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West Haven resident calls for charter change after councilperson moved out of District 2
Summary
A resident said last year's replacement of the District 2 seat did not follow voters' wishes and urged the council to revise Section 5 of the West Haven City Charter to allow special elections when a district seat becomes vacant.
An unidentified resident who said she lives in West Haven’s Second District used the public-comment period on Feb. 10 to ask the council to change the city charter after a recent vacancy and appointment.
The resident said she had spent months monitoring the issue and cited Section 5 of the West Haven City Charter, reading in part that “any councilman elected from a district who moves out of the district which he represents during his term of office shall be disqualified to hold his office as of the date of said removal.” She said the councilperson moved out of the district last year and did not immediately resign and that the seat was later filled by appointment rather than by a special election.
Why it matters: The comment raised a governance question about how district vacancies are filled and whether the charter should require a special election in certain circumstances.
What the speaker said: The resident said she was not questioning the qualifications of the appointed representative but objected to the process. She suggested revising the charter so that voters could elect a replacement when a district representative moves out of the district during his or her term.
No formal response or vote on charter changes occurred during the meeting; the public-comment period closed and the council proceeded with its agenda.
