Fairfield's New COO Divested Holdings In Family Business
FAIRFIELD, CT — David Becker, Fairfield’s new Chief Operating Officer, divested his holdings in his family’s business, The Becker Companies, LLC, in order to avoid conflicts of interest, due to The Becker Companies’ contracts with the town.
In response to questions from Patch, Lisa Clair, the town’s Communications Director, said that Becker, who also serves as the town’s interim Chief Fiscal Officer, left the business months ago.
The Becker Companies specializes in construction, excavation, landscaping, property management and hauling, and has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for doing work for the town.
Find out what's happening in Fairfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Becker was recently hired for the COO position by First Selectman Bill Gerber, who told the Board of Selectmen Wednesday that Becker is highly qualified for the role. To view the COO job description and Becker’s resume, click here.
“David formally filed exit paperwork to divest from The Becker Companies, LLC on March 12, 2024, although he had stepped back from involvement in the business prior to that date,” Clair told Patch.
Find out what's happening in Fairfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Becker’s hiring as COO has been questioned, in part, due to his former involvement with The Becker Companies, and because the job was not posted before Gerber hired him.
Gerber, who has worked with Becker over the past several months, said he was impressed with Becker’s abilities early on.
“I have managed hundreds of people in my career and I have never managed someone with this combination of intelligence, thirst for knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication,” Gerber told the Board of Selectmen. “It seemed unfair to post the job and interview people given that I knew I had already found the right person for the job. That was my choice to make.”
The town’s Ethics Commission also reviewed the matter, according to Clair.
“An Ethics Commission investigation found that any potential conflict of interest had been disclosed to the Town of Fairfield and that procedures were established to disqualify David from action on any matter involving The Becker Companies, LLC,” Clair said. “Accordingly, the Ethics Commission did not find probable cause of a violation of the Standards of Conduct.”
Clair added that Becker also will not be overseeing any contracts that may involve The Becker Companies.
“David Becker has no direct involvement in any decision on any level related to The Becker Companies, LLC,” Clair said.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.