An eight-member Charter Revision Commission (CRC) established by the Board of Selectmen in October 2024 to review and update the town charter, is gathering ideas from the public, department heads and board and commission leaders.
To date, the commission has received 72 emails with suggestions on ways to improve the town charter. Ideas touch on all aspects of the structure of town government, including the town seal. Some in the community want the CRC to take a closer look at the town seal, which features a fully clothed Puritan man shaking hands with a Native American man dressed only in a loincloth. One resident wrote that they feel the seal is an embarrassment and historically inaccurate.
Karen Wackerman, the only member of both the CRC and the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), said the commission “has discussed letting the RTM vote on a town seal so that town residents could comment and suggest ideas through their representatives.
“In addition, opening the charter to revise the seal would be a big project, so letting the RTM do it allows for time to get ideas,” she said.
Fairfield acknowledges the town seal is problematic. A note on Fairfield’s website reads: “Pursuant to our inclusive excellence commitment, we acknowledge the challenges associated with the imagery and description of our Town Seal. With respect to the indigenous/native inhabitants of what is now the Town of Fairfield, Connecticut, we will continue to discuss strategies to address the challenges and concerns associated with our Seal.”
The CRC will continue meeting and working to update the town charter before it delivers a draft to the Board of Selectmen in May. A revised town charter will be on the ballot for the election in November.
All Charter Revision Commission meetings are held at 7 p.m. They are open to the public and are held both in person and virtually. Please refer to the agendas on the Fairfield website for meeting locations.
