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FAIRFIELD, Conn. The Fairfield Democrats slate for the 2011 local government elections is now set. Chair Ellery Plotkin and the Democratic Town Committee held its nominating caucus Thursday night to name its candidates for this Novembers vote.
For the top elected post in town, First Selectman, the party went with their only declared candidate, Interim First Selectman Michael Tetreau. Representative Town Meeting Minority Leader Cristin McCarthy Vahey will join him as his running mate, running for Selectman.
The Democrats also chose nominees for a slew of other town boards. Heres a their list of candidates, along with some information on what each elected body does:
The Representative Town Meeting is Fairfields legislature. Every two years, each of Fairfields 10 districts names five members each to the 50-person body. Those 50 men and women vote on the towns ordinances and the Town Charter, and are the final stage of approval for any town spending. The Democrats currently hold 16 seats on the board. Their candidates for 2011 are: (I indicates incumbent)
District 1: Mary Cody, Kevin Lennon, David Peck, Linda Snelham-Moore, Harold Zawadski.
District 2: Marc Andre, Jack Bloom, David Lee Collins, Donald Knuth, John Mitola
District 3: Mary Hogue, Neil Lippman, Hetty Nerod , Bill Sapone, Coralee Reiss
District 4: Andrew Baumgardner, Heather Dean, Douglas Jones, Alan Menillo, Alan Smith
District 5: Joseph Gall (I), Joshua Garskof (I), Christopher McAleese (I), Ruth Smey (I), Ann Stamler (I)
District 6: Christopher Brogan (I), Leonora Campbell, Julie Gottlieb, Sheila Marmion (I), Jay Wolk
District 7: Jennifer Hochberg (I), Kevin Hoffkins (I), Marc Patten, Eric Newman, Harold Scwhartz (I)
District 8: Mitchell Fuchs, Robert Greenberger, Alan Marks, William Barrett, Brian Sikorski
District 9: Greg Alprin, William Burke, Susan Burstein, Kathleen Griffin, Mary Saunders
District 10: Charles Abercrombie, Megan Hannum, Sally Harold, Kenneth Lee, Trygve Sandberg
The Board of Finance handles all of the towns accounts, approves all spending and sets the tax rate each year. Fairfields voters will choose three members of the nine-member board this November for six-year terms. No more than two seats can be filled by either party this fall, because of minority representation laws. The Democratic candidates for the Board of Finance this year are Elaine Gaffney and Patrick McCabe.
The Board of Education makes all policies and spending decisions for the Fairfield public school system. Five slots on the nine-member board will be filled this November, with no more than three new members coming from one party. This year the Democrats nominated a unified slate of five candidates: Philip Dwyer, Neal Fink, Jessica Gerber, Jennifer Maxon Kennelly and Stacy Zahn (I).
The Board of Assessment Appeals hears citizens concerns about their assessed property values, which determine the amount each homeowner pays in taxes. Each party will elect one member to a four-year term and one member for a two-year vacancy this November. The Democrats chose Stephen Tower for the full term and Timothy Sheehan for the two-year term.
The Town Plan and Zoning Commission enforces Fairfields zoning laws, and grants special exceptions when necessary. Three members of the seven-member board, no more than two from each party, will win four-year terms this year. Both parties will also vie for the boards two-year term and an open alternate spot, who will vote if a full member cannot make a meeting or has a conflict of interest.
The Democrats chose Patricia Jacobson and Sally Parker (I-alternate) to run for the full-term slots. Anita Rappoport will go for the two-year term for the party, and Marc Andre will try to win the alternate slot.
The Zoning Board of Appeals holds hearings on projects that failed to get approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission. It follows the same election system as the other zoning board. This years Democratic candidates for the job are Edward Cheffetz and Duncan Keith Sr. for full terms, Samuel Boyarsky for the two-year term, and Megan Hannum for the alternate slot.
Fairfield will also elect seven constables, no more than four from each party. The towns constables mainly act as process servers, handing out summonses and subpoenas. This years Democratic candidates are Joseph Gall, David Peck, Eugene Short and Ruth Smey.
Have a question about any of Fairfields town boards? Ask them in the comments below.
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