Fairfield, CT – On Wednesday, June 6th, Ed Bateson was re-sworn in as Fairfield’s Selectman. In December 2016, following the resignation of Selectman Laurie McArdle and, in accordance with the Town Charter, Ed Bateson was voted on to the Board of Selectmen in a unanimous vote by First Selectman Mike Tetreau and Selectman Chris Tymniak.
In the days that followed, a cabal of Democrats (led by Tara Cook-Littman, Fairfield Democrat Chairman Steven Sheinberg, J.T. Toller, Fairfield BOE Member Jennifer Jacobsen and Frank Sahagian, Jr.) began a petition drive to force a special election in a manner that was inconsistent with Fairfield’s Town Charter. Judge Barbara Bellis erred in her decision when she ordered that a special election be held on June 6, 2017. Over the First Selectman’s objections, Bateson and Tymniak appointed Attorney James Baldwin to represent them and appealed the decision to the Connecticut Supreme Court. “Although the Fairfield Republican Town Committee (“RTC”) was not involved directly in this case, once I heard Attorney Baldwin’s arguments, I knew it was solid,” remarked James Millington, Fairfield RTC Chairman.
Bateson, who decided not to campaign pending the appeal, lost the special election to Kevin Kiley—who switched party affiliations from Republican to Democrat to run. “We opposed the special election as an undue burden on the Town and the Taxpayers. Regrettably, Stanton Lessor, Tetreau’s Town Attorney, pushed for it, and his opinion was proved wrong,” said Millington. “In the end, we all paid the price, with the cost of the legal battle and special election estimated to be at least $125,000.”
Baldwin, who argued that the Town Charter was properly followed in the replacement of McArdle, prevailed in a unanimous decision of the Connecticut Supreme Court. “The First Selectman and Town Attorney knew better,” declared Baldwin. “They clearly chose to circumvent the Town Charter in an effort to advance their political fortune. That was fundamentally wrong, dangerous and undemocratic of them. Thank goodness for the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to uphold the rule of law over the political machinations of Messrs. Tetreau and Lesser. The special election was negated and Bateson was deemed to be the rightfully seated member of the Board of Selectmen.”
Selectman Chris Tymniak offered the following perspective “Tetreau and Lesser owe the citizens of Fairfield an apology for misleading their supporters into believing their efforts to force a special election were appropriate under the Town Charter—all the while, fanning the flames of a costly, divisive and unnecessary special election. Not only did it cost taxpayers $125,000, but it also caused unnecessary political rife at a time when, more than ever, we need to come together, not divide.”
“We need to put this behind us now and work for the betterment of Fairfield,” Bateson said. “Regardless of party, we must do what is in the best interest of our residents and work together across party lines to get the job done. I am excited to be back and I know, working together, we will make Fairfield proud.”
The full text of the Connecticut Supreme Court’s unanimous decision may be read by clicking here: https://jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROcr/CR328/328CR40.pdf