Carney Happy With His

Showing In The 2001 Campaign

By Steve Bigham

A relaxed and rested Owen Carney says he feels good about his Election Day performance last week and says he hopes to be back in 2003.

Mr Carney’s bid for the first selectman’s seat ended when he was defeated by Herb Rosenthal, 3,225-2,469, November 6. It was a respectable loss, especially since it was Mr Carney’s first run in politics and he was going up against a strong incumbent.

“I got 44 percent of the vote my first time out of the box. I’m pleased with that. It was a lot of work, but I had a lot of fun,” he said. “It says a lot. The future looks bright. It’s not like I walked in there and came out with 100 votes.”

Mr Carney, a retired captain of the Newtown Police Department, believes he has built a strong base on which to build and feels he can be a strong candidate for the Republicans two years from now. The always-reserved Mr Carney made a good showing at events like Pizza & Politics and was complimented by supporters for his thoughtful approach to the campaign.

Mr Carney said the events of September 11 might have played a big role in the final results.

“You can never predict things, but if 9-11 had not had happened, who knows what the outcome would have been. A lot of people feared change. They had seen their world change enough,” he said.

Mr Carney’s long hours at the landfill or in front of My Place Restaurant allowed him to meet new people and to reacquaint himself with old friends he had not seen in years.

Mr Rosenthal was quick to commend Mr Carney for his strong campaign and thanked his opponent for running a gentlemanly race. Mr Carney said he made up his mind early on that he would not sling mud.

“You can’t sling mud without getting it on yourself. We’ve all seen campaigns in the past that were run that way and the only one who really loses is the town.”

These days, Mr Carney is spending more time at home with his wife, Sue, and the kids. The housework has been piling up, he quipped. There are less than 103 weeks until the next election.