Westport CPC Elects Chalfie Chair, Authorizes Inter-Meeting Payments

Other Committee · Meeting of July 9, 2026

Westport Community Preservation Committee elects new leadership as longtime chair departs for Texas. At its July 9 reorganizational meeting, the committee voted 5-0 to install Deborah Chalfie as chair, replacing Betty Slade, who has led the body for most of her 18 years on it and announced she is leaving Westport. Chalfie immediately nominated Slade as vice chair, and the committee confirmed her 5-0, retaining her institutional knowledge for the roughly one month she remains in town.

The committee also voted unanimously to authorize the chair and vice chair to approve payments on already-approved ongoing projects between meetings, reporting those disbursements at the next session. Chalfie set the next meeting for September 3 at Westport Town Hall — a public hearing to solicit Community Preservation Act funding ideas — noting the committee has roughly five meetings remaining before January's final grant decisions, which must be recommended to spring town meeting.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
• The question before the body
• Substantive content
• The deliberation
• Background and stakes
• The question before the body
• The complete report — 2,143 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of July 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.