Nancy R. Rossi is the 12th mayor of West Haven. As such, she serves as the executive office for West Haven and works jointly with all city departments. On a municipal level, the mayor meets regularly with department heads and serves as a nonvoting member of the City Council and the Board of Education.

Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis

Mayor’s Message

West Haven is beginning a new path, a path that will take us to balanced budgets and a new culture of fiscal responsibility. During my inaugural two-year term, my administration 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 a lower cost to taxpayers.

I will work with the Board of Education and Superintendent Neil C. Cavallaro to ensure that 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 West Haven. We have many dedicated education professionals in our city. We will work together to improve the system and schools.

We have some exciting opportunities in economic development. My administration will evaluate and expedite projects in the pipeline and aggressively promote West Haven to potential investors. We have some great opportunities with the area around the train station, Route 1, 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 that the arts center will be the catalyst for business in the downtown district.

My team and I look forward to improving our parks and athletic facilities citywide. Our parks need attention, repair and ongoing maintenance. Our athletic facilities and courts need to be a priority to give our residents and young people a well-maintained and safe environment to enjoy.

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 events.

I believe that if we work together, no matter our political faction or party, we can make a difference and make West Haven a place where people want to live, work and visit.

West Haven is a diverse community and has great restaurants and small businesses, a growing first-class university, great parks and nature preserves, the finest stretch of beach in the state. With all that, our biggest asset is our community: the people who call West Haven home. We have rich natural resources and so much potential. Let us all work together and make West Haven the destination it deserves to be.

NANCY R. ROSSI