Fairfield Candidate Profile: Roger Autuori For RTM

FAIRFIELD, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Fairfield and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office, so Fairfield Patch asked them to answer questions about their campaigns.

Roger Autuori is running for Representative Town Meeting District 5 as a Republican. Autuori is a retired communications professional. He previously served on the RTM in the 1980s and 1990s and has held positions on the Water Pollution Control Authority and as a registrar of voters.

Candidate responses appear as they were received and have not been edited by Patch staff.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The financial complications of the Julian /Town Department heads fill pile scandal. The financial exposure to the town are at this point enormous but the final bill is unknown. It will put pressure on our schools, recreation, public safety and other services we now take for granted. Not knowing what the final outcome will be limits my ability to say what specifically I will do about it other than in the short term I want to lessen its effects on current town operations.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am an independent person and I don't follow the herd. The good of the town comes first, the good of my district come next. I'm not interested in scoring political points.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

I want to fix the increasing problems of flooding in the Stratfield area. Previous fixes done in the sixties (piping in brooks and streams) have caused area flooding after very short rain storms. The Rooster River project was never completed and the lack of any further attention has increased the problem.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

The town had bought property in the early 90's to build a new firehouse behind Stratfield School. Better heads prevailed and the project was shelved but residential properties on Hillandale Road purchased for the project were left in limbo. When I was on the RTM during the 91-93 term I introduced a proposal to sell the properties when town properties leases and rents came up for RTM annual review. Various hurdles were thrown in the way (town attorney opinion that such proposal could not originate in the RTM, who could market and list the property, and other proposals to keep the properties under town ownership) but I and my colleagues on both side of the aisle persevered and the homes are part of a vibrant neighborhood.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Know what you know, Know what you don't know and surround yourself with those who know more than you.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

If elected I intend to do the best job for the residents of the district and the town.