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Fairfield Candidates Q&A: Jeff Steele

FAIRFIELD, Conn. ? To help our readers prepare for Election Day, The Daily Fairfield sent five questions to each of the candidates on the November ballot. The following responses are from Jeff Steele, a Republican running for re-election to the Representative Town Meeting in District 2.

Why should people vote for you?

As a three-term RTM member and current moderator, I have the legislative experience and knowledge of the town and its needs for the future. I take the RTM position seriously and am always rational and objective when I consider each item that comes before our body. I also bring a business background and common sense approach to the RTM. Having lived in Fairfield for 12 years, my agenda is to keep Fairfield as a financially strong, safe and desirable place to live.

What are the biggest issues facing Fairfield?

I think the biggest issues we currently face are reinstalling a sense of trust in our government, bringing spending back under control, improving transparency in decision making and demanding accountability of actions among government officials. Specific issues include maintaining heavy scrutiny over all town and Board of Education spending, establishing a clear process for review and approval of capital projects, and tackling long-term employment costs for town employees.

Is Fairfield going in the right direction — If you are an incumbent, what were your biggest achievements? If you are a challenger, what has your opponent done wrong while in office?

I think Fairfield is generally headed in the right direction, and the achievements of the current RTM speak to this. We have established a more rigorous budget review process; we more thoroughly scrutinize all spending and bonding requests from the town and Board of Education; we have held our town officials more accountable for their actions; we have sponsored environmentally friendly ordinances on recycling and renewable energy tax credits; and we are looking more deeply into controlling long-term employment costs, all the while maintaining and improving the quality of education, our infrastructure and amenities, and the safety and security of our town. 

What would you do to involve your constituents in your decision-making process?

As moderator, one of my goals has been to involve constituents and the public in the decision-making process as much as possible. I have made it a priority to give the public opportunities to address the RTM at its full meetings and committee meetings, and that process should continue to be upheld. Further, District 2 RTM reps began the practice of holding constituent meetings several years ago, and it is a practice that has been adopted throughout the town. We will continue to make ourselves available and maintain an open-door policy and invite constituents to contact us anytime with questions, concerns or suggestions throughout the year.

How can Fairfield avoid another Metro Center, i.e., a project that goes severely over budget? What will you do to prevent it? Be specific.

We need to make sure that all action taken on major projects is done according to the town charter, so questionable actions do not occur. Unauthorized “side letters” or backroom agreements cannot happen. We need greater oversight by the RTM to enforce accountability of actions. I would support setting up a permanent special committee of the RTM that monitors the progress of all large projects and obtains updated financial accounting of each project. Further, we have learned that it is crucial to have an independent project manager for any sizable project in town.

Find all of our candidates Q&As here.

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