Charter Changes Could Be On Ballot Next Year In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield’s charter — the constitution for the town — is long overdue for an update, according to officials.

The process of modifying the document is underway after the Board of Selectmen voted in August to establish a Charter Revision Commission. Selectmen appointed the commission members Monday — an undertaking preceded by some debate.

The bipartisan commission includes three Republicans, three Democrats and one unaffiliated member. It will spend the next year meeting with residents and town bodies before making recommendations that the Board of Selectmen may accept, reject or return to the group for modification. Any items selectmen approve will go on the November 2022 ballot, allowing voters to choose whether to change the charter, which was last revised in 2006.

“The ultimate decision goes before the taxpayers and the voters,” Selectman Tom Flynn said, referring to the public as “the ultimate check and balance.”

Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz, the lone Democrat on the board, said her input was not considered in the selection of the commissioners.

“It was disappointing not to be able to participate in a meaningful way about who those Democrats would be,” she said, adding she had made suggestions about commission membership to town attorney Jim Baldwin.

Baldwin countered that Lefkowitz was free to present her recommendations to her fellow board members in public session.

“I did present those people to you,” she said.

In a prepared statement following the meeting, Democratic Town Committee Chairman Steve Sheinberg said the party was “extremely disappointed” after First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick did not consult with Lefkowitz about commission appointments.

“She also ignored the recommendation from Selectwoman Lefkowitz made to the town attorney that a particular, well-qualified Democrat be appointed to the commission,” Sheinberg said in the statement. “It is imperative that all voices be fairly represented and that partisan politics play no part in (the charter’s) revision.”

Of particular concern to Lefkowitz were three former members of the town’s Strategic Plan Committee — Republican Marlene Battista, Democrat Jay Gross and unaffiliated representative John Wynne — who were chosen for the commission.

In his statement, Sheinberg said the former committee members, “have previously shared strong, highly-partisan views related to our town government.”

The committee was formed in 2017 and worked with a consultant on a plan to maintain Fairfield’s status as a desirable community, according to a statement from Kupchick issued after the meeting.

“They did so much work, learning about our entire town, learning about everything — how it works, how our boards work,” Kupchick said during the meeting, at which she noted that she specifically gravitated toward Strategic Plan Committee members and attorneys when identifying potential commissioners. “To me, it was an advantage and I thought it would help.”

Lefkowitz, who is co-chair of Fairfield’s Racial Equity and Justice Task Force, also took issue with the lack of diversity on the commission.

“I’m concerned that there isn’t broad representation,” she said. “We don’t have a person of color on this board.”

Lefkowitz requested that each commission appointment vote be cast separately, and voted against approving Batista, Gross and Wynne to sit on the body, although she was outnumbered and all the candidates were appointed. Other commission members include Representative Town Meeting Republican Caucus Leader Pamela Iacono, Democrat Board of Finance member John Mitola, Democrat Christopher Brogan and Republican Bryan Cafferelli.

For more information, visit fairfieldct.org/charterrevisioncommission.