FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield officials are reviewing a recent bid involving culvert repairs in the Greenfield Hill section of town that was won by Easton-based Palmieri Farm, LLC, which in turn subcontracted the work to Becker Landscaping, LLC.
At issue is Palmieri’s bid came in $44,000 lower than the next bid, and David Becker, Fairfield’s interim Chief Fiscal Officer and now also Chief Operations Officer, was still a principal with Becker Landscaping at the time the bid was submitted, according to Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick. The bid came in at just over $77,000; the next lowest bid was more than $120,000.
During this week’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Kupchick requested the review.
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“This is making a lot of members of the public uncomfortable of our bid process, especially since that bid was lower by $44,000,” Kupchick said, citing a possible conflict of interest and a lack of transparency.
Becker was interim CFO at the time, but had not yet been hired as COO. Last month, the administration announced that Becker had divested his interests in his family businesses.
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The investigation of the bid is moving forward, but First Selectman Bill Gerber does believe it is necessary.
“Brenda Kupchick has again called for an investigation into David Becker’s relationship with Becker Landscaping LLC, while serving as Interim CFO,” Gerber wrote to Patch in a statement. “This is something that has already been reviewed and cleared twice- by Fairfield’s Ethics Commission and by our Town’s Human Resources Department. David disclosed his family business ties when I asked him to serve, has had no involvement in any Town contracts with this business, has divested from it, and removed himself from involvement with the company. These steps go well beyond what the Town requires.”
Kupchick questioned Becker’s hiring as COO in June. He became interim CFO earlier this year, following the resignation of Jared Schmitt, who left the Fairfield post after four years to take the same position with the City of Norwalk.
Both Kupchick and Becker are Republicans, and Becker previously served as treasurer on one of Kupchick’s campaigns.
“I keep asking myself why Ms. Kupchick continues to harass David Becker and waste Town resources, after it has already been determined that he has done nothing wrong,” Gerber said. “I can only think of one logical reason, which is that she is trying to deflect from her own misdeeds, including the fact that she is now repaying (through deductions from her Selectperson’s compensation) the illegal severance she approved and received for losing the election.”
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(Kupchick, in a Patch Letter to the Editor, addressed the severance situation, which she referred to as “poor oversight and due diligence in the HR process.”)
In a statement to Patch, Becker said he has been upfront about his family businesses, and is no longer connected to them. The culvert bid was dated March 7, but Becker’s divestiture filing date was five days later, which he addresses below.
“As a longtime Republican, I’ve worked with Brenda Kupchick over many years on a variety of items and respect her service to our community,” Becker wrote. “Given the experiences the Town has had to deal with as it relates to government operations, I understand the need to ensure that Town financial matters are handled with full transparency and integrity. Questions regarding my role in Becker Landscaping, LLC and any crossover into my role as interim CFO have already been addressed.
“In my two decades of public service to Fairfield, I have never failed to disclose any relationship to The Becker Companies, LLC, and its subsidiary, Becker Landscaping, LLC. Guardrails have been in place from my first days of employment in 2024 as I have refrained from participation in contract negotiations or oversight. I began the process of divestiture immediately following my employment with the Town. Because divestiture required legal consultation, the process was not completed until the filing date of March 12. I had removed myself as a manager before that date.”
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