Nancy Rossi became the city’s 11th mayor, Sunday, in biennial ceremonies at West Haven High School. She was fast on the job the next day as she fulfilled one of her campaign promises and a highlight of her inaugural address, putting a freeze on spending and hiring.
Flanked by incoming officials elected in the Nov. 7 election, Rossi continued the themes that won her a September primary and the election: austerity and transparency.
After doing the normal thank-yous to family, campaign officials and supporters, Rossi gave those who followed her through the Democratic Party’s primary and general election the red meat they were hoping to hear.
Rossi Inaugural Address is here.
“Today, West Haven begins a new path: a path that will take us to balanced budgets and a new culture of fiscal responsibility. You may have heard I am a CPA. Tomorrow, I will be in my office bright and early and put in place a hiring freeze of all non-essential personnel and a spending freeze for all expenditures that are not required to deliver services to our residents,” she said.
That promise became a reality early Monday as hiring, overtime and spending freezes were implemented by executive order. But, she wasn’t through listing the immediate priorities.
“We will begin the process of auditing our cell phone inventory and fleet assignments. We will institute internal controls to make our government services more effective and efficient. We will look for ways to do our jobs smarter and at lower cost to taxpayers,” she said.
Mirroring concerns she had during the campaign, she said she will work with school officials to improve the city’s education system.
“I will work with the Board of Education and Superintendent (Neil) Cavallaro to ensure we deliver a first-class education to our children, within our available resources. The success of our educational system will be critical to attracting new businesses and residents to the City of West Haven,” she said.
Turning toward economic development, she said the downtown area and the long-neglected Arts Center on Center Street are priorities.
“We have some exciting opportunities in economic development. My administration will evaluate and expedite projects in the pipeline and aggressively promote the City of West Haven to potential investors. We have some great opportunities with the area around the train station, Route One, Beach Street, and, of course, our beautiful and historic downtown. I will work with our federal and state legislators to find and apply for grant funding to get the arts center open. I believe the arts center will be the catalyst for business in the downtown district,” she said.
A major theme of her campaign last fall and her tenure as a City Councilman for the Seventh District centered around transparency in government. It was a theme she tackled, Sunday.
“As elected officials, we are, and have to be, accountable to our residents. I am committed to making West Haven’s government more transparent and accessible to our residents. We need our city website to include the notice of all meetings, agendas, and minutes. We will stream as many city meetings as possible on social media and public television. Our residents should know what is happening in City Hall. There will be regular city posts on Facebook and other social media networks to keep residents updated on city business and event,” she said.
The primary and election, once again, highlighted the fractious nature of the city’s Democratic Party. In her final theme, Mayor Rossi seemed to extend an olive branch to those who did not support her.
“I believe if we work together, no matter our faction or party a path to future success. Let’s not just say it today and forget it tomorrow. Let’s make it happen – let’s make a difference and make West Haven a place where people want to live, work, and visit,” she said.