Mayor, Legislator Pledge ‘Teamwork’ On Tweed Expansion

EAST HAVEN, CT —A joint statement from East Haven Mayor Joseph Carfora, a Democrat, and 99th District Rep. Joe Zullo, a Republican, on the Tweed New Haven Airport expansion represents their "hard line" on the project promising that the town of East Haven won't be "steamrolled."

In the first joint press release since Carfora was elected mayor in 2019, both leaders cited a "need for a bipartisan approach to protect the town’s best interests."

It's noted that with proposed runway lengthening, the $100M expansion plan, which Carfora and Zullo said is "investment in the existing New Haven terminal by private investors," along with expanded flight services as early as October, and a "master plan that proposes moving the Tweed airport terminal to the East Haven side of the airport," they agree the proposal is not a "forgone conclusion."

“Since assuming office, I’ve never wavered on Tweed," Carfora said in the statement emailed to Patch late Thursday morning.

"The expansion of this airport will not be placed on the backs of East Haven taxpayers," he said. "Further, while the benefits of an enhanced Tweed are often discussed in regional benefit terms, they are rarely discussed in the context of the traffic, noise, environmental, public service, and health burdens that East Haven will be asked to shoulder. East Haven expansion is not a foregone conclusion.”

Zullo agreed.

“As I recently noted, the path to Tweed's ideal expansion plans runs through the town of East Haven. We hold the cards and East Haven will not be steamrolled by state, regional, or private actors when it comes to Tweed," Zullo said. "I’m not an obstructionist, but I am here not only posing the tough questions, but also demanding the tough answers so that our local leaders and residents can make informed decisions on an issue that we all recognize will affect generations to come.”

Thursday, Carfora and Zullo called for "specific, and detailed information about the impact that Tweed expansion will have on East Haven—in the areas of tax benefits, environmental concerns/impacts, health concerns, noise, traffic, flight patterns, ticket fares, and state subsidies."

Zullo, as noted in a recent press release, said that he has not gotten information he's requested on the Tweed expansion plan.

“At past hearings and in recent comments, I have requested and have yet to receive economic pro formas delineating the exact economic benefits to East Haven," he said, while lauding Sean Scanlon, executive director of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority.

He said Scanlon, who is also a state legislator representing Branford and Guilford, has been responsive and "offered a sit down."

"State officials have also reached out to discuss the millions in funding that are currently subsidizing the airport, and which Mayor Carfora and I believe should be allocated to those impacted by potential airport expansion," Zullo said.

Scanlon said in an emailed statement that he's "committed" to working with East Haven.

“I appreciate the sentiments the Mayor and State Representative are expressing regarding their desire to make sure the expansion takes into account the needs and concerns of their constituents," Scanlon said.

"As I have said repeatedly, we are committed to meeting with, listening to, and working with East Haven officials and residents throughout this process. We have been doing that and will continue doing that and I'm very confident we can move this expansion forward while also addressing community concerns."

Zullo said he's looking forward to those meetings.

"Along with the Mayor, I look forward to those meetings and to receiving not only a hard analysis of the economic benefits we can expect, but also a gauge of whether investors in Tweed will guarantee those benefits if plans don’t pan out.”

Carfora and Zullo "acknowledged" this statement from the two is a first, but noted that they are both in "regular contact on Tweed and other issues."

“The Mayor and I won’t always agree on everything," Zullo said. "However, we fundamentally agree that we need to protect East Haven.”

Carfora agreed.

“We’re both committed to pursuing aggressive fact-finding and public awareness campaigns to ensure we get the information we deserve, disseminate it to residents, and provide them meaningful opportunities to sound off and contribute to the conversation,” Carfora said.

And Republican Zullo followed with praise for Democrat Carfora.

“I credit Mayor Carfora for keeping an open mind on exploring litigation on the memorandum of understanding’ that the City of New Haven and Mayor Harp terminated a few years ago, a move I continue to feel strongly about," he said. "I also respect the economic and strategic decisions that Mayor Carfora needs to make. His position is thoughtful and well-informed. The Town Attorney (Michael Luzzi), to the extent permissible, has committed to keeping me updated on the Town’s due-diligence in exploring this option.”

The promised continued bipartisanship on behalf of East Haven residents was echoed by Carfora.

“I vowed from early on in my term to work with Rep. Zullo on all Tweed issues. Together we are much stronger, and we are in full agreement that we must protect the interests of our community and its residents," he said. "I’ve tasked our legal team with exploring every possible option, including those raised by Rep. Zullo, and we continue to review those options. Most critically, Rep. Zullo and I agree that Tweed is not a partisan political issue, but one of generational importance to East Haven and one that we will work together on for the benefit of our community.”

Update:

Late Thursday, state Sen. Paul Cicarella, whose district includes East Haven, issued the following statement:

“The people of East Haven deserve details and prompt answers to their questions about this project. They deserve a process that is transparent, orderly and open. I join with area state and local officials and so many other East Haven residents in pushing for public sessions where everyone’s questions can be addressed with specificity. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is about fairness, openness and doing what is best for East Haven. I will be arranging meetings with the airport authority and area stakeholders to help achieve that goal.”

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