At each biennial town election a First Selectman shall be chosen by the electors of the town as provided in Chapter III of this Charter. The First Selectman shall be the chief executive and chief administrative officer of the town and shall receive such compensation as shall be recommended by the Board of Selectmen and approved in the annual budget. Said First Selectman shall be a full voting and participating member of the Board of Selectmen and shall preside, when present, at meetings of said board. The First Selectman, or another Selectman designated by the First Selectman shall be an ex-officio member of all other town boards, commissions, and agencies and shall receive such advance notification of any such meeting as is given to the members of said bodies. He or she shall have the full right of participation in discussions but shall not have the right to vote.
The First Selectman shall be directly responsible to the Board of Selectmen for the administration of all departments, agencies, and officers in charge of persons or boards appointed by him or her and shall supervise and direct the same, and shall serve as Chief of Police until such time as the Board of Selectmen shall appoint a Chief of Police. He or she shall see that all laws and ordinances governing the town are faithfully executed. He or she shall make periodic reports to the Board of Selectmen on the conditions and affairs of the town. The First Selectman shall recommend to the Board of Selectmen such measures as he or she may deem necessary or expedient and shall keep the Board of Selectmen fully advised as to the financial condition of the town; and shall exercise such other powers and duties as may be authorized by ordinance and resolution of the Board of Selectmen not inconsistent with this Charter. The First Selectman shall have all the powers, duties and responsibilities conferred or imposed on that office and on the chief executive officers by the General Statutes, as amended, or by Special Act except insofar as the same are inconsistent with the provisions of the Charter. The First Selectman may, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen and subject to such other limitations as are contained in this Charter and in the General Statutes, enter into contracts or agreements with the United States Government or any agency thereof, the State of Connecticut or any agency or political subdivision thereof, any person, or any other body politic or corporate. The Board of Selectmen shall not diminish by ordinance, vote, or otherwise the powers and duties imposed on him or her by said board under the provisions of this section.
The First Selectman shall appoint and may remove, each such action with the approval of a majority of the entire Board of Selectmen, and in accordance with such provisions of the General Statutes as may apply to said appointments and removals, such administrative officers as are assigned to the Board of Selectmen for appointment by the several provisions of this Charter, and such other assistants or employees as may be required, subject to such rules and regulations concerning town employees as may be adopted by the Board of Selectmen pursuant to the provisions of Chapter XII of this Charter. The terms of all such administrative officers hereinafter named, except appointees serving indefinite terms, shall terminate on the same day as the term of the First Selectman provided such appointees shall continue to serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. The First Selectman may, subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen, perform the duties of any officer under his or her jurisdiction provided that he or she is, in the opinion of the Board of Selectmen, otherwise qualified to perform such duties.
The Deputy First Selectman shall serve as Acting First Selectman in the event of the temporary absence or temporary disability of the First Selectman. The Deputy First Selectman as Acting First Selectman shall have all the powers of the First Selectman except powers of appointment. In the event the First Selectman is unable to serve for reasons of medical disability as determined by the remaining members of the Board of Selectmen, the Deputy First Selectman shall serve and in any such circumstance the Deputy First Selectman shall have all the powers of the First Selectman, including powers of appointment. [Amended 11-6-2007]