'You All Make Fairfield Stronger': Vitale Delivers State Of The Town Address

FAIRFIELD, CT — Before the Representative Town Meeting on Thursday, Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale delivered a "State of the Town" address, heavy on the town's resilience following the passing of First Selectman Bill Gerber.

Fairfield remains a strong, vibrant town, a place that families want to move to, and businesses want to hang out a shingle, according to Vitale.

"I’d like to start out by talking about our greatest strength – our people," Vitale said. "Those who have chosen Fairfield to live, work, visit, study or start a business. We are committed to making Fairfield the best it can be for them."

The State of the Town response was delivered by RTM Republican Caucus Leader Peter Britton; to view it, click here.

Full text of Vitale's address is below; and to view it, click here.

Members of the RTM, Distinguished Guests, Valued Staff and Fellow Citizens,

For the past seven months, I have had the honor of leading Fairfield as your First Selectperson.

When I look back on 2025, I am reminded how life can change in an instant.

2025 was the year we tragically lost my friend and our First Selectman Bill Gerber. I wish I could turn back time and have him here with us. I have been thinking about what he would want to share with you if he were here.

There are two things Bill would probably mention.

First, he would still be talking about how incredible it was that Fairfield National went all of the way to the Little League World Series! I know that is one of my favorite Fairfield memories of this past year - our community united and proud, cheering for our kids!

And second, Bill would definitely mention the improvement to the sewer system—it was a recurring theme for him.

2025 was a year that we came together as a community to both grieve and celebrate.

It was a year that reaffirmed the strength, compassion, and hope of our community.

Even during times of transition, we have come together to keep Fairfield moving forward.

2025 showed us just how resilient we are, and I’m here tonight to report that the state of Fairfield is strong.

Our strength is reflected in our AAA bond rating. Our strong financial resilience supports successful,
competitive bond sales each year, which help fund our capital projects.

Our strength is reflected in our stellar public schools. Seven of our public schools were recognized as
being schools of distinction by the Connecticut Department of Education.

Our strength is reflected in our two top-tier universities, Fairfield University and Sacred Heart
University, which bolster our local economy and serve as a resource for talent, culture and recreational opportunities.

Our strength is reflected in our vibrant Town Center with its array of restaurants, businesses and a
state-designated Cultural District celebrating our arts scene. We have welcomed over 60 new
businesses to town this year and continue to have a strong partnership with our Chamber of
Commerce.

Our strength is reflected in our ability to work together to effect change. We raised our voices, to fight
the UI monopole project and the sale of Aquarion.

Our strength is reflected in our protection of the environment and open spaces. We added 28 acres to
our already existing 1,300 acres of open space. We are building a new ecological education center on
Sturges Road near the Mill River. And we are in the process of developing a Master Flood Plan which
will address both coastal and riverine flooding.

Our strength is reflected in our generosity; we support so many non-profit organizations, and the
outpouring of donations that came in when federal SNAP benefits paused was truly inspiring.

We are a community that cares for each other and shows up for each other.

In the next 15 minutes or so, I’d like to talk about several important topics, give a little detail about
what’s happening in some of our Town departments and share my vision for Fairfield.

I’d like to start out by talking about our greatest strength – our people. Those who have chosen
Fairfield to live, work, visit, study or start a business. We are committed to making Fairfield the best it can be for them.

I would like to thank our town employees, including our police and fire departments, dispatch officers, public health nurses, public works employees, educators and the over 200 volunteers who serve on our appointed and elected boards and commissions. Thank you for your hard work, expertise and dedication to our community. We are incredibly fortunate to have such talented people serving, protecting and educating our residents.

You all make Fairfield stronger.

The strength and resiliency of an organization relies heavily on attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel. Our human resources are among our town’s most valuable assets.

We have a great team who bring fresh ideas, energy and the experience needed to move key initiatives forward. When I took office, I immediately brought in Lee Palmer, an experienced Human Resources professional, to advise on recruitment and HR policies and procedures.

In the past six months, we welcomed our new Director of DPW Frank Petise, Director of Risk Management Joseph Barbera, Controller Anthony DeFelice, and Benefits Manager Judy Warner. I am excited to share that our new Director of Human Resources, Regina Williams, will be starting on Monday.

Of course, the new hire everyone is most excited about is our social media star, Penny, the Police K9 unit’s new bloodhound. Penny will strengthen the Police Department’s ability to locate missing persons with speed and precision. She is also guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

The most important job of a chief elected official is ensuring public safety, and I’d like touch on what we’re doing in that area.

The safety of residents is our top priority and we are so incredibly fortunate to have Fire and Police Departments that not only protect and serve, but also care deeply about the well-being of our community.

Our new Police Chief, Michael Paris, has hit the ground running and established a dedicated Neighborhood Enforcement Team, consisting of three officers and a supervisor which will be focused on addressing quality-of-life issues and persistent neighborhood concerns. This team strengthens our community policing approach by providing targeted enforcement, proactive problem-solving and faster response to recurring complaints around town. They were helpful in our work this year with Fairfield University to change SantaCon from a dangerous out-of-towner’s party of more than 20,000 people to a private and fun Fairfield University-sponsored event.

