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“I think it’s fabulous for her, for the town and for the state,” said First Selectman Michael Tetreau , a Democrat. “I don’t know anyone who has the foundation to represent the town in Hartford like Cristin.”
For about the next two months, McCarthy Vahey will continue to serve in her role as a town selectman, a responsibility she calls an honor and one she admittedly will miss.
“Being apart of the process locally has been such an amazing gift,” the first-term selectman told the Daily Voice on Thursday. “I feel like I will still have the opportunity to work with a lot of these people [I work with now in Fairfield], but it will be in a different capacity.”
McCarthy Vahey said one thing she will miss most about her position on the three-member Board of Selectmen is the camaraderie with her colleagues. And, although leaving her post as selectman is bittersweet, McCarthy Vahey says she is filled with the usual “nervous excitement,” but is not intimidated, about heading into the next chapter of her life.
Likewise, the Board of Selectmen will be heading into a new chapter when McCarthy Vahey resigns at the end of the year. Their challenge, Tetreau said, will be in the replacement process.
“There’s no question it will be difficult to replace Cristin,” he said. “We will do our best effort to find someone to fill her shoes.”
According to Tetreau, as per town charter, McCarthy Vahey’s successor will have to be of the same party and will have to be voted on by himself and Selectman Kevin Kiley.
Fairfield’s Democratic Town Committee will make a recommendation. If Kiley and Tetreau cannot come to an agreement on the recommendation after 30 days, “a select group of democrats will pick” McCarthy Vahey’s successor.
The successor would then also have to be approved by the Representative Town Meeting and “other boards.”
“I think we have a number of qualified democrats who have expressed interest in the position,” Tetreau said.
For McCarthy Vahey, focusing on next year is a priority, but not at the top of her list.
“I’m here today, not because I said I’m going to climb this [career] ladder, but because of my commitment to service… I feel like I need to focus on the now,” she said. “Thank you to the people of Fairfield for this privilege.”
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