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.
The 1st selectman is in a position to bring that work together. Residents deserve to know what discussions he has had with the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, what he has requested, and what commitments he has obtained.
