East Haven Mayor Responds to Legislator On Tweed Agreement Calling His 'Central Premise Wrong'

EAST HAVEN, CT — In letters to legislators representing East Haven, and in a rebuttal to "concerns" about "lack of public input and transparency" by Rep. Joe Zullo, East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora explained that the agreement with Tweed New Haven Airport, airport operator Avports, and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker is a framework and not a done deal.

In response to Zullo's concerns, Carfora said the legislator has a "fundamental misunderstanding of both the process that has occurred and the framework now before the public."

Carfora wrote that Zullo's "central premise is wrong."

"You suggest that this framework represents a shift toward approval or inevitability. It does not. It is not a project approval. It does not authorize construction. It does not guarantee any outcome. The framework is a process, not an approval. No future decision is predetermined, and no authority has been surrendered."

Carfora said the agreement is a framework for moving ahead and is the "product of years of work."

"This framework did not emerge out of convenience or compromise," he wrote. "It is the result of years of legal, technical, and strategic effort." The mayor also said that Zullo's "claims regarding public participation are incorrect."

"You assert that the public is being denied a voice. That is incorrect," Carfora wrote.

Carfora also said that "funding is not driving the process."

"You characterize potential funding as a motivating factor. It is not. The funding components referenced in the framework were not speculative or arbitrary. They were developed through detailed, operational discussions with East Haven’s police and fire leadership, based on identified needs, capacity limitations, and the realities of providing public safety services in this community."

And the four-term mayor said that Zullo did not participate in the process.

"Over the past month, I have met and discussed this matter in detail with members of the East Haven legislative delegation, including Vin Candelora, Paul Cicarella, and Christine Cohen. Those discussions were substantive, bipartisan, and focused on protecting the Town of East Haven and preserving its rights throughout this process," Carfora wrote. "You were not part of those discussions. You did not follow up. You did not request a briefing. Instead, you chose to issue a public critique without engaging in the underlying process."

Here's Carfora's letter to East Haven's legislative leaders, Rep. Vincent Candelora and Senator Paul Cicarella: