“If you’re too big to do the small things, then you’re too small to do the big things.”  I don’t know who deserves the credit for this, but it’s powerful in its simplicity and meaning. Let’s consider the “small thing” example of revising the county council regular meeting agenda items outside of a public meeting […]

In a recent story in The Voice (8/8/24), Fairfield County Fire Chief Jamie Webb said the county has only six full-time and one part-time paid firefighters and fewer than 90 volunteer firefighters right now. “We need at least twice that many volunteers to adequately man the county’s 15 fire stations,” he said. In other words, […]

Peggy Swearingen is the only Fairfield County Councilwoman who has dared to speak out and emphasize the importance of life-saving EMS services, well-paid law enforcement, and the need for full-time firefighters to keep our citizens safe. It’s clear that the current approach of deploying a single paid firefighter to a station from 8 a.m. to […]

We the citizens of Fairfield County were given a new budget on June 24 after the third reading of the ordinance.  It was at this time, just six days before the new fiscal year, that council attempted to deal with the low salaries being paid to our Sheriff’s deputies.  I was very disappointed no council […]

It’s clear, this council has erected a negative public image and trust wall with its deliberate actions to block transparency. In addition to its previous barriers, like not promptly informing the public about multi-million dollar financial mishaps and a secretive botched administrator search, council effectively ensured the public was prevented from having access to budget […]

I want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the incredible work you do every day. In particular the service you provided when called to address an emergency with my loved one.   You were responsive, timely, knowledgeable, and very respectful.  Your dedication, bravery, and selflessness in serving and protecting our communities in Fairfield […]

At the most recent regular meeting on June 10th, I received feedback after speaking about the draft budget for FY2024-25.  Based on financial information on the county website, we were $4 million underspent to the current budget through May, and I suggested that several million dollars might be available to put into reserve and that […]

Fairfield County residents frequently express concerns about the leadership of the county council. There have been consistent reports of certain challenges, such as the handling of citizens’ con­cerns and opposing viewpoints. These unmet challenges have im­pacted the county’s ability to effectively address its debts, fines, declining essen­tial services, lack of economic growth, and overt mismanagement […]