Letter To The Editor: McCarthy Vahey Silent On Town Contamination

Dear editor,

For the past seven years, Fairfield has been dealing with the repercussions of events related to the illegal hiring of Julian Development in 2013. Elected Selectwoman Cristin McCarthy Vahey and First Selectman Mike Tetreau directly oversaw and approved of the fraudulent RFP agreement without a contract between Julian Development and the town of Fairfield.

While serving on the elected Board of Selectmen, Cristin McCarthy Vahey had the unique opportunity and responsibility of ensuring that the town’s operations were running efficiently and safely. McCarthy Vahey prides herself in protecting the environment and leading our community. However, she failed us.

On Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, then-selectwoman McCarthy Vahey received a complaint from former RTM member Dana Kery. Kery, in her email, stated that her previous complaint to the then-director of public works, about finding glass and asbestos at Gould Manor Park, went unresolved. Kery also included pictures of the dangerous glass shards and hazardous asbestos she observed on the ground.

McCarthy Vahey responded to the complaint, stating, “I will be unable to regularly access email through Sunday, August 24th, 2014. If you are in the need of immediate assistance please contact the First Selectman’s office at (203) 256-3030” (FairfieldFirstDotOrg).

McCarthy Vahey was also included in further email follow-ups by the then-director of public works on Aug. 25 of 2014. The director essentially confirmed that the soil was from the town and was completely unacceptable.

After McCarthy Vahey was elected to serve as a state representative in November 2014, the hazardous soil still remained at Gould Manor, containing glass and asbestos until April of 2015. She continued to do nothing.

On April 22, 2015, the former Fairfield first selectman, Department of Public Works officials, and Department of Parks and Recreation officials shared emails about more complaints regarding hazardous soil conditions at Oldfield, Burroughs, and McKinley soccer fields. The director of public works likened these conditions to Kery’s initial complaints.

Both former first selectman Mike Tetreau and then-selectwoman Cristin McCarthy Vahey did little, or nothing, to properly ensure the safety of our community from hazardous materials in our soil. These elected leaders were included in the complaints, yet refused to follow up and thereby put residents at risk.

Gould Manor is a highly trafficked park where families go to picnic, others watch their kids play baseball, and many play with their toddlers on the playgrounds. Cristin McCarthy Vahey’s silence was, and is still is, deafening to those in the Gould Manor neighborhood. She completely failed to follow up with her concerned constituents in 2014 while she ran for state representative. She was quiet while children and pets played in dangerous fields and parks across town. McCarthy Vahey has yet to take a strong stand against these conditions.

I, like many Fairfield residents, ask for her to apologize for her lack of action and leadership while there was a threat to public safety and health.

Sincerely,

Jack Shostak

Lifelong resident of Fairfield