Tara Cook-Littman v. Board of Selectmen of the Town of Fairfield

Summary

The court held that Fairfield's charter exclusively governed the filling of the selectmen vacancy because the matter was purely local and the charter conflicted with the state statute by permitting resort to statutory procedures only if the vacancy was not filled within thirty days. Because the remaining selectmen timely appointed a replacement, the statutory special-election procedure was never triggered, and the trial court improperly issued a writ of mandamus. The judgment was reversed and the case remanded for judgment in favor of the defendants, with the appointed selectman entitled to reinstatement.