When 31-year-old Jay Fainer joined the Ansonia Board of Aldermen this month, he got some solid advice from his father.
“He said you’re there to help out your ward and your city. Take the job seriously,” Jay Fainer said.
His father, Jerome Fainer, should know. He’s been on the Board of Aldermen now for the past five years.
Now the father and son will serve together until at least the 2011 election.
“I think it will be good,” Jerome Fainer, 56, said. “We need some more younger blood involved in this stuff.”
Appointment
Jay Fainer was appointed this month to replace fifth-ward Alderman Pasquale Pietrangelo, who stepped off the board in January after serving since 1999.
Jerome Fainer represents the fourth ward.
Mayor James Della Volpe said Jay Fainer was the only candidate to come forward seeking the appointment.
“He lives here with his family,” Della Volpe said. “He wants to give to the city, and this is a great way to do it.”
The board voted to approve Jay Fainer’s appointment at its February meeting.
Jay Fainer said he was hoping to eventually get involved in city politics, but had initially been waiting for his term as fire captain for Charters Hose Co. to end this year.
“When Patsy resigned, I was asked if I had any interest in the board,” Jay Fainer said. “I decided if I could help, I would.”
Jay Fainer has been a volunteer for the Ansonia Fire Department since 1997, and has been an officer with the Charters Hose Co. for the past seven years.
He said he was grateful to his wife, Michelle, for being supportive of the extra time he has spent with the fire department, and plans to spend with the Board of Aldermen.
The couple has two young children.
In the Family
The Fainer family has a history of serving on the Board of Aldermen. Jerome’s brother, James, has served on the board in the early 1990s and again recently. James Fainer was elected in 2009 for second-ward alderman, but stepped down this past fall due to work commitments.
James’s son, Michael, has also served on the board in the past.
Jay and Jerome Fainer said the family has always been involved.
“I’m fourth generation in the Ansonia Fire Department,” Jay Fainer siad. “We’ve been in Ansonia for a long time and we’ve always been involved — whether it’s the fire department, or politics. We’ve been here for 80-something years, and try to do our part to help the community.”
