Date: Fri 28-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

politics-Cascella-departure

Full Text:

Cascella Looks Back On His Term And The Toll It Took

(with cuts)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Four years ago, Bob Cascella took office full of energy, enthusiasm and

ideals. This week, the outgoing first selectman departs a jaded, pragmatic

veteran with no job to fall back on.

Though he is officially the first selectman until midnight on Sunday, Mr

Cascella's final day at Edmond Town Hall was Wednesday. When the day finally

arrived, all that was left to do was leave.

Mr Cascella had moved his personal belongings out of the first selectman's

office several weeks before. Now, his office was bare, just a desk, chair,

phone and a few books. His four-year run as the town's top official was over

and, for him, it couldn't have come any sooner. He's been crossing the days

off on his calendar ever since announcing he would not seek a third term this

past summer.

Mr Cascella tells people flat out that he would have been victorious in this

most recent election, but "burn out" had finally taken its toll. It was simply

time to move on, he said. Rumors about a new job were apparently untrue.

"As of December 1, I will be unemployed," he said earlier this week, breaking

his long silence on what his plans were.

Democrat Herb Rosenthal takes over the first selectman's office next week.

On Monday, The Bee sat down with the outgoing first selectman for his final

interview as the town's top administrator. The weight of town affairs had

finally been lifted off his shoulders.

"This is quiet time," he said, sitting back in his chair. "Hopefully nothing

happens between now and midnight. After that, certainly, they can call Mr

Rosenthal."

Taking staff members Jan Andras and Carole Ross out to lunch was the biggest

thing left on Mr Cascella's list of things to do.

A Master's Degree

(Sort Of)

Mr Cascella said his four years in office has been a "working master's degree

program in public administration." It is his experience and his record that he

hopes will help take him to another level of public office. Don't expect any

Cascella campaign for Jim Maloney's US Congressional seat in '98, though he

had expressed interest in running for the job this past summer. However, if

Fred Lovegrove or Julia Wasserman ever decided to step down, Mr Cascella said

he would be interested in running for their seats.

After nearly 1,500 days as the first selectman of Newtown, Mr Cascella said it

will be nice to finally get away from the public scrutiny which has been

looking over his shoulder since the early '90s.

"I have been in the public eye for the past six years. Everything I said,

every move I made was subject to public scrutiny. Now what I do is my own

private business."

Mr Cascella said the completion of the municipal sewer project ranks high

among the accomplishments he is most proud of. As he points out, it was

finished on time and under budget.

"We ripped up the center of town with very few problems. It could have been a

nightmare," he said.

Mr Cascella believes his administration also helped inject a more professional

and businesslike atmosphere in the running of the town. During his term, the

town government moved ahead 30 years in technology.

"There was nothing here four years ago. We're making people more effective in

what they do," he said.

Since his arrival, Mr Cascella said the first selectman's office has "opened

up" and become more communicative with the community. Through better

communication, Mr Cascella maintained a good relationship with Superintendent

of Schools John Reed and the Legislative Council. Mr Cascella always briefed

the council at its regular meetings.

"I always tried to be open and up front in an effort to avoid the adversarial

relationship the council and the first selectman have had in the past," he

said.

Not being able to finish the library during his administration was a major

disappointment, Mr Cascella admitted. However, one of Mr Cascella's final acts

was to remove one general contractor from the job and hire another, which he

believes will help the job finally get completed, albeit six months overdue.

Mr Cascella said the recent campaign between Herb Rosenthal and Russ Melita

was a good barometer for measuring the Cascella years. He noted that there

were few attacks on the current administration, indicating a job well done. Of

course, Mr Cascella acknowledged that it may have been a different story had

he been running in the election.

As for his most controversial move as the town's leader, Mr Cascella had to

think long and hard, so long in fact that staff member Carole Ross finally had

to break the silence. "Well, we're waiting," she said from a nearby office.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Mr Cascella replied.

Mr Cascella thought and thought, but could not come up with a single

controversial move. There were some, however, who felt he became controversial

after his political split with longtime Republican Marie Sturdevant, a member

of his staff who resigned abruptly from the first selectman's office one year

ago this week.

Mrs Sturdevant, now the chairman of the Republican Town Committee, was a close

Cascella supporter and was instrumental in his election, according to those in

the party. Their run-in over pay increases angered Mrs Sturdevant, essentially

alienating Mr Cascella from a large portion of the Republican inner circle.

Not For The

Faint Of Heart

Mr Cascella will be the first to tell you that being the CEO of a town is not

for the faint of heart.

"You must be prepared for the unknown. You never know what's going to walk

through those doors," he said. "Everything rests on your shoulders. Whether or

not you have control over it is immaterial."

Though he has put on a few pounds during his four years in town hall, the

first selectman has managed to keep all his hair. In fact, the first selectman

became known for his variety of hair styles while in office. He started off on

the council with a beard, but had just a mustache by the time he was elected

first selectman. Over time, his mustache disappeared, and his hair began to

take on different shapes. If it wasn't the Carl Perkins half-pompadour look,

it was the Jimmy Hoffa slicked-back look.

"A lot of the different hair styles were by default," Mr Cascella joked.

It was a sense of humor that may have helped Mr Cascella make it through his

two terms. "You need to be able to laugh at yourself," he said. "You can't

take anything too serious because you'll never survive. People are always

telling you you're doing a bad job."

Development Issue

Mr Cascella leaves office as the town comes to grips with its massive growth

in residential development. The issue came up often during the campaign as the

two candidates discussed how they, as first selectman, could help address the

town's growing pains. Mr Rosenthal promised to make sure the land-use

commissions had the "tools" to help make decisions on development

applications. That's great, Mr Cascella said, but the funds for those tools --

ie, attorneys, outside consultants, etc -- are already available in the

budget, and Liz Stocker holds a degree in planning.

"The bottom line is that it is the zoning commission's choice whether or not

they want to use these tools," Mr Cascella said.

Calls From The Public

Mr Cascella recalls one phone call he received from a Newtown resident who had

a complaint about all the early-morning noise coming from a rooster next door.

The man wanted the town to do something about it, but there was nothing we

could do, Mr Cascella said.

Then there was the stray cat that a woman dropped off in the first selectman's

office, saying it was the town's responsibility.

"This has been a great four years," Mr Cascella said. "I'm really going to

miss the people."