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Republicans Hold Fairfield Finance Board

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Two Republican candidates held onto their seats on the Board of Finance Tuesday night, and they’ll be joined by a new face on the Democratic side. Thomas Flynn and Christopher DeWitt were reelected to the finance board by large margins Tuesday. Newcomer Elaine Gaffney edged out fellow Democrat Patrick McCabe and Independent Laura Incerto for the third open spot.

“It’s humbling,” said Flynn, the board’s current chair. “I’m very excited to keep doing a job that I love doing.”

Flynn had the highest vote total of the five candidates, with 7,384. DeWitt was not far behind with 6,275. Gaffney took the last of the third open seats with 5,342 to McCabe’s 4,831 and Incerto’s 983. Flynn, DeWitt and Gaffney will serve six-year terms on the nine-member board.

The Board of Finance manages the town’s accounts. One of  their primary jobs is to help set the town budget each spring, but they must sign off on all town spending. They also set the mill rate to determine property tax rates, and commission an audit of Fairfield’s finances each year.

All three winning candidates said their main focus will be to keep taxes under control. “The taxpayers don’t mind paying their fair share of taxes, as long as they know that we’re watching their money, and that the money’s being spent efficiently,” Flynn said. “I think it’s our goal, our responsibility, to make sure that happens.”

In particular, DeWitt said he plans to cut out higher-cost short-term debt, and force the Board of Selectmen to set a five-year debt plan and stick to it. “If we have a crisis and spend over the cap, something else has to come off [the plan],” DeWitt said.

Gaffney, a banker by trade, said she wants to focus on maintaining a balance between services and cost to the taxpayer. “Just like everyone is doing in their own personal household,” she said. “Trying to keep the same quality as you have with the smaller budget that we all have to work with.”

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