Aaliyah Laguerre and Ever Hayden, both 11, are hovering over records at the vault located by the Probate Court’s offices at town hall in Fairfield. Some of the records date back to the 1600s. Aaliyah and Ever got to examine how the town’s record keeping abruptly stopped in the 1660s.
Diane Auray, Fairfield’s Chief Clerk said there is a major historic reason as to why that happened.
“I would like to say that we have been a continuously operating court, but we're not because the Stamp Act made it so difficult for people to file the documents here that they had to file, that they stopped,” Auray said.
Aaliyah, Ever and dozens of other girls are in Fairfield to learn about civics as part of the annual Girl Scouts in Government Day. On this day local girl scouts shadow town government officials in an effort to learn more about how some municipalities operate.
Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale shows off her office at town hall to Girl Scouts Ever and Aaliyah. Vitale tells them how she used to be called First Selectman, despite being a woman.
“It used to be selectman for years and years and years,” Vitale said.
Vitale’s title was changed to be more inclusive. Ever actually prefers Vitale’s old title.
“I like selectman,” Ever said.
Vitale whisks Ever and Aaliyah away from room to room, breezing through several departments, from finance, to human resources.
The girls listen intently, even as Vitale and a Finance Department staffer explain how taxes help keep the town running.
Vitale says events like these can help change lives and hopes it instills more appreciation for public service.
