After Chief Hiring Conflict, Racial Equity Group Talks Next Steps

FAIRFIELD, CT — The mission and future goals of Fairfield’s racial equity task force were much-discussed at a lengthy and emotional public meeting last week at which one member resigned.

The conversation came after the task force asked to participate in finalist interviews for the town’s new police chief, but was denied by the town attorney on the grounds that such direct involvement in the hiring process was outside the scope of the group’s charge.

“When we put the request out, and you ignored the whole thing, you are going to raise concerns in people that come from a personal place,” Racial Equity and Justice Task Force Co-Chair Gina Ludlow said to Town Attorney James Baldwin, who attended Thursday’s meeting. “The community expected us to ask you for transparency in the process.”

In its letter Jan. 15 to the police commission, the task force requested that in addition to taking part in the Jan. 19 interviews, the commission describe the hiring process and disclose after the hire how racial equity and justice factored into the decision. In his denial, Baldwin said the request was premature and unsanctioned by the task force mission statement.

The formation of the task force was announced in June in the wake of protests sparked by George Floyd's death in police custody. Its mission is to find racial inequalities and injustices in town operations, and provide the Board of Selectmen with proposals to minimize or eliminate those injustices. The task force is charged with presenting its Racial Equity Plan next year to selectmen.

Over the course of Thursday’s meeting, held via Zoom and attended by nearly 60 people, it became clear that Baldwin and the task force members had differing interpretations of the mission. Baldwin argued the group should focus solely on its final report, while Ludlow explained she envisioned the task force doing additional work to promote racial equity in town while preparing the larger plan.

“The original document came from us, and so we don’t have a lot of confusion about what we think the mission is,” Ludlow said in an interview after the meeting, referring to herself and fellow Co-Chair and Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz.

Baldwin clarified Thursday that while he appeared to deny the requests of the task force in full, its inquiries about how the chief would be hired and how racial equity and justice played a role in the process were valid and within the scope of the mission.

“It’s not denied, and it’s not out of scope,” he said. “My failure to articulate that was my failure, apparently.”

The language Baldwin used in his response to the task force's letter was criticized by its members.

“It felt like a smackdown,” Lefkowitz said. “Now, you may not have intended that, but you are not a woman, you are not a person of color.”

Tensions during the meeting escalated when task force member Sonja Narcisse resigned, citing a lack of trust and transparency on the part of the town.

“In 2021, the town of Fairfield has not appreciated where your African American or minorities are,” Narcisse said earlier in the evening. “What do you understand about being oppressed?”

Both Baldwin and First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said the conflict with the task force could have been avoided if the group’s leadership had contacted them prior to sending the letter to the police commission.

“I felt that Selectwoman Lefkowitz should have at least called me and discussed this with me,” Kupchick, who was unable to attend the meeting, said in a later interview. “I meant no disrespect to the task force, but I also expect the task force to act within the guidelines of that mission statement.”

Lefkowitz told Baldwin at the meeting it did not occur to her to ask about the task force’s decision to submit requests to the police commission.

“I pick up the phone when I have questions,” she said. “To me this was not a question.”

The police chief finalist interviews, which Lefkowitz attended in her capacity as a selectwoman, resulted in the promotion of 21-year Fairfield police veteran Robert Kalamaras to chief.

“It was never about the person, it was really about the process,” Ludlow said, adding the task force is optimistic Kalamaras will continue to uphold his predecessor’s commitment to improving racial justice and equity in town.

Thursday’s meeting left task force members considering the future of the body, and whether the town expects the task force to operate as a rubber stamp.

“This has triggered deep, deep skepticism about whether this task force can be effective,” member Douglas Bunnell said.

Suggestions for how to move forward included seeking a change in the task force mission statement from the Board of Selectmen, forming a committee with the authority to become more immediately involved in town business and completing the Racial Equity Plan before its deadline of January 2022.

“It may have been discouraging, but I think there’s some opportunity out of this,” member Jason Sherrod said.

The task force will meet Jan. 28 to further discuss its next steps.