The Fairfield Board of Selectmen is expected to announce, as early as tonight, the date for the special election that will give Fairfield voters the opportunity to choose who will fulfill the remainder of late First Selectman Bill Gerber’s term. 

The petitioning for a special election, which was pushed by the Fairfield Republican Town Committee and State Senator Tony Hwang after Gerber died in early July due to complications from two surgeries to address a malignant brain tumor, recently secured nearly 3,000 signatures, according to reports from CT Insider.

In an email sent to residents last week, Vitale acknowledged the Republican push for the special election had gathered enough verified signatures to set the process in motion.

“As you may have heard, the Town Clerk has verified signatures on the petition for a special election. Per state statute, voters will now have the opportunity to choose who will fulfill the remainder of Bill Gerber’s term,” Vitale expressed. “The Board of Selectmen will choose a date for the special election in accordance with guidance from the Secretary of State’s office.

While it is expected that the Board of Selectmen will address the upcoming special election, Vitale also announced that they “will continue to work to fill the now vacant Selectman seat,” created by her appointment as First Selectman. Whoever is appointed as selectman could also face a special election via petition, Vitale warned.

Under the town’s charter, the members of the Board of Selectmen must fill a vacancy with a person from the same political party within a month. However, the process to formally replace Gerber stalled early in August, when Republican Selectman Brenda Kupchick disagreed on procedural grounds, calling it a “broken process.”

“I simply feel it’s undemocratic for one person to be asked to essentially choose who will craft budgets, make policy decisions and be responsible for 500 employees that will have lasting impact for over two years,” wrote Kipchick in an email she read during a BOS special meeting.

The process went up to the town’s elected democratic leaders, who ultimately voted on Aug. 25 to have Vitale serve as Fairfield First Selectman through Nov. 2027.

Now, Fairfield voters will have the ultimate decision on who will govern the town until 2027, when the current BOS term concludes. Both Vitale and Hwang have been endorsed by their respective political town committees as candidates for the yet-to-be-called election.

“Tony has a proven record of listening, leading with integrity and putting Fairfield families first. His dedication to public service and deep roots in our community make him the right choice to guide Fairfield forward,” said Republican Town Committee Chair Laura Devlin in a statement shared on Facebook early this month after the RTC’s unanimous endorsement of Hwang’s candidacy.

Last week, the Democratic Town Committee also voted unanimously to endorse Vitale’s candidacy for First Selectman

“First Selectman Vitale is the leader Fairfield needs right now. She has guided our town through uncertainty with experience, stability and a deep commitment to our community,” said Fairfield DTC Chair Steven Sheinberg. “The voters of Fairfield already chose her to lead alongside Bill Gerber in 2023, and we are confident they will reaffirm that choice if a special election is forced by the Republicans.”