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FAIRFIELD, Conn. – FairTV’s access to town meetings is vital to Fairfield’s open government, Jim Kennelly said. That’s why Kennelly, chairman of the existing FairTV Public Access Committee, wants the Board of Selectmen to form a new, independent commission to watch over the network.
FairTV began when the town took control of its public access channels from Soundview Media in 2006. It runs video of town meetings and educational programs on Cablevision Channels 78 and 79 and through online streaming video.
“Having the ability to have this specific programming in our town has been a tremendous asset,” Selectman Cristin McCarthy Vahey said.
Since its start, FairTV has been managed by a volunteer group called the FairTV Public Access Committee. This summer, the Board of Selectmen began the process of reforming the committee’s charter to reflect its status in town. Kennelly warned the three selectmen against creating another ad-hoc committee.
“I’ve lived through weak committees, without proper process,” Kennelly told the board last week. He instead suggested a new FairTV Commission “enshrined in the Town Charter.”
The board would have five members. The Fairfield chapter of the League of Women Voters and the PTA Council would appoint one each to represent nongovernment interests. The other three members would need a unanimous vote from the Board of Selectmen and a majority vote from the Representative Town Meeting for appointment. The town’s Ethics Commission is chosen by the same process.
“So that way there’s no chance that anyone looking from the outside can say these nominees are a reflection of the party in power,” Kennelly said. “Because FairTV … is akin to the Ethics Commission. It’s the video equivalent.”
Station manager Gerald Speno, who films much of FairTV’s programming, also suggested making sure the new committee has a strong relationship with regional cable councils. The Area 2 Cable Advisory Council, for example, works with stations in Fairfield, Bridgeport, Stratford, Orange, Milford and Woodbridge. That group could help Fairfield’s new volunteers gain funding and learn about cable TV access law.
“I think that when you’re forming a committee of individuals who are not [knowledgeable], it’s important to have someone who knows what’s happening,” Speno said.
The Board of Selectmen will talk more about forming a new commission at its next meeting in September.
Comments (3)
Hi--Nice article Greg!
Just one quibble, FairTV requested control of our Education and Government Access Channels in July 2008, not 2006. The state legislature passed legislation that Gov. Rell signed in July 2008 to allow us to do so. We went live on the Education Channel in December of 2008 and on the Government Channel in August, 2009. (I talk really fast, so thanks for even trying to take notes!
Regarding RG of Mayo's concern: I think the key element of my proposal for the new FairTV Commission is the three members chosen unanimously by the BOS and confirmed by the RTM and that the commission is created by ordinance by the RTM so that it operates like the Ethics Commission or any other commission of significance now listed in the Town Charter. (It may be a while before the charter will be amended, so for now, just making the FTV Commission a part of the code would be good! I'm not wedded to the idea of the two members selected by the PTAC or LWV--nor are they! But if you look at the police and fire commissions governing rules, they each include a member chosen from the police and fire departments. It seems to me that the FTV Commission should have a watchdog group associated with each channel, ie, LWV for FairTV Government and PTAC for FairTV Education. My sense is that LWV would have a vested interest in seeing that FTV Government stays fair in it's coverage of meetings and events and that the PTA Council would have an interest in seeing that all schools are covered with no favoritism toward one school or another.
That said, it would be foolish to lose the concept of an independent FairTV Commission that actually oversaw the system's operations independent of political control, if folks like yourself would torpedo the idea because of concerns related to these entities (LWV&PTAC).
RG of Mayo, I don't want to put words in your mouth but I'm guessing because of your feelings about these groups you may be conservative. If so, I would only remind you of two things: First, the best way to protect your wallet from unjustified tax expenditures is ensuring that all decisions made by town bodies that make those choices can be seen by the public.
And second, that if you are going to have an entity to broadcast those meetings so that they can be seen by the public, that entity, ie, my proposed FairTV Commission, should not be handpicked by the First Selectman, the BOS or any one body here in town and that that Commission should have a simple charge: "Keep FairTV Fair" and protect FairTV from those who would seek to get rid of it for their own private or political gain.
Anyway, I would ask if folks want to comment about this, that they not hide behind handles and usernames, and list their own names when they comment. We're all neighbors hoping for the best from our town. On this matter we should all want to weigh in, but we should do so with our own names attached to our commentary. Thanks!
Who do you suggest would be a better alternative? We certainly don't need this channel to be operated at the whim of the First Selectman, whoever might be holding that office!
Sorry, but the LWV and the PTA are NOT disinterested parties regarding the politics of this town and state.