Canton's Ex-First Selectman Bids Poignant Adieu

CANTON, CT — With the recent swearing-in of Republican Canton First Selectman Kevin Witkos to lead the town comes a poignant goodbye from the man he replaces.

Witkos, a former state senator, battled Democrat Bob Namnoum in the November elections, but he replaces former first selectman Robert Bessel, a Democrat who retired after choosing not to seek another term.

Last month, Bessel offered up a message of thanks to the community he has served for the past four years.

"I’ve actually found the job of first selectman rewarding and our townspeople extraordinarily kind and inventive," wrote Bessel.

"This made the job a near-constant stream of opportunities to improve our town, not just in physical improvements like sidewalks on Dowd Avenue or Streetscape improvements in Collinsville, but in the ways we communicate with each other."

Bessel wrote a regular, folksy column on the town's website and on its social media platforms, all of which are available for public viewing.

His final one opined about the need for cooperation among the community, regardless of political partisanship.

" We will not always agree and we will make mistakes. Let’s commit to admitting errors and fixing them. It’s the best we can do as humans and citizens of Canton,"he wrote.

"I have learned a lot in these four years. I appreciated all of your comments and ideas. Please keep up the communication with Kevin Witkos and the new boards of education, finance and selectmen. And consider how you might serve Canton."