STAMFORD — The Board of Representatives voted in James Fleischer as a representative of District 15 on Tuesday, following the resignation of Tom Pendell, who was elected in 2017.
Pendell told The Stamford Advocate that he stepped down in part because his mother, who lives in Arizona, is facing health issues. He recommended Fleischer, a Belltown resident, take his place on the board. Like Pendell, Fleischer is a Democrat.
When a member of the board resigns, the person’s replacement must be affiliated with the same party that the member was affiliated with when he or she was elected, Board of Representatives President Matthew Quinones told The Advocate.
During Monday’s meeting, Rep. Virgil de la Cruz, D-2, nominated Fleischer. The board approved his appointment by voice vote. Quinones abstained from the vote, citing a possible conflict of interest.
“I’d like to welcome Rep. Fleischer to the Board of Representatives,” Quinones said during the meeting. “Normally, we would ask that he be escorted to his seat, but it seems like he’s found it for the purpose of our virtual meetings, so welcome.”
Fleischer, who works for Heineken USA, joins Democratic Rep. Benjamin Lee in representing District 15, which includes parts of Glenbrook-Belltown and Springdale. Fleischer was assigned to the board’s Personnel, Transportation and Fiscal committees, filling Pendell’s spot on each.
Fleischer will serve out Pendell’s term, which ends later this year. He said he doesn’t intend to run for election.
“I figured, for the six months, it’s a good way for me to continue to give back to our district and to the Stamford community … and also learn more about the Board of Reps,” said Fleischer, who is also a member of the Democratic City Committee.
Pendell had written a letter to Mayor David Martin telling him he would be resigning as of May 14.
“I hope that I will be remembered as one that put their best foot forward during the difficult times that COVID brought,” Pendell wrote.
He wrote that he hoped to “serve Stamford” again one day, as either a member of the Board of Representatives or perhaps as a member of the Board of Finance.
“But for today, I have decided that I need to spend this remaining time that I have been blessed with some ailing family,” he wrote.
Pendell told The Advocate that his mother has Parkinson’s disease, and he went to Arizona to take care of her last year, working remotely while he was there. He decided to move to Arizona permanently, which led to his resignation.
He said he is also making a career switch after working at Interactive Brokers in Greenwich for more than a decade.
“I really enjoyed my time on the board, and I wish I could have finished my term,” he said.
Pendell said when he joined the board three and a half years ago, he was part of a wave of new members who “came in with the attitude of, ‘We’re going to make some changes and not listen to the groups that have been there for a long time.’”
“I think overall … it was more about being part of the younger voice for Stamford in government, and I still think that’s the most important thing going forward,” he said.
He said he supported Fleischer as his replacement because Fleischer seemed open-minded.
“I didn’t want somebody that had an agenda going into the role,” Pendell said. “And I just wanted somebody with kind of a fresh set of eyes, and I think that’s what I provided when I came in.”
June 09, 2021 at 04:56PM
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Outgoing-official-taps-fresh-set-of-eyes-to-16234130.php
Outgoing official taps ‘fresh set of eyes’ to take his spot on Stamford Board of Representatives - The Advocate
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