We have also made major technology upgrades through Axon to ensure our police officers have the
safest and most effective tools available to support accountability, officer safety and operational
efficiencies.

These investments in public safety will enable us to continue to deliver the highest standards of service to our community.

Fire Chief Kyran Dunn has stepped up to not only lead the fire department, but has assumed the role of the Town’s Emergency Management Director.

We have made key investments in fire equipment, including the purchase of a new fire boat and ladder engines. This past year, we made the important safety enhancement of having our Rescue and Ladder trucks staffed with officers.

The Fairfield County Regional Dispatch Center, led by Joe Gaudett, is continuing to grow. We will be welcoming Easton to the Center this Spring which will bring in additional revenue and enhance mutual aid for all member towns.

Let’s move on to talk about the future.

2026 promises to be an exciting year for Fairfield. We will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the
Declaration of Independence and, as we look back on our Town’s history, we can appreciate just how
resilient we are.

In 1779, the British set Fairfield on fire and what did we do? We rebuilt and we grew. In the 1800s, railroads, steamships and Bridgeport industry brought newcomers to Fairfield. Throughout our history, Fairfield has provided an opportunity to people across the world to start a new life.

We love being a quaint coastal town, but we also aren’t afraid of changing with the times.

Fairfield is at a crossroads. And as tempting as it may to stand still or turn back time, we need to be proactive and plan for the future.

And that is exactly what we are doing. In 2025, we spent a lot of time updating plans. In 2026, we will be turning those plans into action.

Our governing plan is our Town Charter. We have been operating under a Charter that was over 20 years old. In November, the electorate voted in favor of updating the Town’s governing document. I thank the past two Charter Revision Commissions and the Board of Selectpersons for the time, diligence, and hard work they put into proposing revisions to the 2006 Charter. The new revisions will improve town operations, bring more oversight to the Water Pollution and Control Utility, and reflect the current needs of our town boards and commissions.

Our Plan of Conservation and Development is a critical plan that also needed updating. The Town Plan and Zoning Commission recently adopted a new POCD which will help guide future development and land use. The Plan maintains our residential neighborhoods, protects our open space and offers a road map for redevelopment and revitalization of our commercial corridors.

For the past several decades, developers were able to bypass our local zoning regulations under the 8-30g state statute to move high density housing projects forward. In 2025, we secured Fairfield’s first-ever housing moratorium, temporarily halting new 8-30g applications through March of 2029. We are well on our way to earning enough housing unit points to achieve our second moratorium which will give us an additional five-year pause.

I know that there has been concern about the impact of the new state legislation, HB 8002 and how it
affects our 8-30g moratorium. HB 8002 is largely a planning document. The legislation provides
resources and incentives, which can help make it easier for municipalities to earn housing points and
reach a moratorium from 8-30g faster.

Now is the time for us to truly take local control. We are poised to control our own destiny and the
destinies of our children.

As we look to the future, we need to keep Fairfield affordable and accessible to all ages. It is very hard
for young adults and families to find housing they can afford in Fairfield. There are limited options for seniors who may want to downsize and still stay in the community they love.

It is becoming harder for people who work in Fairfield to be able to live in Fairfield. This includes our
firefighters, our police officers, our teachers, and the staff that keep our town running. Wouldn’t it be
great to have more diverse housing options so our kids could afford to live in the town they grew up
in?

Do we want to look like a city with high rise buildings throughout town? No.

We can remain a picturesque suburban town and at the same time offer more affordable and accessible housing options.

We can keep our Town Center bustling but also make it more pedestrian-friendly. Commercial corridors that are walkable, with green spaces, artwork, and gathering spots support our local economy and reinforce our sense of community.

Let’s create stronger, more vibrant neighborhoods. One way to do that is through our work on a Complete Streets plan.

First Selectman Gerber was passionate about the Complete Streets model, and we have made great
progress this past year in moving that work forward. Let me bring you up to date.

The Town has received a Safe Streets For All planning grant which will provide $350,000 to assist in
the development of a Safety Action Plan that will guide us in making our streets safer for all users. We recently received a second Safe Streets demonstration grant in the amount of $300,000 to pilot some projects designed to reduce the cut-through traffic that diverts off of I-95.

Investing in our town’s infrastructure is vital to our future success. Guiding that work is our 10-year capital plan that contains over $500 million of town, school and WPCA improvements. Our capital projects team has worked hard to refine this plan and throughout the year, they monitor project status and continually update our capital waterfall. We remain focused on keeping our debt service below 10% of our total expenditures.

Our project managers and town engineers have been busy this year maintaining and improving our
infrastructure.

