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FAIRFIELD, Conn. A total of 145 men and women from the two major political parties will run for 82 elected positions in Fairfields government this November. Even for the most informed voters, meeting all of those candidates in person and grilling them on their backgrounds and policies is a daunting task. But in the 21st century, voters with an Internet connection and a few social media accounts can track their potential public servants throughout the fall.
Take Fairfields highest post: first selectman. Both major party candidates are fully covered on the Web. Republican Robert Bellitto Jr. hosts a biography and photos on his campaign website and uses Twitter and Facebook accounts to reach out to his supporters. Democrat Michael Tetreau does the same through a joint website and Facebook with his running mate, Cristin McCarthy-Vahey, and his own Twitter feed.
Cristin and I want to connect with voters as much as possible over the next several months, Tetreau said. The Web and social media are important ways for us to do that and for people to learn what were all about.
If Fairfield held its elections on social media sites instead of at the polls, the Democrats would win. Bellitto for Fairfield had just 28 Facebook Likes and 68 Twitter followers as of Monday night. The Democratic ticket boasts 50 likes on Facebook, and 81 Twitter users follow Tetreau.
But what about the other 142 candidates? Depending on the party, online information is either easy to find or a challenge. The Fairfield Democrats have posted photos and bios of most of their slate to their website 56 of their 73 candidates have resumes on the Web. The Republican Town Committee does not yet have its slate available online.
Social media hounds who know where to look can follow their current and potential elected officials. District 1 (Southport and Pine Creek) has the best representation online, with Republican Reps. David Becker, Michael Herley and Eric Sundman all active in the Twitterverse. Democrats Jennifer Hochberg and Robert Greenberger are also active on the microblogging site.
Of course, the other way to get to know the candidates is to keep checking The Daily Fairfield. Leave suggestions for questions to ask this years candidates in the comments section below.
UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.: Looks like we forgot at least one. You can also follow District 7 Rep. Hal Schwartz at his campaign Facebook and Twitter feeds as well.
UPDATE, 5:00 p.m.: Our apologies to another overlooked candidate, District 7 RTM hopeful Anthony Calabrese. You can find him on Facebook here.
Send questions for the candidates to gcanuel@thedailyfairfield.com, or post them to our own Facebook and Twitter pages.
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