2 Fairfield Department Heads Fired

FAIRFIELD, CT — The heads of two town departments were terminated Wednesday, according to Fairfield's first selectwoman.

Human Resources Director Emmet Hibson and Chief Fiscal Officer Bob Mayer are no longer working for the town, First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick confirmed.

"I did what I felt was in the best interest of the town," Kupchick said.

Town Attorney Jim Baldwin said that under the Town Charter, Kupchick has up to 65 days from when she took office in late November to reappoint department heads and she chose not to do so for Hibson and Mayer. Both employees will receive the severance and benefits to which they are entitled, Baldwin said.

Kupchick declined to comment on whether the terminations are connected to the public corruption scandal surrounding the mismanagement of the town fill pile or the related criminal investigation.

Last fall, Hibson came under the scrutiny of selectmen for his handling of a draft police report that was part of the investigation resulting in the arrests of two town employees and a former contractor in connection with the fill pile.

Hibson did not immediately respond Thursday to a call seeking comment. When reached, Mayer did not immediately offer comment.

In the wake of the terminations, Controller Cailtlin Bosse will manage operations at the finance department and Benefits Manager Cheryl Lynch and Chief Administrative Officer Tom Bremer will take over human resources.

Bosse has worked in the finance department for 12 years, Kupchick said, and will oversee Fairfield's 2020 budgeting process, which ends in May. The human resources director position will be posted soon, she said, and the town hopes to fill it in the near future.

Mayer began working for the town in 2012 as the chief of staff to former first selectman Mike Tetreau before becoming chief fiscal officer. Prior to his employment with the town, he was a member of the Board of Finance and worked in executive management in the health care industry.

Hibson was named human resources director in 2016, the Fairfield Citizen reported. He has also held positions in human resources and labor relations for the municipalities of Norwalk, Stamford and New Haven, according to LinkedIn.

The terminations of Mayer and Hibson are the latest in a series of recent high-level personnel changes in town. Since she was elected to Fairfield's top office, Kupchick has brought in a new town attorney and chief of staff, and created the position of chief administrative officer. Kupchick also hired an interim public works superintendent to replace former superintendent Scott Bartlett, who was fired in August after being charged with several environmental and financial crimes in connection with the presence of contaminants at the fill pile and public sites across town.

Also facing felony charges in the fill pile case is ex-public works director Joe Michelangelo, who was terminated in September. Michelangelo's position has not yet been filled.