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]