Full Text of Flatto's 'State of the Town' Address

Editor's note: The following is an advance, full-text copy of First Selectman Ken Flatto's "State of the Town" address which Flatto was scheduled to deliver at 8 p.m. Monday in Osborn Hill School to the Representative Town Meeting. Flatto's office provided the speech in advance on condition it not be published before 8 p.m.

Good evening friends, residents, RTM members, town and state officials. As you know, many national leaders are seeking more civility in Washington after recent tragic events. Here in Fairfield, we have always cherished our respect for each other. This is a good time to pledge anew our bipartisan commitment to lead Fairfield forward in positive and productive ways. I have always done my best to advance a civil and cooperative approach to governance and this has yielded solid results. We have demonstrated that no matter what party labels we may hold, the officials of our special town are willing to lead in a caring and competent manner. We have put Fairfield first above partisanship.

I commend the members of the RTM, the Board of Finance, and TPZ and the selectmen and all town bodies and building committees for working so hard to ensure respect for our citizens as well as for each other. Each of you deserves our community's deep thanks and gratitude for all that you do.

Tonight, as most of us think of our goals and aspirations for 2011, I ask us also to remember the victims of recent senseless shootings out west as well as the cherished memories of two Fairfield heroes, Kim and Tim Donnelly, lost in a similarly senseless tragedy searing the heart of our town. Kim and Tim represented the best values of any community, serving as local business people and caring family stewards. I hope the entire Donnelly family knows that Fairfield is thinking of them.

Last week I had the honor of sitting for an hour with the mayor of Tucson, Arizona. We shared thoughts about the ways in which communities come together to deal with grief. In honor and memory of all victims of violence, I ask that we all stand now again together for a solemn moment in silence. Thank you and may their good memories always be remembered.

I believe the best way to honor memories is to help serve the public interest. Caring for the people of Fairfield has been and remains an incredible joy for me ever since 1995 when I was first elected as a town selectman. It is such an honor to lead and accomplish many wondrous things for town. We live in one of the most beautiful, well-managed communities in the nation. We have shouldered our town responsibilities during this daunting recent era of recession and uncertainty. Thankfully, our Fairfield community has been able to maintain and sustain excellence and quality of life. We are promoting the arts and culture. We are enhancing the education of our children and being good caretakers of our environment. I am so pleased that this leadership has been recognized throughout the state, as Fairfield was ranked the number one community in the state by Connecticut Magazine with the highest point total among 169 communities. As I have said before, everyone in town deserves credit for helping to create our community's enviable and outstanding record.

In 2010, we improved town in several significant ways. Stratfield School was expanded. Miles of streets were repaved. New sidewalks were installed in priority need areas. Improvements in our building energy systems have cut hundreds of thousands of kilowatt hours per year, reducing energy costs and lowering emissions. The last fiscal year was completed with the biggest fiscal surplus in recent memory, adding over $ 2 million to town's rainy day fund to insulate town from any future emergencies. We undertook an operations audit which concluded that town's workforce is very lean and performing at high levels. Fairfield is doing more than many other communities. We are doing it with fewer government employees. Our goal is always to deliver outstanding services to our citizens. The audit shows that the townside of the budget cannot be trimmed further without sacrificing the quality of services people in Fairfield expect and deserve.

To sum up our special efforts in 2010, I start with Fairfield Cares, a coalition of clergy, community, education and medical leaders. We just recently completed a survey of parents with children in school assessing risky behavior issues facing students. We are in the process of creating a series of programs and initiatives for 2011 which will hopefully have a positive impact on both youth and families. Former US cabinet official Joseph Califano gave a talk to over 200 high school parents discussing the ways in which people can reduce risky behaviors.

On the economic development front, tremendous things are happening. Even with the stagnant economy, Fairfield has literally one of the lowest commercial vacancy rates in the state. Fairfield Center and other business districts are thriving like never before. In my first 1998 State of the Town speech, I said, "We will implement an economic development strategy and revitalize key commercial corridors of town." The efforts of a decade have succeeded beyond my most fervent expectations. In 2010, I cut ribbons at over a dozen new retail stores which have had the optimism to open during these tough economic times.

Think back just a decade or so. In 1998, there were perhaps a dozen restaurants and arts businesses in Fairfield between Southport and Bridgeport. Today over 60 restaurants and 15 performance art establishments, galleries and dance studios flourish from Fairfield Center to east Fairfield. While we plan more and seek further improvements along Commerce Drive and Kings Highway, I am pleased to report that dozens of new businesses, retail stores and car dealerships have opened this past decade. Construction on Whole Foods market will soon be complete and thus another former factory site becomes environmentally clean. Our grand list will keep growing as more of these redevelopments become completed. The surrounding area will benefit from nearby traffic safety improvements by spring 2011. Town’s record of business vitality and success is similar along Black Rock Turnpike. Fairfield has become a destination known as the "dining and arts capital" of coastal Connecticut. I am so proud of this era of civic vitality and renaissance. It’s very exciting to work with property owners and merchants improving our town's quality of life.

