Attendance Records, Endorsements And More: State Rep Candidates

FAIRFIELD, CT — Tuesday is Election Day in Fairfield. That's when voters will choose the next state representative for District 132, a seat left vacant after First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick resigned in November to take the town's top elected position.

In the running for the state seat are Republican Brian Farnen, a Representative Town Meeting member for District 9 and attorney for the Connecticut Green Bank, and Democrat Jennifer Leeper, a Board of Education member and founding partner of 475 Consulting.

With just a few days until voters cast their ballots, Patch takes a look at the candidates' attendance records, endorsements and campaign funding.

Attendance

Farnen and Leeper both hold seats on elected bodies in Fairfield, but their public meeting attendance records differ.

According to meeting minutes posted on the town website, in 2019 Farnen attended 11 of 14 meetings of the full Representative Town Meeting. The same year, he attended three of seven Ed & Rec Committee meetings, the minutes indicate.

"I do think that my attendance record is reasonable," Farnen said. "... As a citizen volunteer in my RTM position ... it's very justifiable to miss a few committee meetings."

Farnen said in one case he did not attend a meeting because of a professional commitment that required him to travel to Birmingham, England, to explain the green bank model.

"I think that's a valid reason to miss a meeting," he said.

In 2019, Leeper had a perfect attendance record for both the 32 school board meetings for which minutes were available on the Fairfield Public Schools website as well as for the eight meetings of the board's Finance Committee, which she chairs.

"If you want to show up and represent our community in Hartford, you have to show up in Fairfield," she said. "... I love serving on the Board of Ed and I enjoy attending our meetings and serving our community."

In 2018, Farnen attended 12 of 13 meetings of the Representative Town Meeting and seven of nine Ed & Rec Committee meetings, the minutes show. The same year, Leeper was present at 30 of 34 school board meetings and seven of eight Finance Committee meetings, according to the available minutes.

Endorsements

Both Farnen and Leeper are endorsed by a wide variety of public figures and organizations.

Farnen has received endorsements from: First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, former governor M. Jodi Rell, Independent Party of Connecticut Chair Mike Telesca, the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, former head of the Connecticut State Council of Machinists and board chair of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs John Harrity, former lieutenant governor Michael Fedele, state Rep. Laura Devlin, state Sen. Tony Hwang, former state senator John McKinney, Selectman Tom Flynn, state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, former selectman Chris Tymniak, State Sen. George Logan, 2018 attorney general candidate Sue Hatfield, Greenworks Lending CEO and Founder Jessica Bailey, Sustainable Fairfield Task Force Chairman Scott Thompson, Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick, numerous Republican members of the Representative Town Meeting and Board of Education, and several community activists.

"You'll see that it's not just Republicans — it's unaffiliated, it's independent, it's Republicans and it's Democrats," he said.

Leeper has announced endorsements from: AFL-CIO of Connecticut, AFSCME, Fairfield County Building Trades, the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, state Rep. Cristin McCarthy-Vahey, Planned Parenthood Votes, the National Association of Social Workers, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy.

"My endorsements showcase a really broad coalition," Leeper said, adding that part of the job of a state representative is to advocate for vulnerable communities and many of her endorsements are from people or groups that represent such communities.

Campaign Financing

Farnen and Leeper both met the requirements to participate in the Citizen's Election Program. With more than 113 individual donors each giving $250 or less for a total of more than $3,800, both candidates qualified for the public grant.

"We both got it quickly, which I think shows both of our strengths," Farnen said.

Farnen received $5,260 in contributions from individuals between Nov. 20 and Dec. 6, according to documents submitted to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Then, on Dec. 24, he was granted $21,117.50 by the Citizens' Election Fund.

Leeper, who announced Dec. 3 her campaign had surpassed the match requirement within 48 hours of launching its website, received $6,691 from individuals from Nov. 26 to Dec. 9 before being granted $21,112.52 from the citizens' fund later in December, State Elections Enforcement Commission documents said.