Letter: Kiley Has What It Takes

Written by Gregory Convertito

To the Editor:

This past winter, when I signed the petition for special election, I was undecided on for whom I would vote (though I leaned Democrat). I knew it would largely depend on which candidate each party chose, and the vision they presented for our town in the lead up to the election, should enough Fairfielders sign. At that time, I merely did not think it was prudent to let Ed Bateson serve three years with no election. Such an ascension rung hollow to me—raised in our New England town with a nearly four-hundred-year tradition of democratic engagement, burned to the ground for our defiance of the Crown and our ardent defense of republicanism. It seemed to me that three years was too long for an unelected official to hold an elected office after his predecessor had resigned for unexplained reasons of convenience after one year.

Since then, my opinion has been galvanized for Kevin Kiley, and against Ed Bateson. Mr. Kiley has served our town prudently and diligently over his 22 years on the RTM, the Board of Finance, and the Board of Selectmen. I was thrilled when it was announced he would be on the ballot. He has supported strong but fiscally responsible school spending and senior tax relief, and he has demonstrated the deep care he holds for our community time and time again.

Mr. Bateson has shown himself repeatedly unable to face and respect the voters, instead hiding behind his attorney until it comes time to raise funds. He wants to win an election for free—he wants to be elected without the work, and he would rather not need to be elected at all. He has treated both the law and the people of our town with open disdain over these past few months: in voting to void the petition for special election, he defied the state statutes and our town charter, which in its opening salvo declares that all residents of Fairfield “shall have…all powers and privileges conferred upon towns under the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut” (§1.1), which includes the power to petition for a special election.

Mr. Bateson has been completely absent from public discourse, and has made none of his views known. He has spoken only through surrogates, in language so ideological it is transparent. Mr. Kiley is not afraid to face the voters, and has reiterated his vision of fiscal responsibility, strong support for our schools, and tax relief for our seniors through his presence in public dialogue over the last few months. (When last I checked, winning an election meant campaigning, but Mr. Bateson has done none of this: he did not show at the League of Women Voters debate, though he had a fundraiser with our Republican state representatives the night before.)

The RTM Majority and Deputy Majority Leaders have claimed that “Ed Bateson possesses qualities of leadership which Kevin Kiley does not”—they have claimed that Mr. Kiley does not have what it takes to be a leader. What they mean is that Mr. Kiley does not toe the party line; what they mean is that Mr. Kiley is a leader, and has been so for 22 years. This is why they chose Ms. McArdle over him to run for selectman in 2015, because she was not a leader, as she herself has since proven.

I do not want my selectman to toe the party line; I want my selectman to make what he thinks is the best decision, regardless of party politics. And that is what Mr. Kiley has always done, and will continue to do, if we choose him to represent us on Tuesday. Mr. Kiley has what it takes to lead Fairfield.

Gregory Convertito

Fairfield