Politics & Government
West Haven City Council Votes 'No Confidence' In Mayor: Reports
The unanimous vote, taken at a public meeting Monday night, comes after an audit found the city misspent 80 percent of its COVID-19 funding.
WEST HAVEN, CT — West Haven City Councilors have unanimously voted "no confidence" in Mayor Nancy Rossi after an audit found the city misspent nearly 80 percent of its federal COVID-19 relief funds, according to reports.
In a public meeting Monday night, the 13 city councilors also approved an investigation into the city's spending, NBC Connecticut reported.
The vote comes nearly two weeks after an independent audit found that $893,000 of the city's $1.15 million in COVID-19 relief funds "should have been disallowed."
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In a statement following the audit, Rossi called its results "embarrassing" and said "I understand the outrage from the community, and quite honestly, I am equally outraged."
In a news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont said the city's issues have been "ongoing."
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"There's been an ongoing problem under municipal oversight, and it's not getting better," he said.
Lamont predicted the state would mostly take over West Haven's finances, but that will depend on the outcome of a Municipal Accountability Review Board meeting.
"I would think the people of West Haven would want a fresh start," Lamont said when asked whether Rossi should stay in office. "But let's hear what comes out of the meeting."
Rossi didn't attend the city council meeting, and according to CT Insider, Chair Peter Massaro said she was out of West Haven that week for an appointment she made "many months ago" relating to continuing learning in accounting (she is a certified public accountant).
CT Insider reported that around 150 West Haven residents attended the city council meeting, where several voiced their frustrations.
The audit was the latest in West Haven's spending issues: In October 2021, then-State Rep. Michael DiMassa, who worked for West Haven for 12 years, was accused of defrauding the city of over $636,000.
Scott Jackson, the city's new finance director, will meet with state officials later this week to decide whether the state should take over the city's finances, according to WTNH.
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