'The People Of Fairfield Have Spoken': Democrats Win Board of Finance, RTM Majorities

FAIRFIELD, CT — Spirits were high Tuesday night at the Democratic Town Committee election results party, as the Democrats claimed majorities on Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting, according to preliminary vote totals.

“The people of Fairfield have spoken loud and clear,” committee Chairman Steve Sheinberg declared to an enthusiastic crowd at Boca Grille and Raw Bar.

Sheinberg called for togetherness and respect, but also said First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick needed to be held accountable for what he characterized as a lack of competency and transparency.

Kupchick, in a prepared statement, congratulated all the winners and noted the divisive political climate, emphasizing a need for unity within town government.

“Fairfield is not Washington,” she said, when reached at the Republican Town Committee results party at Flipside Burgers & Bar. “We need to work together for the greater good of the community.”

Board of Finance

The 5-4 Democratic majority won Tuesday on the Board of Finance is the first in decades, and can be credited to the election of newcomers Craig Curley and Kevin Starke, both Democrats.

Incumbents Democrat Sheila Marmion and Republican Jim Walsh held their seats with 7,036 and 7,058 votes, respectively, according to preliminary totals from the Office of the Registrars of Voters in Fairfield.

“I am so excited to look at townwide strategy for what we can do,” Marmion said.

Curley got 7,103 votes and Starke was elected to a two-year vacancy with 7,129 votes, according to the preliminary results. Republican Thomas Collimore received 6,848 votes, and two-year candidate Bill Llewellyn got 6,897.

“There are a lot of issues that this town has to face right now,” Curley said.

Among those is a need for additional school air conditioning, which Starke declared Tuesday to be achievable.

“I’m a finance guy,” he said. “I can tell you, we can easily afford it.”

Representative Town Meeting

For the town meeting, it all came down to District 6, which has been something of a lightning rod for the past year.

A year ago, the Democrats held a 22-18 majority on the body. However, around the start of 2021, District 6 members Hannah Gale and Tameisha Powell-Dunmore became Republicans.

Gale switched parties in response to state Democrats' handling of legislation regarding religious vaccine exemption. Powell-Dunmore made the change after a disagreement with Democrat party leadership over Facebook posts in which she supported former president Donald Trump's calls for further investigation of the 2020 election results and claimed Antifa was involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

As the minutes ticked by Tuesday and all other districts sent in their prelimary totals, tensions rose among the Democrats. With nine of 10 districts reporting early numbers, the Democrats appeared to have 20 seats, meaning if the party failed to win any spots in District 6, the even partisan divide would stand. In the end, the Democrats won three of four District 6 seats, and tension gave way to cheers, as the party secured a 23-17 majority.

“They have voted for RTM candidates who will fairly represent all the people of their districts,” Sheinberg said of Fairfield’s voters.

Gale was the lone District 6 Republican to be elected, according to preliminary results.

“I’m disappointed that, obviously, we didn’t take the majority on the Board of Finance or RTM,” said town meeting Republican Caucus Leader Pamela Iacono, of District 8.

Iacono said she was ready to give and take in the best interest of the town.

“Somewhere along the line, compromise became a four-letter word, and I really don’t know why it did,” she said.

Other races

The Board of Education was not contested this year, which means the body will retain its 5-4 Democrat majority, as Democrats Carol Guernsey and Jennifer Jacobsen and Republicans Jeff Peterson and Nick Aysseh were re-elected.

The Town Plan and Zoning Commission held its Republican majority. Incumbents Steven Levy, a Democrat, and Thomas Noonan, a Republican, received 7,073 and 7,107 votes, respectively, according to preliminary totals. Republican Daniel Ford got 6,965 votes and will replace outgoing Democrat Mark Corcoran, preliminary results indicated. Republican Alexis Harrison beat out Democrat Marc Andre for a two-year term, 7,402 to 6,679. Two new commission alternates — Sarah Keitt, a Democrat, and Steven Leahy, a Republican, were also elected, and Democrat alternate Fredda Gordon was re-elected.

Correction: This story has been updated to include Daniel Ford's election to the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, according to preliminary numbers, and to correct the margin by which the Republicans hold the majority on the body.