Flatto Makes Last Day Official (Sort Of)

After changing his mind several times, First Selectman Ken Flatto declared his resignation from the town's top job as "close of business" on April 28 in a letter to the Board of Selectmen.

But Flatto, who is stepping down to take a job in Gov. Dannel Malloy's administration, said in the letter that a "formal resignation to the Town Clerk" would not be made until April 28.

"As you know, I have accepted a new appointment and will be starting a position with the State of Connecticut, which requires me to leave my post at the end of this month," Flatto's letter to Selectmen Sherri Steeneck and James Walsh says. "While I notified you of this appointment last week, in order to assure a smooth transition I hereby tender to you this letter of pending resignation. I would like to inform you that my last day of service and employment as First Selectman shall be on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at close of business on that date, effective with a formal resignation to the Town Clerk from me then."

Town officials said Flatto's letter didn't seem to be an official resignation letter because he said he would follow it up with a formal resignation on April 28. Flatto initially planned to resign April 29, though he changed the date to April 30, a Saturday, and then thought it should be an unspecified date in early May, after the Representative Town Meeting adopts a 2011-12 town budget.

Flatto concurred that the letter sent to the selectmen was not his official resignation letter. "It's what I call a pending letter of resignation," he said. "My official letter will be sent to the Town Clerk on my final day. Technically, I haven't resigned yet. The official letter won't be until the 28th."

Flatto added that "close of business" on April 28 may not mean 4:30 p.m. when town offices close for the day. He said he was leaving it up to Town Attorney Richard Saxl to determine if "close of business" means 4:30 p.m. or midnight. He said Steeneck won't have to be sworn in to serve as first selectman since the Town Charter already gives her the job if the first selectman steps down.

Meanwhile, Walsh and Steeneck have planned a going-away party for Flatto at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Academy on the Town Green, before Flatto's last Board of Selectmen's meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

"We're going to have a reception for Ken prior to his last Board of Selectmen's meeting on Wednesday the 20th," Walsh said on Monday afternoon. Walsh said the reception would start at 3:30 p.m. at the former school house, which is a short walk from Sullivan-Independence Hall where selectmen's meetings usually take place. Walsh said town department heads and other Flatto friends have been invited to the reception "in honor of his 16 years on the Board of Selectmen."

Tom Bremer, Flatto's chief of staff, said Monday that a roast of Flatto scheduled for 5:30 p.m. May 5 at the Patterson Club on Cross Highway in Fairfield was by invitation only and wasn't open to the public or press.

"It's going to be a roast. We're going to make fun of Ken for a little bit of the time," Bremer said, adding that having the media at the event "might be a chilling effect we don't want."

Bremer said past roasts of retiring town employees have been closed to the public and press and he didn't want to change precedent just because the roastee was Flatto. "I didn't want to change tradition just because it's him," Bremer said, adding that Flatto also would receive a couple of plaques.

Fairfield Patch last week saw some of the material to be used in the roast, and it doesn't seem to translate well to writing.

Steeneck would serve as first selectman after Flatto resigns until either she and Walsh agree to a successor or, if they can't agree, 17 elected Democrats make the decision. Walsh said he and Steeneck may begin talking about who Flatto's successor should be at the May 4 selectmen's meeting or at a special meeting on April 29.

Walsh said he wants conversations about who Flatto's successor should be to take place in public. Walsh and Steeneck can't go into a closed-door meeting of the Board of Selectmen after Flatto resigns unless both agree to it.

The Democratic Town Committee chose Michael Tetreau, a Board of Finance member, to serve as interim first selectman until the Nov. 8 election, though Walsh hasn't committed to Tetreau. Republican Town Committee Chairman James Baldwin has said the interim first selectman should not be someone who plans to run for the first selectman's job in November, and Republicans believe Tetreau will be a candidate, though Tetreau has said only that he is interested and hasn't formed a candidate's committee or announced a run for the town's top job.

Flatto's 16 years on the Board of Selectmen include a total of four years as a selectman, which is a part-time job, from 1995 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2001. Flatto served as first selectman from 1997 to 1999 and from 2001 to present.