Becker Weighs Run for First Selectman

David M. Becker, a District 1 Republican member of the Representative Town Meeting, announced Tuesday that he has formed an exploratory committee to run for first selectman.

"I formed this exploratory committee because I care deeply about our community and the success of Fairfield's residents and businesses," Becker said in a statement e-mailed to the media about 11 a.m. "I believe that I am the leader that Fairfield needs at this crucial time where we need a longterm vision that's not influenced by short term politics, special interests, nor election cycles."

"Our town needs independent, effective leadership and I am an individual who puts partisanship aside to get things done and to lead our town," Becker's statement continues. "My record on the RTM demonstrates my ability to work with members of both parties to seek transparency, reduce spending and to lessen the burden on the tax-weary residents of Fairfield."

In a phone interview, Becker said he planned to seek input from town and school officials over the next several months before he decides whether or not he will run for the town's top job. "I'm going to use this as an opportunity to openly engage everyone in the issues facing the community," he said in the interview. "It's been different talking to people as someone who has not announced [an exploratory committee] yet. What I did today...will really enable me to reach out to people."

First Selectman Ken Flatto, a Democrat who was first elected to the town's top job in November 1997 and who has served continuously as first selectman since November 2001, said it's "positive to have healthy competition for any election, and I certainly welcome Dave and all those who are interested."

Flatto, who unsuccessfully ran for state comptroller earlier this year, said he hasn't decided whether or not he will seek re-election to a four-year term. "I'm going to be reviewing my decisions in the next few months regarding re-election. It's much too early; it's certainly earlier than I've ever made such decisions in the past. I normally make those decisions by the end of the winter."

Flatto, 58, said he planned to "reach out for community input as I go around town, but I'm very confident about my record of success and absolutely intend to continue providing Fairfield with the kind of leadership that I know the community wants and deserves as long as I can."

Becker, 28, is an executive at Confirmed Freight, LLC in Stratford, a shipping logistics firm that serves companies in the medical and entertainment industries, and is a partner at Becker Properties, LLC in Fairfield, a family-owned real estate investment, management and development firm. Becker's release says he has held various management roles at Confirmed Freight, including information technology, operations and client services, and that he has been responsible at the company for budgeting, developing new business, and hiring, developing and managing employees.

Becker, who lives on Catherine Street in Fairfield with his wife, Erica, was elected to the RTM, which is the town's legislative body, in November 2009. He recently served on the RTM's Senior Tax Relief Committee, which recommended expanding tax relief for seniors to the full RTM, which adopted the recommendations last week. He is a 2000 graduate of Fairfield High School and attended Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.

Becker has been a firefighter over the past decade at the Southport Volunteer Fire Department, where he served as president and is now on the board of directors. He's also on the board of directors of the Fairfield Arts Council and volunteers with SoldierSocks.com, a non-profit that collects and ships tube socks and baby wipes to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the announcement, Becker cited implementation of a "manageable and reasonable tax level" and slowing town spending as priorities and said he would "actively seek the input of all citizens and voters in Fairfield." He says he will work to maintain key services in town by "applying a longterm plan to fiscal management and governance that does not simply look for quick, short-term fixes."

In the interview, Becker said the town lacked a longterm plan and that impacted the tax rate and town budget. Becker said he maintained a positive tone and message-oriented campaign in his race for the RTM and hoped to emulate that if he runs for first selectman.

Asked where Flatto's administration was deficient, Becker said, "I certainly have fiscal concerns with him."

"I understand the need to provide a level of services for our residents, but I think that this town is lacking a longterm plan and a real vision, and, without that, you're simply rolling year to year," Becker said. "We're now in a recession and we're dealing with things in our budget that could have been better addressed earlier, but holes were plugged during the heyday in the 2000s."

Becker cited the town's pension fund for its employees as an example, saying that Flatto and town boards' decision not to contribute to the pension fund for about 10 years left the town without a safety net. "Maybe had we thought about things a little better early on, we could have better prepared ourselves," he said. Taxpayers are having to pay millions of dollars into the pension fund due to the stock market crash in the fall of 2008 and the town's decision to invest pension money with convicted scam artist Bernie Madoff.

Becker's release says he would work with Democrats in leading the town and had done so when the town decided to perform audits of the Board of Education and townside budgets.

Becker received the most votes of five RTM members in District 1, which includes the town's Southport neighborhood and parts of Fairfield Center and the town's Pine Creek neighborhood.

Last spring, Becker was among RTM members who scrutinized the proposed 2010-11 town budget line-by-line and came up with cuts totaling about $150,000.

Becker said he didn't believe he was too young to run for first selectman, saying he has "done many things in my life so far that a lot of people may have doubted because of my age. I'm used to that." He said a lot of first selectmen and mayors around Connecticut and the country are around his age and that his age should not be an issue.

Meanwhile, Flatto, responding to a question about widespread rumors that he may join the administration of newly-elected Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy, said he was focused on Fairfield. "There's no point to making a comment on something that hasn't transpired. The only thing I can say is that I'm reviewing my decision [about running for re-election] over the next several months. If something happens that would be a whole different alternative, I would have to evaluate that. It's just too early to comment on anything that's premature."

Becker can be reached at david@davidbecker.com.