Gripe Vine Readers:
As I had written in last week’s column, I will be printing unanswered gripes weekly in Gripe Vine. Your complaints have been sent to Mayor Nancy Rossi and as I have indicated many of them have gone unanswered. Today, Mayor Nancy Rossi sent me the following comment, “The individual council members are supposed to respond. I have copied Michael DiMassa; he will send a follow up request for their responses”.
To date readers, Gripe Vine has heard from Councilman Aaron Charney 3rd District and, Peter Massaro 6th District. Councilman Massaro has replied to several of the unanswered gripes in today’s column. Following Massaro’s comments, I will once again, print five more unanswered complaints.
Dear Eleanore Turkington:
Let us begin by saying that I am honored to represent the Allingtown section of West Haven as its sixth district councilman. For all of my adult life, I’ve fought on behalf of the citizens here to ensure that they receive the same level of services as the rest of the city. As a retired fire chief of the Allingtown Fire Department, I believe that I know this community as well as anyone and I’m now able to devote the majority of my time serving it.
You have brought several gripes to the attention of the mayor’s office and in turn, I’ve investigated each of them and will now take the time to address them. First, I toured Plainfield Avenue and there were no potholes. The second issue you called to our attention was the blinking lights on Derby Avenues. As part of the Connecticut Open Tennis Tournament, due to traffic issues caused during that week, the lights are changed to blinking, and traffic police are hired to maintain a high level of safety and security. The City of West Haven works closely with both the tournament officials and the City of New Haven to make this event as welcoming as possible for all of the fans who attend. Third, you have asked us to look into the green truck in the cemetery. Frankly, that’s private property and beyond the control of anyone from the city. However, what’s more concerning is that an address you gave us on Forest Road is a vacant lot.
In the future I suggest prior to passing along complaints such as these, you can make sure that the concerns are legitimate. As for the fourth gripe, pertaining to North Forest Circle, I have informed the Director of Public Works. He has assured me that the water company has been made aware of the issue and we will both be following up and monitoring the progress. The sidewalk matter on Westfield Street is now in the hands of the City’s Sidewalk Inspector. We’ll do our best to assist with this matter; however, most sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner.
Now that I have addressed all of your concerns, I want to issue you a challenge. In the future I’m asking that you first contact everyone who sends you a complaint and that you discuss them with the resident. That person should be willing to put his name on the complaint. You should urge them to call the City Council office and pass along the information to the secretary who will in turn hand it off to the appropriate councilman. I believe that your role as someone who wants to make West Haven a better place for all of us, should be to facilitate correcting any issue that’s given to you. (Mr. Massore, I am not here to correct issues, but to call attention to reader’s problems and to forward them onto the proper authorities.) I am challenging you to assist all of us who love West Haven. In the future, I would welcome the opportunity to introduce you to all of the city’s major department heads and come up with a process to solve problems and not just “Gripe” about them. I’m willing to meet you and investigate these complaints.
Finally, anyone can point out what’s wrong. It’s my goal to work with you to find solutions. Let’s start now!
Peter Massaro
6th District Councilman
Dear Councilman, Massaro:
First, thank you for investigating reader’s complaints in your district. It is truly refreshing to receive a reply from an individual who has been made aware of problems in his/her district.
You referred to my sending several gripes to the mayor’s office, sir; the number of complaints sent is now up to 80 gripes. May I ask why as a councilman, knowing that the traffic lights on Derby Avenue were blinking, a reply couldn’t have been sent to Gripe Vine so my readers would know why this situation existed and that it was cleared up?
Your response referring to the green truck in the cemetery; private property or not, is it not the responsibility of the police department to protect and investigate, private property or not?
Your comment on Forest Road was a vacant lot. You’re right. I have seldom in the many years investigating gripes have encountered false complaints. However, I will go back into my files, and see why this happened.
Thank you for contacting the Public Works Department and the Water Company for a follow up on the North Forest Circle problem. Please keep Gripe Vine updated.
Once again, thank you for following up on the sidewalk matter on Westfield Street. I am sure you will keep on top of all the gripes in your district, as well as this one on Westfield Street.
You offered me a challenge? I love challenges! You suggested I discuss gripes with every reader. Whenever I can, I do. You suggest readers call the City Council office with their complaints. I will ask my readers to do that as soon as I receive a complete list of councilmen, their phone numbers and email addresses from you. That information would be of great help to all of us
However, here’s MY SUGGESTION! Every resident of West Haven who has a complaint, no matter, say a broken sidewalk, illegal water draining on their property, playgrounds in need of improved play equipment, illegal parking, whatever should call the mayor’s office who in turn, would turn these complaints over to the proper department heads, including the police departments. Residents deserve responses. From what I have learned over the many years of assisting readers, very little success emanates from city offices as well as delays in responses. This is where writing to Gripe Vine becomes more effective than waiting to hear or not to hear from city offices. As far as your challenge asking me to assist “all of us in West Haven” Been doing that….
By the way, where is Louis Esposito, the mayor’s executive assistant who had been assisting Gripe Vine with gripe responses?
Readers, here are five more unsolved gripes that have been sent to Mayor Nancy Rossi:
Clock malfunction on Allingtown Green has been reported. No word if it has been operating correctly.
Sign on West Haven Green prohibiting dog droppings. Has the sign been erected?
Has a sign prohibiting summer parking on Connecticut Avenue been installed?
Is the traffic light installed at Elm and Campbell working now? It has been blinking.
Outdoor lighting requested at Park Garden Apartments for safety issues on Ellis Street?
Gripe Vine Readers, as always, please include your name, address and phone number kept in strict confidentiality with me, but if you prefer to remain anonymous to the reading public, include your first name, initial and the neighborhood you’re complaining about as well as your name and address.
Gripe Vine Readers if you haven’t received satisfactory responses from the mayor’s office or your district councilman, be sure to contact Gripe Vine. You can submit your gripes, comments and questions to [email protected] or mail them to Gripe Vine c/o The West Haven Voice 666 Savin Ave. You can also use our online form by clicking here. Please include your name, address and phone number, kept confidential with me.