Council Petition Requests Review,

Modification Of FFH Authority Ordinance

By John Voket

A consortium of local activist groups represented by local businessman Matt DeAngelis and Gary Davis presented a petition requesting the Legislative Council overhaul the way the town-owned Fairfield Hills campus is operated.

The petition, signed by 167 “reelectors,” was supported by Mr Davis, who spoke representing WeCAN (We Care About Newtown), a local organization claiming to be “more than 1,000 families strong,” according to Mr Davis.

Mr Davis and Mr DeAngelis, who said he is considering a run for first selectman this fall, both made their comments in the second round of public comment at the end of Wednesday evening’s council meeting as the full council and three other attendees looked on.

In his comments, Mr Davis referred to the 167 reported supporters of the action.

“We could have gotten five, six, ten times more signatures if we really tried,” Mr Davis said.

The council’s interim chairman, Timothy Holian, indicated the names of the petitioners have not been officially qualified as yet.

In a press release, the petitioners request the ordinance creating the authority be amended to provide the council and town agencies greater oversight of public projects planned for the property, including a proposed new town hall. A number of town leaders have backed the municipal office project on the campus, saying the investment in a centralization and relocation of town and school offices to Fairfield Hills can help attract further private investment.

During his report to the council, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said he was in the final process of drafting a response to 81 questions that were posed by the same consortium of groups at a February 7 meeting. The first selectman said town attorneys are reviewing the responses related to a federal suit Mr DeAngelis filed, and once all answerable questions are cleared for release, he still needed to get consensus from fellow selectmen to endorse the answers.

A number of the several hundred attendees at that February council meeting called for answers to a list of 81 questions that supporters said should be answered before the town moves forward with a municipal building development on the Fairfield Hills campus.

During his comments, Mr Davis said he was surprised to hear from Mr Rosenthal telling him the answers to most or all of the questions were imminent.