Residents urge council to restore registrar office job title after staffing dispute

Public comments at the West Haven City Council's June 9 meeting pressed the council to reverse a change in the registrar's office job title that residents say could cost a longtime bilingual staffer her position.

The push came during the public comment period after speakers described the role of assistant registrars at polling places and cited guidance from the Connecticut secretary of state saying some registrar duties can be delegated but certain responsibilities '2cannot be delegated,' such as certification signatures.

David Riccio, a West Haven resident and former council member, said Veronica Rivas has "helped many of our Hispanic community" and described her as a nonpartisan staffer who aids voters and translates during civic events. "We really don't want to lose her," Riccio said. Victor Boris, another resident, said Rivas helped organize the West Haven Hispanic Festival and that the city would lose an important bilingual resource if her job were eliminated.

Speakers said the title change appeared to come through the mayor's proposed budget and that similar "assistant registrar" positions, they said, typically are used only for poll workers and election days in other Connecticut municipalities. One commenter told the council he had contacted registrars in Wilton and Stratford who told him the assistant-registrar label usually describes polling-day personnel rather than a full-time municipal position.

Council members and residents asked for legal clarity. Several council members said they had not intended to remove anyone's job when they reviewed the budget; they said their vote reflected concerns about how the position was titled in the mayor's proposed budget, not a desire to terminate staff. Councilman Gary Donovan asked the city attorney to research who originally put the revised title into the budget paperwork and whether the change complied with state law governing registrar offices.

No formal vote or personnel action was taken at the meeting. Council leaders asked Corporation Counsel Terry Dorsey to provide a legal opinion on whether the job title change is allowed under state statute and on deadlines and procedures to correct the budget if needed. Chairman Nicholas Pascale said he wanted an answer quickly and asked for a turnaround to determine whether an emergency council meeting should be scheduled before the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

Residents and several council members asked the city to consider alternatives to avoid disruption to Rivas' employment. Multiple speakers urged the council to restore the earlier title or otherwise correct the budget language so the office retains bilingual staff who serve voters of all parties.

Council members said they would await written guidance from Corporation Counsel before taking further action.