Latest West Haven City Hall vacancy sparks criticism of management

WEST HAVEN — When the city’s grants coordinator and flood plain manager left his position last week, he had given instructions for what the city should do in his absence.

“There are grants and other projects in process of nearly 60 Million Dollars, so there is considerable very important work to do in the transition process,” Doug Colter wrote in his Feb. 27 letter of resignation, which took effect March 15. “In addition to replacing me in the Grants Coordinator role, you will also need to find a qualified Flood Plain Manager.”

When asked about whether the position shortages caused by Colter’s resignation would lead to a reallocation of staff duties or more hires, Mayor Nancy Rossi said in an email that West Haven “is all set, a plan has already been put in place,” without elaboration.

Colter said Tuesday that he initially was hired in 2013 to work as an assistant building official before an “unexpected retirement” led to him being hired as the city’s grants coordinator and floodplain manager — the latter being a specialized position requiring qualifications. As he remained in those roles, Colter began to take on more roles, he said, which he detailed in his letter of resignation.

Colter said in his letter he would spend his final weeks on the job training assistant grant writer Olivia Bissanti “on as much as possible” while also shifting grant authorization powers to her on grant management websites. He said City Engineer Abdul Quadir is the only city employee qualified to become a flood plain manager, but recommended the city hire a firm on an oncall basis while it hires or trains an employee with the necessary qualifications from the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

He said he also would need to be replaced as a qualified operator in the city’s fleet fueling center, something requiring “substantial training and an exam.”

In his letter, Colter listed five other qualified roles he held or city projects he managed that the city would need to replace, some requiring hours of training or necessary certification, including a certified transfer station operator, an emergency management finance coordinator and a storm debris management certification.

He also had managed the city’s food waste composting program and had been the city’s solid waste coordinator.

According to a list of grants obtained by the Register, the city procured more than $26.3 million in competitive grants in this fiscal year and received $29.2 million in entitlements and state bond commission funds. Currently, the city is awaiting notice on $105 million in pending grant or reimbursement applications, including two grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency totaling $87 million for an outfall pipe and flood hardening.

Mayoral candidates in the city said they believe Colter’s departure, and the resulting needs in an austere City Hall staffing structure, are due to mismanagement.

“This city is understaffed in many areas. The mayor boasts of a surplus, but in large part this is due to her inability or unwillingness to put qualified people in positions that are budgeted for and needed to effectively run the city,” said Republican mayoral hopeful Paige Weinstein. “I believe Doug Colter was an asset to the city. The fact that his responsibilities encompassed so many critical departments is another example of administrative mismanagement. Many of the responsibilities that Doug had should have been fulltime jobs in and of themselves.”

Weinstein described Rossi’s management as being “in a crisis management and reactionary mode for years.”

Steven Mullins, also a Republican mayoral contender and former Planning and Zoning commissioner, thanked Colter for his years of service.

“Every position in city government should be occupied by someone who is fully qualified and certified in that position,” he said.

Victor Borras, a Democratic first-term councilman who will run for mayor, said Colter’s resignation is symptomatic of a citywide need for a reevaluation of how it conducts business, including hiring and making appointments.

“The city taxpayers deserve to have qualified individuals on all levels of staff, especially when handling finances,” he said. “If you give one person too many job roles, whether qualified or not, you are looking for mistakes along the way. We would be better served with good, qualified people who are not overwhelmed in different roles of work.”

Former Mayor Ed O’Brien, who has formed an exploratory committee for a mayoral run and who once had Colter on his staff, said Colter’s absence “will be felt throughout the city, and not in a good way.”

“Losing your grants coordinator, flood plain manager and solid waste coordinator is just another example of this administration’s failure of planning and employee resource management,” he said.