City of West Haven Question 1 — Charter: four-year term for Mayor and Town and City Clerk (South Central Connecticut Planning Region)

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · West Haven Township voters

What it does
Shall the Charter be revised to create a four-year term for Mayor and Town and City Clerk starting in the 2027 municipal election (Art. II 2(c)(1))?
A YES vote means
West Haven's Mayor and Town and City Clerk would serve four-year terms starting with the 2027 municipal election.
A NO vote means
The charter would not be revised to create four-year terms for the Mayor and Town and City Clerk.
Needed to pass
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean
Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Explained

Today

  • West Haven's Mayor and Town and City Clerk are elected to two-year terms in the odd-year municipal elections.
  • City Council members also serve two-year terms.

If it passes

  • Starting with the November 2027 municipal election, the Mayor and the Town and City Clerk would be elected every four years ('quadrennially') and serve four-year terms.
  • City Council members and the Treasurer would continue to serve two-year terms under the revised charter.

Who would notice

West Haven voters, who would elect a mayor and city clerk every four years instead of every two, and future candidates for those offices. It does not change any tax.

How it got here

West Haven's Charter Revision Commission submitted its final recommendations to the City Council in May 2026, and the City Council approved the revised charter on July 28, 2026. The changes are split into three ballot questions: Question 1 (four-year terms), Question 2 (library/VIA provisions) and Question 3 (the rest of the revision).

Charter Revision Commission chair Arthur Kelly told Patch the longer terms are meant to provide 'greater continuity.'

In the news

Written by SpectrumVote from 4 linked sources (1, 2, 3, 4). Arguments are each side's own, not ours; the official text is what you vote on.

Background

At a special meeting on July 28, 2026, the West Haven City Council voted 9–1 to approve changing the terms of the Mayor and the Town and City Clerk from two years to four years, with Councilwoman Meli Garthwait opposed and three members absent, according to the minutes.

Under the council-approved charter, a Mayor and Clerk would be elected in November 2027 and every four years after that.

The same night a motion to make the City Treasurer appointed instead of elected got 6 yes and 4 no votes and was recorded as failing, so the Treasurer stays on a two-year term, according to the minutes.

The council then voted 10–0, with three members absent, to approve the commission's final report as modified that evening, and unanimously authorized the city clerk to post explanatory text, according to the minutes.

Put on the ballot by West Haven City Council, 10–0 (three absent), July 28, 2026 (approval of Charter Revision Commission final report as modified).

From official source 1, official source 2.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of West Haven Question 1 mean?
West Haven's Mayor and Town and City Clerk would serve four-year terms starting with the 2027 municipal election.
What does a NO vote on City of West Haven Question 1 mean?
The charter would not be revised to create four-year terms for the Mayor and Town and City Clerk.
When would the first four-year term start?
With the municipal election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November 2027; terms begin the first Sunday of December after the election.
Does this change City Council terms?
No. The revised charter keeps two-year terms for City Council members and the Treasurer.
Is this the whole charter revision?
No. This question covers only the Mayor and Clerk terms. Questions 2 and 3 on the same ballot cover the library (VIA) provisions and the rest of the revised charter.
How many votes does City of West Haven Question 1 need to pass?
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on City of West Haven Question 1?
SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?
The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the South Central Connecticut Planning Region ballot.

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