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9/9/25
Read online: the-voice.com/more-than-a-special-election-lets-have-a-super-special-election/ and the-voice.com/recommission-the-charter-revision-of-the-charter-revision-commission/.
Amidst the clamor for a special election to replace our First Selectman, we find ourselves at a critical crossroads. While a new leader is necessary, Fairfield does not need a Special Election; it needs a Super Special Election—a moment of true, fundamental change. This isn't just about selecting one person; it's about holding a town-wide referendum on two of our foundational documents: the Town Charter and Town Plan. This is our opportunity to demand the difficult questions be answered and the serious problems be addressed. Fairfield is a leader - but you don’t get that by default. You have to take the actions that make you one and be a model for others.
Scroll down to read the stories The Voice published in July and August on this. One night less than two weeks before he passed, the Charter Revision Commission (CRC) presented their draft to First Selectman Bill Gerber. The late-night session, which has never been posted online, was sparsely attended by The Voice and two other members of the public. One Selectman dialed in remotely and the other did not attend. The most important things were left unsaid by the CRC. They did not publicize the fact that they had already filed a revised Charter with the town clerk, and this was all for procedural show. They did not have a good answer for who instructed them to make some questionable acts, such as allowing department heads to live even further away from Fairfield, when in fact most residents want them to live in town. They did not have a reply for how staffing for a town attorney and assistant town attorney was eliminated from the charter, compelling the town to use outside counsel instead of on-staff lawyers. They did not respond to the dozens of emails from citizens, town employees and leaders alike on a wide variety of issues. They did not listen to the First Selectman’s insights into the deficiencies and limitations of the Board of Selectman system (of which he was in charge – think of that – the big boss said we should change the system). He called on the CRC to explore ways to rework the town government, such as having a town manager and town services. They didn’t have credible answers to many actions, like quietly inserting key clauses at the last minute. And they ostensibly do not have to answer these questions now, because they did not publish the transcript. Perhaps worst of all, they ignored the constituency they are bound to serve - the public. Multiple parties, including First Selectman Gerber, said there was 0% public awareness or input on the key issues being discussed. At the end of that meeting, he expressed his desire to use The Voice to engage the community, to which it agreed.
Not only did the CRC not act on any of this in the intervening weeks, they disrespectfully met again to forward their agenda virtually the night he died. The unspoken message from vested interests is that he is out of the way. The town feels the opposite about Bill Gerber: he led the way.
Fairfield is now a two-legged stool: it has executive and legislative branches, but no judicial branch. There’s no court of public opinion. The ballots we cast are for the future of our town, and that future demands a comprehensive plan for governance, accountability, and restoration of our community's trust.
Fairfield needs a town-wide, non-binding referendum where all 60,000 residents (parents: vote for your kids!) can speak and vote on the foundational issues we face. We are looking for answers to fundamental questions about our town's integrity and governance. As a leader, we need to establish the critical pillars of accountability, transparency, and ethical governance that define our community's health and safety. Through the access to information possible thanks to Google, your voice can be heard like never before, making it impossible for our public servants to ignore the imperative to act in your best interests. We can have a town-wide referendum on the topics in the Charter and Plan. This is a call for deep, systemic change, moving beyond a simple leadership change to tackle crucial issues within our governance structure. Both documents were revised without sufficient public input and need immediate and thorough re-evaluation. This is our chance to derive answers to fundamental questions and fix long-standing problems.
Our community deserves robust and transparent governance, which includes:`
Restoring the neighborhoods of Fairfield and dissolving the state’s gerrymandered districts.
One-year terms for all seats: (Board of Finance, Town Planning & Zoning, Zoning Board of Appeals, RTM, etc.)
Organizational Clarity: Establishing a clear and effective organizational chart for town government. Adopt hiring best practices with transparent consideration of qualified candidates.
Ethical Procurement: Implementing a strict code of conduct for all purchasing processes, with preference for local vendors. Follow ESG (Environmental, Societal and Governance) and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standards).
Residency and Transparency: Restoring residency requirements for key officials and ensuring absolute transparency in all financial dealings.
Accessible Town Services: Establishing and improving essential town services for all residents.
Affordable Homes: Addressing the need for affordable homes within the community for our children, seniors, students, service economy workers and those less fortunate (substance abuse problems, homeless, etc.).
