Fairfield Election Results 2019: Vote Totals For Every Race

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield has a new first selectman, but not everything in town changed during Tuesday's election, as Republican and Democrats maintained majorities on the Board of Selectmen, Board of Education, Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.

Just over an hour after the polls closed Tuesday, challenger Brenda Kupchick declared victory over incumbent Mike Tetreau in the race for first selectman.

Although the town Registrars of Voters was officially reporting only 7.2 percent of vote totals as of about 9 p.m., Kupchick campaign manager Spencer Rubin said Tetreau called Kupchick to concede. Republican Town Committee Chair Jamie Millington said the decision to declare victory was made based on unofficial results given to party officials.

Preliminary results posted on the Registrars of Voters website early Wednesday morning showed that Tetreau, a Democrat who has served as the town's first selectman for eight years, received 7,413 votes. Kupchick, a Republican state representative for District 132, received 10,161.

In the race for selectman, preliminary results indicate Republican Tom Flynn received 8,925 votes while Democrat Nancy Lefkowitz got 8,510 votes. Both appear to have secured a seat on the Board of Selectmen, because although whichever first selectman candidate receives fewer votes is then considered a candidate for selectman, Tetreau got fewer votes than Flynn or Lefkowitz. This means the board will continue to be made up of two Republicans and one Democrat. In addition to Tetreau, the current Board of Selectmen includes Republican selectmen Chris Tymniak and Ed Bateson, neither of whom are seeking reelection.

With five Board of Education spots up for election, the Registrars of Voters webpage indicated Christine Vitale, Jessica Gerber and Jennifer Maxon-Kennelly, all Democrats, would retain their seats, as would Republican incumbent Trisha Pytko. Newcomer Bonnie Rotelli, a Republican, received more votes than Republican challenger Suzanne Cox-Testani, with 9,770 votes to 9,426. With three Democrats and two Republicans getting the most votes, the board will remain a Democrat majority.

On the Board of Finance, Democrat incumbent Elizabeth Zezima lost her seat, according to preliminary results. Zezima received 7,738 votes, while Democrat newcomer Lori Charlton got 7,826 votes. Republican incumbent Mary LeClerc received 9,438 votes and newcomer Jack Testani got 8,828. Based on the preliminary results, the board will continue to be made up of a Republican majority.

The Representative Town Meeting maintained its Democrat majority, but the gap between the two parties narrowed, with the number of Republicans on the 40-member body increasing from 14 members to 18 members, preliminary results said. The Republicans gained seats in Districts 1, 2, 8 and 9, but lost a seat in District 4.

Voters said they were motivated by both local and national issues to cast their ballots. Several people interviewed Tuesday cited among their reasons for voting the controversy involving the August arrest of two town employees and a former Fairfield contractor in connection with dumping at the town fill pile and the related discovery of contamination at public sites.

"The big one was the polluting of the town fields," said Frank Lodato, who cast his ballot at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, when asked what local issues were on his mind Election Day. "... That impacts the reputation of the town."

Other people said they were driven to vote by an interest in keeping taxes low and maintaining strong schools, or that their concern about politics at the national level compelled them to participate in the Democratic process.

"It's our responsibility and there's a lot going on in our country," said Gaby Burdo, a voter at Roger Sherman Elementary School. "... We have to be proactive and involved."

Below is a complete list of the preliminary election results, as reported by the Registrars of Voters webpage: