One year ago today, Westport elected a new first selectman.
Kevin Christie swept all 9 voting districts. He received over half the votes — 53% — in a 3-way race.
Two weeks later, in a high-energy, bipartisan, optimistic ceremony, a packed Town Hall crowd watched Senator Richard Blumenthal administer the oath of office.
Moments after his swearing in, 1st Selectman Kevin Christie took this selfie at Town Hall.
A year later, the mood is quite different.
Over the past few months, I’ve heard from a broad range of Westporters. They span the political spectrum: Republicans, unaffiliated, and Democrats too.
Some are active in town government. Others are casual observers.
All want what’s best for Westport. That doesn’t mean they all agree on what that is. Far from it, in fact.
But they do want dialogue. They want communication. They want leadership.
A year after the election, they believe those important elements of government are lacking.
Westporters are fond, personally, of Kevin Christie. He is a bright man, with a warm smile.
Kevin Christie, at his inauguration.
But frustration is growing, around both his management style and the lack of follow-through on campaign promises.
Last year, “06880” posed a series of questions to the 3 candidates for first selectman. In the first of 5 columns, Christie said:
Our top priority will be Westport’s infrastructure. Whether it’s solving traffic problems, upgrading parking at “Harder Parking” (aka Parker Harding), fixing a fast deteriorating Cribari Bridge, or building a school, Westporters deserve leadership that prioritizes essential projects, and then gets them done.
We will bring the community together to discuss our spending priorities. We are not talking about just “listening.” Reaching consensus on Westport’s infrastructure agenda will make sure taxes don’t have to rise unnecessarily, and will guarantee that the most pressing capital infrastructure projects are pursued with appropriate urgency; while respecting the process and citizen input.
We will weigh in on the most transformative proposed project in modern Westport history: Saugatuck. We will help guide the community conversation to a better answer for development in Saugatuck than The Hamlet. Together, we will find the path to a real solution.
My door will always be open to all Westporters. Only by working together can we fashion a plan that enhances this great town in a responsible way. That’s what we’ll do from Day 1.
In that and subsequent posts, Christie said he would:
- Seek a comprehensive plan for downtown that leverages the work of the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee, with input from business owners, and hold community discussions with neighbors to consider other options (including a parking deck).
- Figure out how to maintain the Cribari Bridge’s charm while making it safe; explore creative options to keep large trucks off local roads, and consider local control too.
- Develop a plan for “appropriately scaled mixed-use development near the train station and I-95, and other development that serves local needs, reflects Saugatuck’s history and identity, protects its fragile waterfront, and keeps it publicly accessible.”
- Work with state and federal partners to secure funding and move long-delayed projects forward.
- Create the role of director of economic and community development.
- Make flood resiliency a town-wide priority.
- “Turn plans into action through collaboration, transparency and accountability.”
In February, 1st Selectman Kevin Christie delivered his first State of the Town address.
In calls, texts and emails, Westporters frustrated with a lack of action over the past year cite examples like these:
Cribari Bridge. Christie pledged last April to name a committee to address the thorny, long-running bridge replacement project. Six months later, there is no committee.
Downtown. Early in his administration, Christie dismissed longtime Downtown Plan Implementation Committee chair Randy Herbertson. He has not named a replacement. Meanwhile, the first selectman has canceled DPIC’s last 10 meetings. They have not met since December 2025.
Saugatuck. As Spinnaker begins planning a 142-unit apartment complex, there has been no public follow-up on the campaign promise to keep Saugatuck development appropriately scaled, serving local needs, publicly accessible, and reflective of the neighborhood’s history.
Community gardens. Two seasons after the Long Lots Elementary School building project eliminated the gardens (under a previous administration), there has been no visible action taken on a new site.
Maintenance shed. No decision has been made on relocation. It’s the first step in executing the Longshore Master Plan — but little can happen until a decision is made.
Other issues that the 1st selectman has not weighed in on include the proposed 250-unit apartment building at 55 Greens Farms Road, and the Westport Museum for History & Culture. Questions swirl about its future — including a possible role for the town in securing its very important archives.
It’s hard to fulfill grand promises on complex problems like the Cribari Bridge, Saugatuck and flooding. Many cannot be solved by executive action; they demand collaboration with town bodies, state officials and others.
Yet such collaboration has not been seen — at least, not publicly.
Local government involves collaboration and meetings. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
Residents are concerned not only about the issues Christie can control. There also appears to be a lack of collaboration with many stakeholders.
Westporters say the promise of an open door is especially troublesome. It is one element of local government that is visible, reachable and real.
Christie’s door, they say, is closed.
That comment comes from average citizens and elected officials alike.
It can be tough — even for those in government — to arrange an appointment. Emails and phone calls are not always returned.
The “brown bag luncheons” popularized by former 1st selectwoman Diane Farrell — which he promised to bring back while campaigning — have not materialized.
He has been slow to fill vacancies on town boards. At least 2 Westporters who volunteered to serve never heard back from him.
It’s been a year since Westporters elected Kevin Christie as our first selectman.
It’s a tough, multi-faceted job. I sure wouldn’t want it. Neither would many residents.
But Christie did. He ran for it. Along the way he spoke about his vision for Westport: forward-thinking, action-oriented, inclusive.
As his second year in office begins, residents across the spectrum — Republicans, unaffiliated, Democrats — remain hopeful that vision can be fulfilled.
traffic and overbuilding have to be number 1. It is the most bipartisan and troubling issue that plagues this town. Why are we constantly building multi-unit buildings at major intersections in high traffic areas? The builders make out well wherever they put them. People of all ages are getting crushed in traffic and speeding as it keeps getting worse. Another bipartisan ridiculous issue is our one and only public high school with the worst facilities in fairfield county. Nothing beats how we welcome our guests with grandparents to the stinking Porto parties at the field that smell from 20 feet away. The horrific bathrooms attached to the high school make grand central look glorious. Does anybody know if the Metro North trains to New York City are actually slower than they were 40 years ago? We spend all this time, debating lights and turf fields and whatever nonsense arguments against, goes on for hours and hours. Meanwhile, we are stopping field hockey games in the third-quarter because Westport has no lights. we have crazy people saying our kids are getting cancer from playing on fields. It’ll be nice to address some issues.
I’m going to dive in with my own comment but wanted to respond to your question.
Multi-unit buildings near transportation centers is part of the design of 8-30g law from affordable housing. And, yes, the builders make a killing. But the State has more control on this one than Westport does.
Definitely takes longer to go in on Metro North – safety issues and I think schedule changes. Back when I commuted their was something resembling express trains in – IIRC, I could get in on a rush hour train in 66 to 70 minutes. Now I think rush hour trains in are only as short as 74 minutes. Later trains are between 82 and 90 minutes. Trains home still can reliably take 75 minutes (with some variance, depending on what you catch).
I agree our town has many first-nation problems like usage of portapotties, which seems a trivial issue to me for sporting and other large events.
But…
For the record, lights and turf fields are significant issues to many taxpaying residents. I applaud those who communicate their views — either pleasure or displeasure — in person, through their keyboards. or in front of zoom cameras.
Thanks, as always, Dan. I agree with the concerns you’ve described – except for one edit. In my experience, calls and emails are never (not “often”) responded to. The lack of responsiveness is disheartening. I have simply given up, and that’s not a good place to be. I, and many people I know, feel quite disappointed and disillusioned. Thanks again for exploring this important subject.
Thank you for bringing this into the light. I too have been disgusted by the lack of movement on any issue by our First Selectman. It appears he has become frozen with fear, or maybe he is just another liar who said what he needed to in order to get elected. As my dad would say, “Sh*t or get off the pot, Kevin.” You’re letting your constituents down and have an uphill battle at this point to repair your well-deserved, poor reputation.
WSPT, and everywhere really, do best when they don’t rely on govt, the less govt the better , i.e., whatever is on your list that private sector can take care of, let that happen. no public office holder should have to be told to communicate and follow through, if you have to ask …
What did Jen Tooker do on these issues in her *checks notes* four years in office? And what is she accomplishing for Westport running a vanity campaign for comptroller that she has a 0.0% chance of winning?
There were many more complaints like this during Tooker’s reign, yet I don’t recall you holding her feet to the fire. It’s your blog, so it’s probably best to just state your own opinions rather than purport to speak for the town as a whole or anonymous concerned citizens.
Dan, I give you tons of credit for calling out the lead elected official in town that many (and maybe you too) voted for. We rarely see comments that raise above the partisan scrum we see these days. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, especially in politics.
What really gets me is that, according to my understanding, it will take at least 18 months to replace the bridge down by the police station. The Chinese would have had it bit weeks ago. Shows lack of getting all involved departments together and saying — I don’t care how you do it but I want it replaced yesterday.
I totally agree with Adam, never a response from this administration unless like I said before “photo shoot and free food attracts this administration “
I fear this will turn into a right-wing pile-on. (Accusing Kevin or being about photo-ops? After Tooker? He’s so invisible that he doesn’t even do them!)
But we have a serious problem with the appearance of nothing being done in Town Hall. (If not a problem of nothing being done in Town Hall.) None of these campaign promises seemed especially arduous. I wonder if we have another FS who wanted the title, not the job?
Maybe (like Tooker) he’s lunching with Mandell at restaurants all over town.
Well considering the last administration of Tooker Moore went out of their way to try and implement policies to DESTROY businesses, I’ll take Kevin any day of the week.
Kevin also inherited an enormous “pile” of the last administrations screw ups. No doubt he has (in very tall wellies) been wading through all that for the past 12 months.
I hope he disbands DPIC, for being out of touch and quite frankly anti business and useless. This would be a prudent move. Replace amongst others all landlords ( and their cronies) on that committee with the businesses actually operating in the downtown. Firing Herbertson was just the tip of a very large morally bankrupt group with agendas.
the last administration who stayed elected for 12 years never raised taxes adequately to be able to accomplish anything except Long Lots, 50 million over budget and as a result other schools have suffered.
There is only so much money in the pot. Of course when you don’t put taxes up you become the party of choice BUT then there’s no money to do anything. So you get fired and leave your pile for the next group.
And last but most important the previous administration NEVER EVER responded to ANYONE, unless it was friends and family. NOTHING. so let’s not cast stones.
Well done is better than well said.
….Benjamin Franklin
This is Westport’s number one problem. We don’t need promises from politicians who do not communicate and take action required by their office. Kevin Christie needs to take action to perform the duties of our first selectman or he needs to resign from the office and let the town have another first selectperson who will put forth the time and effort the situation needs desperately!
First, a reaction to Richard Johnson’s comment. If you care to read Dan’s post closely, he was not speaking for the rest of Westport. He noted he’s “heard from a broad range of Westporters that span the political spectrum.” 06880 is not a one-way megaphone for Dan to share his opinion. It’s a vibrant and engaging forum to share information, opinions and foster dialogue. Dan engages with hundreds of Westporters weekly, I put a lot of stock in his pulse meter. Second, to the more important topic at hand, I too am mystified and disheartened by the radio silence from the Christie/Wistreich team. I was not as readily familiar with Kevin prior to last year’s election, but cheered on Amy for her eagerness to speak up and help topple the Hamlet proposal due to traffic and safety concerns, as a member of the P&Z. Where are the voices of our town leaders now when we really need them?
we have people here that respond with such partisan silly comments. This is not a political discussion. This also has responses from left and right affiliated people. It is a blend of people from both sides discussing important issues that are important to the town . Bringing in previous administrations is lame and not relevant to the conversation. People need to focus on the issues at hand and how to fix them. Sadly too many sit behind a keyboard and thrive on bad mouthing others. It is not productive.
This article feels unnecessarily mean-spirited, particularly when paired with such a great photo of our community celebrating an election and our chief elected official.
For the record, I’m still waiting for Kevin Christie to make changes to the boards and commissions he oversees rather than retain so many of the same faces from the past 12 years. Perhaps there’s a reason for maintaining continuity and connections across party lines. Who knows? But the rest of this criticism seems over the top. When did we ever see such a diatribe directed at First Selectmen Tooker or Marpe?
There’s also a willingness to pile on without acknowledging the enormous challenges Christie inherited: bridges damaged by historic flooding, an overbuilt school project threatening additional costs to taxpayers, the largest tax increase in decades, affordable housing proposals in residential neighborhoods, and worsening traffic.
Take the bridge. Twelve years of inaction didn’t start with Christie. Marpe walked away from the problem. Tooker restarted the effort because she understood the bridge needed to function. And the RTM, with many of the same people leading the same committees, had years to develop alternatives or a plan the town was willing to fund. Instead, we’re now criticizing Christie for not creating yet another committee a few months ago. Really? At some point, we need to acknowledge that these problems happened on all our watch, not simply blame the new guy.
How about giving some attention to what’s actually getting done? The North Compo sidewalks, the handicap ramp and bathroom at Imperial Avenue, and the new Public Works Director’s regular efforts to keep residents informed through project updates. Those are welcome changes.
And on a day like today, let’s celebrate the photo above for what it represents: a community coming together, regardless of party affiliation.
hit the nail on the head Dan.
accountability is not mean-spirited, and a celebratory photograph does not exempt an administration from scrutiny. The question isn’t whether Christie inherited problems—It’s what he’s doing with the authority he now holds. Residents across town and the political spectrum are upset not being responded to, after proactively reaching out to volunteer. It’s discouraging.
The PRC, Conservation Commission, and Affordable Housing Fund Committee still have vacancies. DPIC hasn’t met in ten months. These are administrative responsibilities, not twelve-year infrastructure challenges.
As for the bridge, past administrations’ failures deserve scrutiny. Blaming the RTM explain why the promised Cribari Bridge committee hasn’t materialized. Completing projects and communicating about them doesn’t erase outstanding obligations elsewhere. RTM has already issued a sense of the meeting back in March.
get moving. Delegate through democratic style leadership.
Bipartisanship means holding everyone to the same standard, not shielding someone from criticism because they inherited difficult problems.
When the town flooded in September, and multiple residents were taking on water, some even displaced from their homes, the event cried out for some sort of centralized leadership. Jim Marpe and Jen Tooker would have been visible and vocal and supportive and informative. That was a pretty scary day, and many Westporters are still recovering from it. Insurance does not pay a dime for “surface water” damage and that was a deluge of surface water. We even made the local and national news cycles. I did not hear a word from the First Selectman. At a minimum, he should have been front and center praising our first responders.
it is the fault of Marpe and Tooker that the flooding was not addressed. They were warned and did nothing.
It is the fault of Tooker that the dpics suggestions were lambasted by the businesses in town.
It is the absolute blame on both their spanning 12 year administrations that they let long lots school go to hell in a hand basket, leaving their successor with zero rainy day money and a host of issues.
DPIC wasted years and years coming up with an untenable plan and it was rejected.
They-DPIC, paid no attention to merchants and have nobody to blame but themselves. I sincerely hope when Kevin addresses the issues on parking that it will be with an entirely new committee.
As for the flooding deadman’s brook etc, I think there was grant money available but it got spent on something less important. The “we told you so” on the flooding is without argument to blame on the last 12 years as is the affordable housing debacle. As is staples condition. And I’m sure one of the biggest issues he faces is that because of 12 years of irresponsible spending and lack of maintenance here we are. There’s no money.
Kevin was left with a long list of inaction items by the last 3×4 years administrations and sure while he is our current selectman and must deal with it, do not forget precisely where you can place your blame.
It should not be partisan, I agree but when a news source never once criticized the last “lot” it a pretty hard pill to swallow to read this article which as far as I am concerned personifies grave amnesia as to why we are here.
Kevin Christie responded my email quickly. He set up a meeting and addressed my concerns. Thank you Kevin!
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