.

 “I opposed the master plan,” Mr Sheluck said, “and was happy to see it voted down.” He has said he was critical of the plan because it lacked a focus.

Mr Sheluck said he was opposed to a new town hall because there would be “a tendency to fill it with more personnel.”

Mr Rosenthal reiterated that though a town hall was among items mentioned in the master plan, one would not be considered until the economy is better. However, he noted, “I do support a consolidation of offices for efficiency.” He said the way town government offices are currently configured is inconvenient for the public as well as for the employees, some of whom he said are “working in closets.”