Opinion: HR Department Confirms Gerber was Wrong About Unemployment Claims

Fairfield, CT — June 4, 2025, At a recent Board of Finance (BOF) meeting, Democrat members turned a straightforward issue, HR errors related to unemployment compensation, into a political spectacle, weaponizing a Town mistake against former First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, essentially accusing her of fraud. It was reported on by local news organizations, who can and should now correct the record.

It began when First Selectman Bill Gerber falsely claimed the Town had improperly paid out $130,000 in fraudulent unemployment benefits to multiple individuals. When pressed on the matter, Gerber doubled down on the payout process and even demanded an apology from Republican BOF member Jim Walsh if Gerber was proven correct. He wasn’t.

Gerber then escalated the matter by publicly attacking Selectwoman Kupchick over her unemployment filing, withholding relevant facts.

What followed was a new low for the Board of Finance. Democrat Craig Curley, husband of Fairfield DTC Vice Chair Cathy Curley, joined the pile-on, turning the meeting into partisan theater instead of responsible financial oversight. BOF Chair Lori Charlton and other Democrats stood by as political attacks replaced facts.

But at Tuesday night’s BOF meeting, the truth finally came out as Charlton and others were forced to back down from their rhetoric and focus on the process failures:

1. Town’s Acknowledgement of Error: In a letter to the Department of Labor, the Town’s law firm Cohen and Wolf admitted the Town “inadvertently approved” Ms. Kupchick’s unemployment benefits.
2. HR Confirmation of Eligibility: In emails, the Assistant HR Director confirmed that a flagged code had been cleared and that Kupchick still qualified for benefits.
3. Kupchick Was Told Directly by HR: HR Director Cathleen Simpson personally told Ms. Kupchick she was eligible to apply. While Simpson denied this at the BOF meeting, the Assistant Director acknowledged it.
4. No $130,000 in Fraudulent Claims: HR confirmed the $130,000 in fraudulent payouts did not happen. Gerber had misread the unemployment report and misled the Board. He did not attend the meeting to hear the correction or apologize for his errors in misleading the board and the public.

Despite having access to the case file, Town leadership perpetuated false narratives.

• Why did Town leadership conceal its role until now?
• What internal failures in HR led to such miscommunication?
• Where were the financial controls?
• What reforms are being implemented to prevent this from happening again?

The HR mismanagement is alarming on its own. But turning it into a political smear campaign is inexcusable.

First Selectman Gerber is due to issue some apologies.

Democrat members of the BOF should be embarrassed by letting politics dictate their questions and overriding their duties of financial oversight.

Watch this meeting discussion here: https://youtu.be/FcA66oROiFw?t=11351

— The above opinion essay was written by the Fairfield Republican Town Committee