Kupchick Prioritizes Public Trust In Inauguration Speech

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield started a new chapter Monday night with the inauguration of First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, but the town's recent past lingered as Kupchick spoke of restoring faith and integrity in government in her first official speech as Fairfield's leader.

"I will not forget my oath," Kupchick, a Republican, told a crowded auditorium at Fairfield Warde High School. "I will not forget the trust you have placed in me."

Her words followed months of contention in Fairfield, after two town employees and a former contractor were arrested in August in connection with illegal dumping at the Fairfield fill pile. The same week, asbestos at a local park was reported to police in connection with the pile. Discussion of the contamination crisis dominated headlines and debates throughout the election cycle, as more contaminants were uncovered at public sites across town and court proceedings began for those charged in the case.

"Public service is a public trust," said Kupchick, a longtime state representative who Friday resigned from her seat representing House District 132 in the Connecticut General Assembly. "... You must never forget where you come from and you must never forget who you work for."

Kupchick also called on Fairfielders to communicate beyond social media, which served as a platform for sometimes heated discussions of town issues during the campaign season, including the contamination controversy.

"A tweet or a Facebook post should never replace looking someone in the eye," she said. "... Tonight we will start working together."

Kupchick thanked her opponent in the election, two-term First Selectman Mike Tetreau, as well as outgoing selectmen Ed Bateson and Chris Tymniak, both Republicans, and congratulated incoming selectmen Republican Tom Flynn and Democrat Nancy Lefkowitz.

"I look forward to coming together as Fairfielders to move our community forward," she said.

Kupchick touched on her Fairfield roots, beginning her speech by remarking she was, "standing in the high school that I graduated from," as well as noting that she is a third-generation Fairfielder and referencing comparisons to the first woman to hold Fairfield's top elected office, Jacky Durrell. Kupchick is the second woman to be elected to the seat.

After the inauguration, Kupchick said she is beginning the process of meeting with department heads and plans to approach the role of first selectwoman with "common sense, a work ethic and passion."

The atmosphere Monday was festive, with Kupchick receiving standing ovations after she was sworn in by former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays and at the conclusion of her remarks.

Selectman Flynn, a 14-year member of the Board of Finance and the body's most recent chair, referred to the transition as both exciting and bittersweet, saying that while he will miss the Board of Finance, he looks forward to new challenges. Lefkowitz, who previously served on the Representative Town Meeting as a member for District 1, said she is ready to work collaboratively with her fellow Board of Selectmen members to move Fairfield forward.

"To be able to finally get to work is a thrill," she said.

In addition the Board of Selectmen, Monday's ceremony saw newly elected members of the Board of Education, Board of Finance, Representative Town Meeting and many more town bodies take the oath of office.

In the invocation, the Rev. Charles H. Allen, chaplain of Fairfield University, spoke favorably about Fairfield's faith community, universities, high schools, libraries and first responders, and prayed that the town be a place of "hope, good Democratic principals and generosity."

During the benediction, Rabbi Marcelo Kormis of Congregation Beth El called for those who hold public office in town to show responsibility and vote with integrity.

The ceremony also included performances from Warde's jazz ensemble and Muse & Overtones, and Fairfield Ludlowe High School's Bel Canto. The town's fire and police departments, joined by members of Boy Scout Troops 82, 88 and 199, served as an honor guard, while Brownie Troop 30092 and Girl Scout Junior Troop 30419 led the Pledge of Allegiance. Former state Sen. John McKinney and state Rep. Laura Devlin oversaw the proceedings as the masters of ceremonies.