What Newtown Roared

To the Editor:

Newtown spoke in last week’s election. In fact, Newtown roared. And what it roared was, “Don’t move Town Hall.”

The magnitude of Republican Joe Borst’s victory over Democratic First Selectman Herb Rosenthal is astonishing: Let us remember that Newtown’s voters chose a Republican over a Democrat despite seven years of Republican incompetence and cruelty in the White House and six years of Republican cowardice, corruption, and hypocrisy in the Congress.

Joe Borst’s victory speaks highly for Newtown voters’ ability to separate party from issue, and I personally believe that the issue — the tipping point — was the ill-considered plan to replace a beloved and symbolic town hall with an expensive new building at Fairfield Hills. That decision, coupled with a refusal to listen and say, “It looks like I screwed up — but it’s not too late to change,” doomed ten years of good government.

The tragedy is that the baby got thrown out with the bath water. I am sure that Newtown will look back with gratitude on Herb Rosenthal’s brave, bold move to acquire Fairfield Hills from the state. Private developers let loose on the open space would have done worst damage than an invasion by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

So we have lost an experienced leader just when we need one most. The new guy has to learn very quickly the complexities of running the town and dealing with the state. First selectman is a much tougher job than it was 20 or 30 years ago. And he’s got his work cut out for him at Fairfield Hills, which remains a splendid opportunity despite some terribly stupid false starts of which the town hall move is emblematic.

I would remind our new leader that Herb went down in the grand, sad tradition of overreaching. Long arms and deaf ears are a deadly combination. Recall the British Empire impaling itself on the Boer War and our American Empire squandering Cold War victory in Iraq.

I wish him well.

I hope he is brave enough to surround himself with competent people. I hope he is strong enough to hold off the corrupt who will fly to his side. I hope he is smart enough to listen. I hope he is bold enough to keep town hall where it belongs on Main Street.

And most of all I hope that he has the brains and humility to speak informally and often with Herb Rosenthal. He could do much worse than have a confidant with such experience.

Justin Scott

Parmalee Hill Road, Newtown                     November 13, 2007