West Haven official: Voters should discount ‘uneducated’ opinions on charter proposal

WEST HAVEN — City residents will get the chance to vote in this year’s election on a sweeping charter revision proposal that would drastically change city management and the political structure — but first, an education campaign for the public is underway.

“The primary concern of the (education) committee is the potential for a disinformation campaign by detractors on social media platforms,” said Ed Granfield, chairman of the education committee, who also served as chairman of the Charter Revision Commission.

“We saw this during the research and development phase of the CRC effort and it is impossible to monitor and police.”

The West Haven Charter

Revision Education Committee’s public information campaign is the final chapter of a more than two-year effort of the Charter Revision Commission.

The City Council accepted the charter revision report that, if it were approved by voters, would include hiring a city manager, making the mayor’s position part-time and requiring professional credentials for all department heads.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi said she’s in favor of the public having access to education on the proposal so they can make an informed decision.

But Rossi declined to express her opinion on the charter revision measure because, she said, “I would not want to make any comments that may bias the voters.”

Rossi thanked the Charter Revision Commission for all of its work to craft proposed revisions and recommends voters visit the website and read the mailer that will be sent to them.

City Council Chairman Ron Quagliani said the council created the outreach and education committee to “ensure a transparent process in providing information to our residents to make an informed decision on the recommended charter changes.”

“When we created this committee last year we envisioned in person discussions as a component of the outreach but needed to adjust based on the current environment,” Quagliani said.

The City Council in January created an education committee, which had planned on an extensive