Another perfect example of public/private cooperation involves the indoor sportsplex located next to town's recreation center. When I led town to acquire part of the former Fairprene site, for a fraction of what it is worth today, we established a permanent home for recreation and added 200 commuter parking spaces across the street. My desire was to see the back part of the factory site improved as well. I worked to help convince the new owners to renovate the old building. Their vision of an array of specialized sports venues alongside our recreation center has now borne fruit. Town is getting many dollars of new tax revenues per year. This year we worked with the private owners to refurbish the rest of the town parking lot for public use, saving town $150,000 in future cost. The owners also restored the traffic signal needed along Mill Plain completing a TPZ condition that some members of this RTM requested several years ago.

I am so pleased to report that in 2011 we will complete the new third train station and commuter parking and our large new public park along Ash Creek. By late 2011, this ADA-accessible station with nearly 1,500 parking spaces will finally allow residents to park at whatever train station commuters choose. We will cut waiting lists by 75 percent. Commuters will no longer have to wait over five years to get permits to park and take mass transit to work, thus reducing traffic on local streets. New coastal greenbelt paths will be a draw for bicyclists and walkers. And I believe that the private site owners will finally be able to begin to build the office park area which in turn will translate ultimately into millions annually for town coffers and help offset future tax needs. I thank and applaud the outstanding work of Town Attorney Saxl, Economic Development Director Barnhart and Town Engineer Hurley who have all helped me to manage this historic project. We can now guarantee the town is getting great results with almost no town funds needed or expended by the end of this project because of our success getting grants and private funds and efficiencies during bidding and construction. When the new station opens, our community will be justly proud as this smart growth plan becomes reality.

Another economic redevelopment priority we have championed for years is the completion of the Exide property cleanup and an economic revitalization of this cornerstone site. New progress was made recently between the private owners and DEP as Attorney Saxl informed me that plans last month showed major signs of coming together. The company is desirous of commencing the cleaning of the river within a year and the state has adopted a proactive approach to allow the cleanup to be finished quickly. Some remember that for 25 years the site was a wasteland whose old factory full of ugly broken windows scarred Post Road. I talked the owners into tearing that factory down during my first term. Our goal is to create a revitalized transition zone between Fairfield Center and the beauty of the Southport Village by supporting future plans for a privately-owned, creative mixed-use project and a greenbelt along the river. TPZ has issued positive guidelines to enhance this area to enhance and improve pedestrian access.

In addition to creating positive quality of life initiatives, we are continuously seeking to keep town fiscal operations as lean and responsible as possible. Yet the 2011-2012 budget again faces a difficult situation. I feel strongly we cannot afford nor should we seek new hires to keep providing the level of excellent services that students and residents deserve. Operational audits show that staffing levels are quite adequate in our schools and that town staffing, while lean, is acceptable. In early February when we announce a proposed budget, I will ask Fairfielders to support town and education needs that I feel are absolutely necessary. There will be some budgetary increases to absorb due to fixed and required costs such as paving, utilities and long term employee benefit reserves. The positive side of reassessment will provide an offset toward increased budget expenses for most citizens. I am hopeful that most people will view the coming proposed budget as a common-sense plan. Town boards always perform a thorough job and I expect debate and dialogue handled professionally and collegially.

With support and leadership of the Board of Finance, town has met rating agency requirements by already appropriating over 80 percent of annual actuarially required contributions to fund post retirement OPEB obligations. Public safety workers have agreed over the past two years to be responsible for some of such health related costs. We must continue to pursue an equitable sharing of costs between the town and its employees. Frankly, this has been the worst part of our budgetary headaches as national health costs keep increasing. Meanwhile our pension boards have worked hard to engineer a solid comeback. The pension system today holds nearly $300 million in marketable assets and thus almost fully funded on a current market basis. However future pension needs still require the town to put more money aside over the next two years. We do not allow overtime or sick time to accrue toward pensions. The administration has committed to seeking to restructure such benefits for future employees in the process of negotiations in order to reduce the town's future exposure.

For our schools, it has been a pleasure to welcome and begin work with Dr. Dave Title.  The superintendent is focused on continuing to improve the delivery of services in our excellent schools. Soon, the Fairfield Woods Middle School expansion will solve the short-term need for more space for grades 6-8. High school buildings need to have their window and roof needs met now and I am working to move that process along to fruition in 2011.

One more initiative I plan is the creation of a town Internet communications task force. Town has a wonderful web librarian already working with a department group I put together to upgrade town web sites. Having several citizens serve on an Internet Communications Committee will help town managers find ways to make government even more accessible and open. The wave of the future is to provide government services as easy and customer friendly as possible using the Internet. Technology is also going to soon be used to install day parking ticketing machines at train stations so citizens can park and pay upon arrival. No more day parking tickets by mail. And those who do not pay will receive PD tickets instead so town doesn’t lose uncollected permit revenues any more. Internal numbers show we can generate perhaps $100,000 a year in added collections and reduced costs while giving our citizens better service.

In closing, local government officials and employees are hardworking people who care deeply about Fairfield. It is up to all of us to keep our community the caring vibrant place we love. As 2011 unfolds and winters wonderland gives way to the green of spring, I hope this may be a year of pride and much joy. May everyone remain healthy and happy. May the era of caring for each other continue forever. May the sun shine on this beautiful community and may good people keep it strong. Thank you so much.