Some think West Haven's financial mismanagement could be 'cultural'

Connecticut Public Radio | By John Henry Smith

Published April 22, 2022 at 5:50 PM EDT

West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi recorded a three minute video on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 informing the public that an audit had found problems with the way the city spent federal coronavirus relief money.

Connecticut’s Municipal Accountability Review Board, or MARB, recently voted to increase its control over West Haven’s finances following an audit that determined the city misspent hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal relief funds.

Connecticut Mirror Investigative Reporter Andrew Brown has been following this story.

On "All Things Considered," Brown spoke about what sort of control MARB will exert, what MARB is prepared to if the current move to Tier-4 Control doesn't solve the problem, and the degree to which Mayor Nancy Rossi is — or is not — to blame.

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John Henry Smith

John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.

See stories by John Henry Smith

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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