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Political Stage Set With

Six Weeks To Election

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

The stage has been set for what could arguably become one of the most

interesting first selectman races in recent Newtown history.

There was a bit of a delay in the actual race between the two parties as the

Democrats had to duke it out to see who would face the Republicans.

Herb Rosenthal and his running mate, Joe Bojnowski, finally won last week's

Democratic primary for the right to take on Republicans Russ Melita and

running mate Bill Brimmer. Suddenly the November 4 election is just over six

weeks away.

This year's campaign season is a bit unusual. It's not often that an election

in Newtown does not have an incumbent first selectman running. The last time

that happened was in 1989, when embattled Republican Rod MacKenzie decided not

to run. This summer, Bob Cascella announced that he would not seek

re-election, opening the door for Russ Melita, whose business background,

according to his running mate, is just one of the many attributes that make

him a top-flight candidate.

"He's a pure business guy. He's served in several corporate positions where he

really had to make a difference for the company," Bill Brimmer explained.

While the Republican first selectman candidate does not have the name

recognition of his opponent, he has the advantage of having nearly twice as

many registered Republicans as Democrats in Newtown. This appears to be an

issue-oriented election, however, and both the Melita/Brimmer and

Rosenthal/Bojnowski teams have been pounding the pavement in an effort to hear

what people have to say.

"We've been doing a lot of walking, going door-to-door trying to determine

what the issues are. So far, those issues include keeping taxes down, bringing

in commercial development to offset taxes and roads," explained Mr Brimmer.

The Republicans believe the town has to begin biting the bullet when it comes

to repairing the town's roads. The annual $2 million for road repairs may not

be enough. As Mr Brimmer points out, Newtown has just as many (if not more)

miles of roads as Danbury, but with only a third of the population.

Last week, the Melita/Brimmer team was seen greeting residents outside the

Grand Union and Dunkin' Donuts.

A week after winning the primary, the Rosenthal/Bojnowski team has also begun

meeting with residents, but this time it's both Democrats and Republicans.

Nevertheless, Mr Rosenthal said the issues remain the same no matter who the

candidate is. The Republicans agree, though they admit it helps knowing who

their opponent is now that the Democratic primary is out of the way.

It was a bit unsettling not knowing who the Democratic candidate would be, Mr

Brimmer said.

As usual, there are two public forums scheduled for the candidates to discuss

the issues. Pizza & Politics Night is slated for October 28 at the Fireside

Inn. The annual event, put on jointly by the League of Women Voters and the

Newtown Chamber of Commerce, is expected to be jam packed. None of the

pre-election events quite have the flavor of Pizza & Politics, and, according

to the League of Women Voter's Cynthia Scheibel, this year's should be quite

spicy.

"It should be a big event because people are so concerned about all the

building going on in town," the League's voter service chairman said. "I think

people want to know where the candidates stand on that point."

The last big turnout came in 1993 when Bob Cascella faced off against

incumbent first selectman Zita McMahon.

Rotary of Newtown will also hold a candidates night in October.