Debt, Economic Struggle Are Big Issues with BOS Candidates

The held a final round of debates Thursday at . This was the first debate that the candidates for selectman -- the First Selectman candidates’ running mates -- took the stage to talk about hot topics in town.

Here’s what they had to say regarding the following issues:

Candidates’ Experience/How Are You Different From Each Other?

• , Incumbent, Republican: Walsh, who’s been a Fairfield resident for more than 35 years; is a practicing attorney and small business owner in town; a current Selectman and former member of the RTM. “I own a small business in town; I know what small business owners want,” Walsh said regarding what sets him apart from the other candidates. “I ask the tough questions; I’m not afraid to pursue the information that should be pursued.
• , member, Democrat: Vahey currently serves as minority leader on the RTM; she’s been an RTM member since 2005. She has been involved in the Fairfield League of Women Voters, the Stratfield School PTA, the Board of Education’s Cultural Diversity Task Force, and her church, St. Pius X Church. On what makes her different from Walsh and Polizzo: “I am a mother; I am engaged in the community,” she said. She holds degrees in economics and government from Notre Dame and a master of Social Work from University of Washington. Her experience as a social worker instilled in her a “calm in the face of crisis” and skills for “sensitive negotiations.”
• , Independent: Polizzo said she is here to “step up and bring change.” She has been a Fairfield for 18 years and works as a real estate agent. Polizzo said she is set apart from her competitors because she is not an incumbent. “I’m and independent, I’m just like you,” she said. “I’ve sat through budget meetings, they’re painful. I want to be a part of that process. I don’t owe anyone any favors; I don’t say I’ll vote one way and vote the other way.”

Fairfield’s Greatest Assets and Liabilities

• James Walsh: “The volunteers in town” are what Walsh cited as Fairfield’s greatest asset -- for example, the members of the RTM, Board of Education, and Board of Finance. “We have people stepping up, giving up time with family, every day and doing it for nothing.” He added that Fairfield is home to very educated people. The biggest liability, in Walsh’s opinion, is the tax rate. He said the town is not only driving seniors out, but also generations of people. “Our children aren’t coming back.” He added that the town’s bonding and indebtedness levels are too high and Fairfield lacks a long-term economic plan. The Metro Center’s lack of rented office space also presents a liability, Walsh said.
• Cristin McCarthy Vahey: Aside from the geographical resources and the two universities in Fairfield, Vahey said the greatest assets are “the people in this town --the human capital.” The struggle lies in the economic situation, she said. “People are struggling… We need to improve our process and how we run the government.”
• Deanna Polizzo: Polizzo said the town’s assets include the resources, like the beaches, and the “sense of community.” The biggest liability is “getting past the way things have always been done…we have a big issue with bonding,” she said, and added the Metro Center could become an asset “if we do what’s necessary to make it profitable.”  

Relationship between Boards of and

• James Walsh: The relationship between the two boards is “one of balance,” Walsh said. The Board of Education does what’s best for the students and teachers; the Board of Selectmen balances that against the needs of the rest of the town, according to Walsh. “We need to look out for all the taxpayers; we need to look at balancing for what we want to provide.”
• Cristin McCarthy Vahey: “As Selectman, you’re an ex officio on the Board of Education,” Vahey said. She said she supports the work the school board does, both as a parent and as a social worker. “Our role as the Board of Selectman is to create a plan and set a vision for our town…I have a clear vision for an education system that is excellent,” she said, one the promotes “efficiency and results.” This does not mean “pouring more money into a problem,” she said, but rather putting into effect a strategy to improve the system. This would involve better communication and transparency between the two boards and the community, Vahey said.
• Deanna Polizzo: Polizzo said it is important to recognize the role the school system plays in town, and “no one should take away from the schools.” However, she recommended continuing the practice of performing an operational audit for the school systems to recommend cuts and savings that would not affect students or teachers. “We’ve reached a point where people think the adding capital will make the school system better -- the school system is wonderful.” She hopes the two boards can work together on these types of audits in the future to “eliminate redundancies.”

Affordable Housing in Fairfield

• James Walsh: “Affordable housing is definitely something we need more of in this town,” Walsh said. He believes the town has done a good job over the past 10 years to develop more affordable housing, the town needs to find a way to provide more should the opportunity present itself, he said.
• Cristin McCarthy Vahey: Vahey said that for the issue of affordable housing, “I would go to the experts…Operation Hope is a great resource in our town.” These experts, she said, are the people who deal with those who need affordable housing daily. Adding more affordable housing would fulfill the need to “diversify the housing in this town,” she said.
• Deanna Polizzo: Affordable housing has taken on a totally different meaning these days, Polizzo said. It’s no longer restricted to policies like Section 8, she said. She believes the town should apply for federal and state grants to develop more affordable housing. “Right now a developer cannot build affordable housing because the taxes don’t allow them to lower the rent levels,” Polizzo said.

Fairfield’s Senior Citizens

• James Walsh: Walsh said he supports expansion of the tax relief program for seniors. He wants to keep seniors in the community “so our children can see their grandparents stay” in town. The more seniors that stay in town, the more the town saves on education and prevents overcrowding in schools, according to Walsh. He spoke of his 91-year-old neighbor, a woman he assists regularly with simple actions like crossing the street, but what she really needs is “help with taxes; she needs tax relief. She’s on a fixed income, and so many [seniors] are.”
• Cristin McCarthy Vahey: Vahey said she supports senior tax relief, “not just the expansion of the program but better communication to our seniors about the program.” She also believes the town can get better use out of the senior center, such as the outreach and support it can provide for Fairfield’s senior citizens. Vahey “We need our seniors,” she said.
• Deanna Polizzo: Polizzo said she lives in a neighborhood where the older generation is quickly being replaced by a younger generations “because my friends and seniors couldn’t afford to stay here…that’s why I’m running,” she said. She said medical resources need to be more readily available to senior citizens, and the town needs to offer more community involvement to seniors to “keep them here.”