State Party To Rule on Raucous Caucus

A West Haven caucus got heated on Jan. 17.

Nearly a week after West Haven Democrats met in what turned into a raucous caucus, the State Democratic Party has stepped in to decide how the feud will play out.

During the caucus on Jan. 17, Democratic Committee Chair Stephanie Marazzi would not take nominations for city council from the floor and chose only to recognize candidates who had followed a rule put into place 41 years ago.

"The rule specifically stated that you needed to file with the registrar of voters' office within a specific timeframe with your intention to run for a town committee seat," Stephanie Marazzi, West Haven Democratic Committee Chair, said. 

That's when shouting and heckling from both sides began. 

At one point, police were called and stayed for the remainder of the meeting. 

Former Town Committee Chair James Morrissey challenged Marazzi at the meeting and said that, despite a 41 year-old rule that flies in the face of state rules, floor nominations are nothing new. 

"The past practice has always been to take nominations off the floor," said James Morrissey, former Democratic Committee Chair.  "We live in a democracy. People have a right to nominate off the floor and people should have a right to run for office. Let the the democratic voters of the city of West Haven decide "

The three-member panel will decide within three days how to proceed.

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