Fairfax public comment dominated by recalls, housing projects and town divisions
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Summary
Dozens of residents used open time to urge sides for and against the recall, criticize council behavior and raise concerns about housing projects, homelessness, wildfire preparedness and local civility.
Open time on Oct. 15 filled the first half hour of the Fairfax Town Council meeting, with more than a dozen speakers addressing recalls, housing proposals, homeless encampments, wildfire studies and council conduct.
The tone: sharply divided. Commenters ranged from longtime civic volunteers to residents representing neighborhood groups. Several speakers urged voters to reject the recall of the mayor and vice mayor, praising their workload and representation on county boards. Others urged support for the recall and criticized council members for alleged fiscal mismanagement, lack of services and what they described as undemocratic conduct.
Representative public comments:
- Sean Fitzgerald (Fairfax Park) recalled organizing on park safety and said drug use and encampments had made the park unsafe before volunteer and enforcement efforts. He criticized what he described as attempts to “publicly undress” him for raising safety concerns and urged better civic discourse. “Council members, you’re public officials, and you’re open to criticism based on your votes and your positions in town,” Fitzgerald said.
- Mark Bell (resident) raised wildfire and evacuation concerns and asked why the town had not completed state-mandated wildfire evacuation studies tied to Assembly Bill 747 and Senate Bill 99. He called the apparent delays “a dereliction of your responsibilities.”
- Todd Greenberg (Downtown Fairfax) described the recalls as being “about deceit” and “years of financial fiscal mismanagement,” and urged his listeners to vote for the recall. Other speakers described being subjected to slander or harassment online and asked the town for ways to de-escalate conflict.
- Several residents asked the council to revisit previously enacted ordinances, including Fairfax’s former “formula business” (chain store) protections and sign/design review enforcement. One longtime volunteer asked for restoration of the protection that had kept chain stores out of Fairfax in prior years.
Why it matters: public comment framed multiple agenda items that followed, including code adoptions and a capital project loan. Numerous speakers tied larger policy concerns—housing scale downtown, the School Street development proposals and the town’s reputation—to the recalls, the council’s handling of community input and the town’s approach to public safety.
Council response and process notes: Council members repeatedly urged respectful conduct during public comment and reminded speakers that the council could not discuss unagendized matters at length during open time. Mayor Blasch and others encouraged residents to attend informal mayoral coffees for more detailed conversations. The council kept to its schedule and moved to the evening’s substantive agenda items after 30 minutes of public comment.
Ending: Many speakers asked for concrete follow-ups—more transparent public materials about code changes and timelines, updates on wildfire evacuation studies and enforcement of town sign and land-use rules. Staff and council said they would provide additional materials and schedule public hearings where required.
