Ed. Note: The following was sent by former Mayor Edward M. O’Brien after last week’s edition was sent to the printer. We publish it this week as a closing statement on his four years as the city’s chief executive.
As I close of my time as mayor, and after reflection on what we have accomplished these past four years, it was clear that we have accomplished so much together in a relatively short period of time.
It is no secret that when I took office in 2013 we had a deficit that was hurting our city since 2005. We can go back and forth about how much it was but the amount is audited and anyone can look it up…what there is no debate about is how it held our bond rating down and how it affected cash flow. Economic development was virtually at a standstill and our infrastructure was rapidly declining, our roads were not being paved, our plow trucks and police vehicles were literally rusting away and our schools were in need of upgrades.
When I took office I was excited to have a chance to change the course of my hometown and put it on a path that would lead us out of the doldrums it had been in for decades. I assembled a great team and went to work.
Today I am proud of the work we have done and know that by all standards we have turned the corner and because of our good work, West Haven’s best days are there for the taking should we choose to stay on the current path.
Now, four years later, as I leave office I cannot express enough how proud I am of each and every member of my team for helping create the plan, our employees for implementing the plan and our residents for believing in us.
~~ We have The Haven, Yale-New Haven Health System and Park View developments all beginning the Site Plan Approval process from Planning and Zoning and construction start dates in the coming months. There is a pipeline of other developments such as Pinpoint on Frontage Road, a new restaurant at the CJM’S property on Campbell Avenue and a boutique hotel on its way to the Chick’s site. Existing businesses are in the process of large expansions and we now have many new retailers that didn’t exist prior to 2013;
~~ Our deficit is behind us and we should have an increase in our bond rating next year as a result of that;
~~ Our Police Department and Public Works have new vehicles that are fuel efficient and as a result, our workers are safer and our maintenance cost will be reduced substantially;
~~ Our new high school is under construction and the financing plan is in place that will not raise taxes;
~~ Every child has access to Full Day Kindergarten and capital projects are underway at our middle and elementary schools; and
~~ The Department of Motor Vehicles will soon be opening a Photo License Center in our downtown bringing thousands of people into our center creating needed foot traffic.
When I was elected I made a commitment to improve our quality of life, work to improve our education scores and let the world know that West Haven was open for business and I believe, along with my team, we accomplished all we set out to do and much more but there is still work to do.
On Dec. 3 I turned over the responsibilities of Mayor to Nancy Rossi and I wish her well. If she succeeds, we all succeed. I hope she will continue what we have started and I offer any help she may need or want. In the first few months as mayor, there is a lot to learn. Any mayor will tell you nothing can prepare you for being mayor and there is a learning curve so I ask the residents of West Haven to be patient as our new Mayor settles in.
I feel that my time as Mayor and the team I worked with made West Haven a better place and I sincerely hope that Nancy Rossi can say the same when her time as mayor is over. Success building on success is what we should all hope for.
I would like to wish every resident a very Happy Holiday and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your mayor. It truly was an honor.
Mayor Ed O’Brien