If only the politics of the world were as gentle as the politics in Newtown. There would be no terror, no bloodshed, and nary a harsh word among nations. Perhaps the extraordinarily civil election campaign in Newtown this year reflects the strong impulse we have to care a bit more for each other in the wake of September 11, or perhaps patriotic fervor has replaced partisan fervor for the time being. Whatever the reason, the political jousting in Newtown in the election campaign this year is about what it was two years ago, when First Selectman Herb Rosenthal ran unopposed.

Two years ago, we were critical of the local Republican leadership for not fielding a candidate at the top of the local ticket. This year the GOP came through for the town with a competent, intelligent, and thoughtful administrator in Owen Carney. For years, candidates have been telling us, “I’m no politician,” believing that it was a selling point. In this year’s election campaign, the worst that can be said about Owen Carney is that he actually is no politician. He enjoys the respect of everyone and would make an excellent first selectmen if the townspeople had a problem with their current leader, Mr Rosenthal. Unfortunately for Mr Carney and the Republicans this year, Newtown doesn’t appear to have a problem with Mr Rosenthal.

Herb Rosenthal and Owen Carney agreed on virtually every issue of importance to the voters, with the exception of the degree to which Fairfield Hills should be opened to commercial development. (Mr Carney says not at all. Mr Rosenthal says maybe a little.) If he had been more of a politician, Mr Carney might have banged the drum a little harder on that distinction, but he didn’t. In the end, Newtown voters will be asked to choose between two capable men, one of whom has been on the job for the past four years and one who has not.

There is no compelling reason to remove Mr Rosenthal from office this year and many good reasons for keeping him on. Having successfully negotiated the town purchase of Fairfield Hills from the state, he committed himself and the town to a process that would involve townspeople in the development of a master plan for the Fairfield Hills campus, including a town vote on the plan. He needs to fulfill that commitment. It will require that he demonstrate the same sensitivity to the public will that led him to abandon his initial opposition to the town purchase of Fairfield Hills. It will require the same mediation skills and political balance that helped him secure simultaneous public support for both the Fairfield Hills purchase and the construction of the 5/6 school at a time when there was a good measure of distrust and suspicion between the advocates of each.

Mr Rosenthal has a pretty good record as Newtown’s chief administrator. In addition to his work on the Fairfield Hills deal, he has secured a better credit rating for the town, so municipal borrowing costs have been reduced. His campaign against local eyesores has finally razed the abandoned gas station at Queen Street and Church Hill Road. He has consolidated the town’s dispatch center creating efficiencies in both cost and service, and he has advocated and secured tax relief for senior citizens and emergency service volunteers.

We recommend that Herb Rosenthal be returned to office for another term as first selectman.