Newtown, Redding, Sherman boards reelected
Boards of Selectman in Newtown, Redding and Sherman were reelected uncontested to new terms on Tuesday.
Newtown’s First Selectman Dan Rosenthal and Sherman’s First Selectman Don Lowe were reelected to second terms.
Rosenthal scored 4,262 votes, according to an unofficial tally.
In Sherman, Lowe pulled in 560 votes. Redding First Selectman Julia Pemberton was reelected to her fourth term. All are Democrats.
Pemberton was crossendorsed by Republicans for the top office and appeared on both party’s lines, while Lowe and Rosenthal were listed on the Democratic line.
Newtown Republicans said they could not find a strong candidate to challenge Rosenthal for the fulltime position.
“Not only is it difficult to find a candidate, but you have to find a candidate who you think would do a better job than the incumbent,” said Jeff Capeci, a former Newtown Republican leader and member of the Board of Selectmen. “Dan is running the town reasonably well, with budgets that are responsible.”
Capeci and fellow Newtown Board of Selectmen member Maureen Crick Owen, a Democrat, were also reelected unopposed.
The absence of a contest at the top of the ticket contrasts with 2017, when Newtown’s popular fourterm GOP First Selectman Pat Llodra retired, prompting a Republican primary and a threeway race for first selectman.
Rosenthal said progress on improving roads, moving police to a new headquarters and cutting costs through shared services with the school district would continue in a new term.
“I wanted the Board of Selectmen to function as a team of three, and from our very first meeting, I have always felt a strong spirit of bipartisan collaboration among us,” Rosenthal said.
Similarly, both Lowe and Pemberton refered to their success in the top office so far.
“When she was first elected in 2013, Julia brought with her a list of goals and new ideas for Redding that touched nearly every department, service and employee in the town,” according to Pemberton’s candidate bio. “Progress has been made on all fronts.”
Lowe said he wants to build on the work he’s done so far, especially with the wells.
“I’ve had a good two years,” Lowe said when he announced his candidacy. “I’ve enjoyed the work and I’ve gotten a lot done. There’s some work that I’ve started that I want to complete.”
Sherman’s and Redding’s selectmen candidates were reelected unopposed.
Republican Michael Thompson and Democrat Peg O’Donnell will serve again as Redding’s selectmen. Other boards in Newtown, Sherman and Redding are contested.
The results of Redding’s municipal election were not available by deadline, but they will be posted to newstimes.com once they are.
To learn about the candidates, visit ctinsider.com/ news/election/newstimes/.