New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Residents decry letter sent to field advocate
NORTH HAVEN — Town officials and residents voiced their support for Danielle Morfi and her family at Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen and decried the harassing letter she recently received.
First Selectman Michael Freda, Second Selectman William Pieper and Third Selectman Sally Buemi all condemned the letter Thursday, which threatened to “expose” Morfi in unspecified fashion, noted her history of advocacy against installing an artificial turf field at North Haven Middle School, and said that a group had “been watching you for the past months.”
Residents also spoke against the sentiments found in the letter and said the political culture in North Haven needed to change.
A number said hostile, bullying conduct had marred town discourse when hotly contested issues were considered in the past.
Theresa Ranciato-Viele, a
member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and former state representative candidate, said the sender of the letter should reflect on their conduct. The issue of the turf field was settled, she noted.
“I was so proud of this board tonight, when the three of you spoke up against this hate speech — this unAmerican activity of trying to quash a person’s First Amendment rights. It just has no place in this town, in this state, in this country,” said former Selectman Alan Sturtz, who noted the issue of civility as he ran against Freda for first selectman.
“Our voices, when respectful and (not inciting) violence, should never be silenced — either by elected officials, by omissions in the press, or by acts of intimidation,” said Nancy Barrett. “Anonymous letters, email posts and vandalism intended to inflict emotional distress and silence opposition are acts of cowardice and reflect a weakness of character.”
“The attempt to silence Danielle is an insult — and an attempt to silence all of our rights,” said Mary White. “Children are watching; children are listening; children will copy. We have a moral obligation to behave and set good examples for the next generation.”
Former Board of Education member Jennifer Caldwell said the over the group’s discussion of the mascot at North Haven High School, a Native American, was so dramatic it did not vote.
She said such conduct, as it had been effective in the past, had become part of the town’s culture and called for addressing it.
“This is not an isolated incident,” said Jill MallerKesselman, who said she was surprised by the rancor when the town discussed the construction of the Slate School. “While condemnation, I applaud ... I think that’s only part. The first step is acknowledging that this is a bigger problem in our community than we might like to admit.”
She called for residents to be vigilant against bullying and to support victims.
Morfi said last week that her mailbox was also damaged near the time the letter was received, which she believes was an act of vandalism. Freda and Buemi said they had dealt with vandalism in the past, as well, as did resident Lisa Burton, who said she had signs damaged and destroyed in her yard.
As the evening drew to a close, Morfi and her husband, Christopher Perrotti, shared their thoughts.
Perrotti called on the Board of Selectman to stand against and put a stop to these sorts of threats. He said he believed Freda was “building a fantastic North Haven,” but, to safeguard it, this sort of behavior needed to end. “Let us build a community that will be a pillar of safety and trust for generations to come,” said Perrotti. “Being safe and comfortable in our town is a right, not a privilege. You are in control of this.”
Morfi thanked the speakers for their support and their comments. “I just hope that we work on, as Chris said, the stigma of this intolerance in North Haven,” said Morfi. “We should all be community. I am humbled to hear the support for our family about this — and I thank you all for coming out and speaking out.”
A police investigation into the letter was concluded without an arrest, Deputy Chief Kevin Glenn said Thursday.