First Selectman Candidate Tony Hwang: “A stunning victory for fairness, due process, transparency, and the power of civic engagement.”
FAIRFIELD, CT — In a David vs Goliath defining moment for Southport, Fairfield, and Bridgeport, the Connecticut Siting Council denied United Illuminating’s Docket 516R, rejecting the plan to install massive steel monopoles through neighborhoods, historic districts, churches, and small businesses in Southport, Fairfield, and Bridgeport.
“This was never just about power lines; it was about people’s power,” said State Senator Tony Hwang (R–Fairfield), candidate for Fairfield First Selectman. “Against outsized odds, residents, churches, small businesses, and local officials united to defend our homes, history, and community identity. Today, the people’s voice overcame corporate interests; that’s democracy in action.”
For nearly two years, Hwang helped lead a bipartisan coalition of residents, municipal leaders, environmental advocates, and legal experts who challenged the process and fought for the rule of law. The decision marks a significant milestone for community-driven governance and ecological justice in Connecticut.
As a State Senator, Hwang was a key architect of Public Act 24-144, a bipartisan reform that increased transparency, accountability, and due process in Siting Council proceedings. The law now mandates public notice, comprehensive environmental review, fiscal impact analysis, and community engagement before any future projects move forward.
“The denial of Docket 516R confirms those reforms,” said Hwang. “Public Act 24-144 ensures no community is overlooked. It requires transparency, fairness, and facts to guide decisions, not corporate convenience.
Among the many Fairfield residents who joined the fight was small business owner Stephen Boccarossa, whose livelihood stood directly in the project’s path. “To think a corporation could take what I’ve built without my consent was unthinkable,” Boccarossa said. “We stood up, we spoke out, and together we won.”
Hwang commended the partnership among Fairfield and Bridgeport officials, preservationists, churches, and the Sasco Creek Neighbors Environmental Trust (SCNETI) as an exemplary collaboration. “It shows what we can accomplish when leaders and communities unite,” he said.
Looking ahead, Hwang emphasized that these guiding principles will shape his leadership as Fairfield’s First Selectman: open government, responsible management, collaboration, and community-first problem solving.
“I’ve built coalitions to achieve results, through collaborative partnership, not partisanship,” Hwang said. “That’s how reforms like Public Act 24-144 passed, and it’s how I’ll lead Fairfield and Southport: by engaging and amplifying residents’ voices.
Today’s victory belongs to Fairfield, Southport, and Bridgeport, demonstrating the power of collective civic effort. When we unite, we succeed. That’s the leadership Fairfield needs in a First Selectman, and the approach I will take,” Hwang stated.