West Haven Legislators Celebrate New Special Wartime License Plates with Veterans

WEST HAVEN — On Friday, Governor Lamont announced the launch of a series of special license plates commemorating veterans who served in periods of war previously unrecognized by the state in their line of vanity license plates. State Representative Charles Ferraro (R-West Haven) joined State Representative Dorinda Borer (D-West Haven) in championing the bill, which passed through the House in the 2021 Legislative Session with bipartisan support. The legislators joined veterans from West Haven this morning to celebrate the launching of these new plates and to thank them for their advocacy on this initiative.

Representative Ferraro sits on the Committee on Veteran’s Affairs and was thrilled to see this legislation come to fruition. He joins Rep. Borer, who is a former Chair of the Committee on Veteran’s Affairs.

“We have a rich history of veteran sacrifice here in Connecticut. The designation of a war period license plate is a special way to provide our veterans with the recognition and appreciation that that they so greatly deserve,” said Rep. Borer. “I’d like to thank David Ricci, a West Haven Vietnam veteran who originally brought this request to my attention, secured hundreds of signatures from interested veterans to help draft the bill and who strongly advocated for its passage. This bill passed with strong bipartisan support by my colleagues and I could not be more excited to see all our veterans drive with pride.”

“It seemed that there were already a number of specialty plates in CT and that a specific war veteran plate would be a great way to recognize veterans. Dorinda drafted the bill to include several wars which I thought was a fantastic idea. Her determination and hard work on this bill resulted in the bill being passed by the General Assembly. I’m sure that this will be much appreciated by all Connecticut war veterans,” said David Ricci, President of West Haven Vietnam Veteran’s, West Haven Veteran’s Council.

Rep. Ferraro said, “I want to commend Rep. Borer on her work putting this bill forward in a great act of public service. As a member of the Veteran’s Affairs committee, I recognize the importance of honoring these men and women who have served our country through decades of service in different wartimes. I would also like to thank David Ricci, a West Haven resident and Vietnam veteran, for his advocacy on this issue. It is great that we can offer these brave veterans a way to personally acknowledge their unique sacrifices to our nation. They continue to make each and every one of us proud to be Americans, and we will always support them through our work in the state legislature.”