We completed full replacement of tide gates at South Pine Creek and finished the Riverside Drive/Turney Creek culvert. We have gone out to bid for the Rooster River Flood Mitigation Project.
The design phase of the Police Department Renovation is nearing completion and we have completed
schematic designs for all five fire stations, and we just began working with an architect on the renovation of the Fairfield Woods Branch Library.

And, Bill Gerber would be very happy to know that work on the East Trunk Sewer Line and Phase 1 of
upgrades to the WPCU are underway. We just received $900,000 in federal funding for pump station
upgrades which is one of the ways we bring revenue to Town projects without relying solely on taxpayer funding.

Last Spring, the Town conducted a school feasibility study to help inform decision-making on future
school building projects. After review of the study, town boards supported building a new school on
the Dwight Elementary School campus, which will include dedicated space for early childhood and
special education programming.

We are planning and building for future generations.

Now I’d like to move on from infrastructure and talk a little about services, specifically our new Community Services department.

Taking care of our community is at the heart of what we do.

Last year, First Selectman Gerber, consolidated Parks and Recreation and the Department of Human and Social Services under the umbrella of Community Services. Anthony Calabrese and Julie DeMarco have been working together to expand the services we offer residents of all ages and
abilities.

We have increased usage of the Bigelow Center for additional community programming and are continuing to respond to the needs of our residents. This past year, we hired a new full-time Youth
Services Social Worker, Emily Larkin, to expand capacity and to engage and support youth and
families through prevention, early intervention, case management and crisis response.

We have retained an architect to begin work on the new Adaptive Recreation facility, complete with a new ADA-compliant inclusive playground. The Bigelow Center was designated as a Regional Focal Point for Aging by the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging, recognizing its role as a trusted hub for wellness programs, transportation and nutritional services.

I would like to thank Brenda Steele and her staff for making the Senior Center the coolest place to be.
There is so much going on there!

I’ve just shared with you a number of initiatives that this administration is working on to improve the lives of Fairfielders. All of this comes at a cost. Delivering best in class public safety, maintaining our stellar school system, financing multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects, and delivering the top-notch community services Fairfielders rely on means the administration needs to be laser-focused on squeezing the most out of every taxpayer dollar while continually searching for other funding sources.

We are in the beginning of budget season. I have now spent over 40 hours meeting with individual
departments going over their budget requests for the next fiscal year. These meetings will continue
over the next several weeks and very soon, our Finance team and I will begin pulling together all this
data into the First Selectperson’s proposed budget.

The largest share of that budget will come from the Board of Education. This past Tuesday, the Board of Ed adopted their proposed FY27 budget. They are requesting a 5.53% increase, largely driven by
contractual obligations in salaries, healthcare benefits and transportation.

We are very cognizant of the impact the state-mandated property revaluation will have on next year’s taxes. Since 2020, residential properties in Fairfield have increased in value by about 65% and
commercial properties by 18%, similar to other municipalities in CT. Housing stock is low and buyers
are paying top dollar. Residential properties, however, are now encompassing a larger portion of the
Grand List than commercial properties.

As we finalize the Town budget, difficult decisions will need to be made as we work to keep Fairfield
affordable while also maintaining the essential services our residents rely upon and keep Fairfield such a desirable place to live. I highly encourage residents to stay engaged in the budget process. Attend budget meetings, share your thoughts with the BoS, BoF and RTM as they begin their budget review.

The proposed Town budget will be posted in mid-February in the Annual Budget section on the Finance department webpage.

We continue to look for ways to make our Town government run more efficiently and effectively to both save money and provide better service to our residents.

Our Purchasing Department is moving from traditional paper bids to a modern eProcurement system called Bonfire that will encourage participation from a wider audience of potential bidders and modernize the way the Town catalogs and monitors contracts.

Our new Risk Manager is developing a comprehensive, town-wide risk profile to better identify emerging risks and prioritize mitigation efforts. This will help Town Leadership identify loss drivers, reduce the likelihood of serious incidents and help ensure that our tax dollars are preserved for the services our community relies upon. We are continuing to roll out a human resources information system which has been a critical tool in tracking time and attendance and enabling us to have better oversight over payroll.

Managing expenses is just one way to lower taxes. Increasing revenue is another. We are continually looking for grants and other non-Town funding to offset expenses. In the year ahead, our Grants Manager will be evaluating grant management software. By automating and streamlining our grant
process, which is now entirely manual, we will be able to secure significantly more funding than we do today. In the last year, I am proud to report the Town has secured over $10 million in grants.

We are building a stronger Fairfield thanks to you.

In summary, we are excited to put all these plans into action in the year ahead. We look forward to engaging the community and working with the RTM and other town boards to keep Fairfield moving forward.

I’d like to thank the team in First Selectperson’s Office. Chief of Staff Christine Brown, Deputy Chief of Staff Jen Carpenter, Communications Director Lisa Clair and Constituent Relations Coordinator Sarah Mason for all of their support the past seven months.

The next year holds so many opportunities. Let’s embrace them together.