Community Engagement: Putting all elected officials, as well as boards and commissions, in close touch with their constituents through regular updates on their activities and professional responses to public inquiries. In this era of connectivity and AI, everyone can be in touch and informed.
Code of Conduct: Implementing a code of conduct that includes a second chance program for all those who have run afoul of the law. All business partners must share their ownership, financing and insurance.
A town-wide poll concerning the future of our town that builds on governance, accountability, and the restoration of public trust is the mark of a leader that the whole state, even the country, can look to.
8/5/25
The fight for real reform in Fairfield continues. The Charter Revision Commission is meeting 8/5 at 4 PM to present its 'final' revision, but as you'll read below, their work is an abdication of responsibility. They have already filed their Chart. Meanwhile, we have something of a Constitutional Crisis, with only two people on our Board of Selectmen: one GOP and one Dem.
The CRC's draft ignores the final, powerful vision of Bill Gerber, who courageously called for a Town Manager system to fix our broken governance. Their work is a deliberate choice to maintain the status quo, and it has no authority.
Our town is at a crossroads. We can either accept a 'final' revision that sells out our future, or we can insist on a real charter that reflects the needs of a modern, accountable government.
We have no right to ignore our leader’s vision.
7/30 publication: A Mandate to Fulfill Bill Gerber's Vision
An Open Letter to the Leaders and Residents of Fairfield
Tonight, the Charter Revision Commission (CRC) will hold a "special meeting." A look at their agenda reveals that they seek Board of Selectpeople approval of their "final" charter revision before hearing public comment. This comes on the heels of them already filing their report with the Town Clerk. This is all to fulfill a requirement sold as progressive public service.
These are not procedural errors; they are deliberate acts of a system designed to silence you. It is an insult to our democracy and a betrayal of the late First Selectman Bill Gerber's final vision. It is the culmination of a 50-year process, driven by the state and its pro-developer allies, to dismantle local control in our town. This document is our response. It is our audit, our indictment, and our insistence that we, the people, re-commission a new Charter Revision Commission to do the job right.
This charter is the result of a deliberate, state-led strategy to impose a developer-first agenda on our town, funneled through the Hartford-centric construction industry.
They Buried Our History: The citizen-led town plans of the 1970s, which championed environmental protection, were deliberately buried. In their place, we got a 2000 POCD written by the Bridgeport Regional Business Council—a plan that a town official admitted at the time was "not very good."
They Falsified Our Reality: They eliminated the historic neighborhood of Black Rock to create a fake "Commerce Drive" district to justify the new train station—the mustard seed of our overdevelopment problems.
They Ignored Our Voices: They took page after page of detailed input from the public, from town department heads, from Board of Education leaders and most importantly, from Bill Gerber himself. They ignored all of it and produced a cryptic two-page summary that addresses nothing of substance. Putting public input after the reports have been filed is a clear misinterpretation of the law and a profound disrespect for the town’s constituency.
They Ignored our Leader's Charge: In his final weeks, Bill Gerber made his powerful case for a new Town Manager system with Town Services supplied by empowering Fairfield’s 24+ neighborhoods. They hoped you would never see his final instructions for how to fix our town.
A Charter Written for Insiders, Not Residents
This failed process has produced a flawed document. JUST FOR INSTANCE:
It removes the residency requirement for the Town Attorney, a change that directly benefits the out-of-town lawyers who advised the commission. Yet the charter retains the requirement to have a town attorney and assistant attorney on staff. So we ignore our own rule to hire a who-knows-where vendor, who then eliminates the residency requirement. How does that benefit the town?
It extends the residency requirement for Police and Fire Chiefs to 35 miles, a specific change made with no public justification. Who told the CRC to do that?
The Mandate: We Must Fulfill Bill Gerber's Vision
Bill Gerber was elected by the people. We are now duty-bound to fulfill the vision he laid out. He saw the system was broken and had the courage to say so. He called for a new Town Manager system. He championed affordable homes, not just rental "housing." He knew we needed to empower our neighborhoods with real authority.
We cannot allow his vision to be buried along with the tape of his testimony.
We, the people, insist that the Board of Selectpersons Re-commission the Charter Revision Commission. We demand a new, transparent, citizen-led process that will build a charter for Fairfield's future, not one that protects the failures of the past. A charter that is written by us.
Thank you to my friends and neighbors,
Matthew Hallock, Fairfield, CT
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