Last Updated on December 13, 2025 by Matthew Hallock

“The Congrats Go To You”: CT Secretary of State Puts Hallock on the Ballot for Fairfield First Selectman as Independent Reform Candidate

FAIRFIELD, CT: Matthew Hallock, founder of the news and activation platform The Voice, officially declared his candidacy for First Selectman in the upcoming Special Election on February 3, 2026. Hallock secured his place on the ballot as an independent, 3rd party candidate on a reform platform, thanks to a successful petition driven by the citizens of Fairfield.

A Citizen’s Victory: “You Put Yourself On The Ballot”

The energy fueling Hallock’s run is pure grassroots momentum. In a remarkable 10-day period, over 200 residents signed the petition to secure his spot on the ballot, bypassing the traditional party channels.

“The confirmation letter starts with ‘Congratulations,’ which goes to the residents of Fairfield,” Hallock added. “Many did not even know who I was but as soon as they heard independent candidate, they practically grabbed the pen out of my hands. A vote for me is a vote for yourself. It is a call to fix what you see as a broken system and give yourself a voice.”

The Motivation: Overwhelming Control and Out-of-Town Actors

Hallock’s decision to run was not based on political ambition, but on a reflection of the systemic issues exposed during the last general election, particularly after seeing several local leaders fail to secure re-election, plus the recent sequence of events that has undermined Fairfield’s local control. Hallock pointed to a history of influence from powerful vested interests and out-of-town actors who have repeatedly manipulated the town’s key mechanisms. Here is a Baker’s Dozen ways they are exercising control over Fairfield.

  1. They have manipulated our Town Charter to protect their influence, such as putting senior out-of-towners on the payroll with golden retirement packages.

  2. They buried Fairfield’s approved town maps to draft their own Town Plan (POCD), prioritizing large-scale development driven by the construction cabal and ignoring faulty and dated maps.

  3. They formed an agency (CMDA) to basically underwrite at public expense much of the infrastructure cost for high-density, large buildings, most of which offer luxury apartments for rent, not purchase.

  4. The constant talk of “housing” masks the real need for affordable homes, especially for our children. There is a call to change multifamily zoning to extended family zoning, which gives a family more flexibility and options to expand and build as they see fit for multiple generations to live on one plot.

  5. They replaced the 25+ traditional neighborhoods of Fairfield with ten sterile zones, driven by the artificial Commerce Drive district.

  6. They are now attempting to seize control of Fairfield’s water rights through a dirty water deal between Eversource and RWA.

  7. They are permitting the duopoly of Avangrid and Eversource to control the energy landscape of the whole state, ignoring the fact that CT has among the highest electrical rates in the country

  8. There is a profound lack of concern over environmental crises, from permitting buildings in flood zones to lack of testing/accountability for plastics and PFC’s in the drinking water.

  9. There is a congestion problem, made worse by shoddy traffic engineering and lane striping in many parts of town

  10. They dissolved the eight counties of Fairfield to create the Council of Governments, which split Fairfield county in two and merged UConn and Hartford into one “super-region”.

  11. They have hindered the ability of citizens to reach out to their elected RTM reps, who very much want to serve their constituency.

  12. While Democrats are worse as they have a 2:1 supermajority in CT, both political parties engage in highly questonable practices without repurcussions.

  13. They control the candidates on the ballot, denying citizens true democracy with the freedom to choose candidates

The Centerpiece: The Unofficial Town Referendum

To ensure the election is about policy, not just politics, the campaign’s launch centerpiece is the Fairfield Citizen Governance Survey, an extensive Unofficial Town Referendum aimed at generating the largest civic mandate in Fairfield’s history.

The survey asks every resident—whether they are a registered voter, a high school student, or have never voted—to weigh in on critical questions, including:

  • The Charter: Should the power of the First Selectman be reduced, and should the Town Administrator role be reformed?

  • Water Rights: Should the RTM be given direct oversight over utility sales and rate increases?

  • Affordability: Should the town immediately implement extended family zoning to keep our children and families in Fairfield?

From News to Action: The New Plan and Premium Intel

Hallock’s campaign is built on the New Plan for Fairfield, a policy document focusing on structural reform, affordability, and the environment. The campaign is already anchored by the grassroots Solar vs Everybody environmental justice challenge (at change.org/SolarVsEverybody).

To get the exclusive policy analysis, campaign strategy, and proprietary data from the Unofficial Town Referendum: https://thevoicefairfield.substack.com/