Politics & Government

Familiar Face Named Acting First Selectman

Dave Campbell will serve as the backup to First Selectman Jayme Stevenson for the next two years.

It took all of about two days for the words "first selectman" to find their way back into Dave Campbell's title.

At Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting — the inaugural one — Campbell was unanimously appointed acting first selectman for the next two years.

The designation means that Campbell, fresh off his tenure in the town's top office, will be called on to carry out the role again in the event that First Selectman Jayme Stevenson is temporarily absent or ill.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The job has rotated among the four other members of the board in recent years, but Stevenson proposed the new system Monday in light of the "unique position of having Dave staying on the board."

"In our experience … you only get called on in case of emergency, and when you're called on in the case of an emergency, you really need to be able to hit the ground running," Stevenson said.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Dave knows all the players. No one has worked with more emergencies than Dave Campbell," she added.

Selectman David Bayne moved the resolution, which passed 5-0.

"You're not allowed to go away," Campbell joked after the vote.

Monday's meeting was Stevenson's first as Darien's chief executive and John Lundeen's first as a selectman.


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