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District 3 residents protest exclusion of councilwoman from committee assignments
Summary
Multiple residents from western Fairfield County told the council they feel underrepresented after Councilwoman Peggy Swearingen was not assigned to committees; speakers asked the chair to restore committee assignments and for greater transparency.
Residents from western Fairfield County used the council’s public‑comment period to urge the Fairfield County Council to restore committee assignments to Councilwoman Peggy Swearingen of District 3 and to increase transparency in county government.
"We have all been blindsided by the fact that every committee that you have on the council has members, but she's not assigned to any of those committees," Joanne Clowney Hook told the council. Hook identified herself as a lifelong Fairfield County resident and said District 3 has long felt overlooked for services including fire and emergency medical coverage.
Tangee Renee Bridal Jacobs, who identified herself as from District 3, said the removal of the district’s elected representative from committees "has effectively stripped our district of meaningful representation," and presented signed petitions she said were collected across her community asking for Swearingen’s re‑assignment.
Bridal Henderson, speaking later, said lack of committee representation has contributed to longstanding service issues in the western part of the county and described prior decisions that, she said, left District 3 with fewer local services.
Other public speakers called for broader transparency. "Make public safety your first and only priority," Jeff Schaffer told the council, and he urged the council to reopen public comment on YouTube and to review attorney spending. Schaffer criticized what he called excessive attorney fees and urged redirecting funds to emergency services; a separate speaker later said some legal expenses reflect the county’s defense in lawsuits and are not the fee of a single attorney.
During county council time after public comment, the chairman acknowledged hearing speakers’ concerns and said the body would take comments into consideration as it thinks about future plans. The council did not take formal action on committee assignments at the meeting and did not announce a change in assignments.
