[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 1, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E277-E278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE STEVEN ``STEVE'' DARGAN, WEST HAVEN'S 2025 
                        IRISH PERSON OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2025

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to join the West Haven St. Patrick's Day Committee as well as city and 
community leaders as they gather to honor our dear friend, Steven 
``Steve'' Dargan, as West Haven's 2025 Irish Person of the Year. This 
special award is bestowed annually on a West Haven resident or couple 
of Irish descent who personifies service in the city's close-knit Irish 
community.
  Steve hails from an ancestry whose legacy is woven into the tapestry 
of the American story. Like so many of us, his family's story is one of 
emigration--of leaving the only home you know to search out a better 
life for yourselves and family. In the mid-1800s, Steve's paternal 
great-grandparents, Pierce and Ellen Dargan, emigrated from Ireland to 
the United States and settled in New Haven. His maternal grandparents, 
John Glacken and the former Margaret McGowan, who left County Donegal 
and Derry, Northern Island respectively, for America at different times 
in the early 1900s. They met and married, first settling in Norwich 
before making West Haven their home.
  Steve was born in New Haven in 1955 to Margaret and Robert Dargan, 
Jr. He and his siblings--Robert Dargan, III, Timothy Dargan and Mary 
Margaret Dargan--were raised by their hardworking parents in a 
traditional Irish Catholic household on Richards Place in the center of 
West Haven. Steve attended public schools and graduated in 1973 from 
West Haven High School, where he ran track. He also attended Quinnipiac 
College. It was through his parents that Steve learned the importance 
of giving back to his community and he took those lessons to heart, 
dedicating most of his adult life to public service. In fact, his late 
father, Robert, was honored with this same award in 2012, making them 
the only father/son recipients its 32-year history.
  Steve has represented his community as an appointed or elected leader 
since he was 21 years old. He served on the City Council from 1985 to 
1991 and the First Fire Taxation District's Board of Fire Commissioners 
from 1980 to 2004. As a member of the Connecticut House, Steve 
represented West Haven's 115th District from 1991 to 2017. For 20 
years, he was a co-chair of the General Assembly's Public Safety and 
Security Committee, which oversees all matters related to civil 
preparedness, state and municipal police, and the overall safety of 
residents. He also served on the Gaming Policy Task Force, the Police 
Pursuit Task Force and the Private Security Personnel Task Force as 
well as on the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee and the 
Insurance and Real Estate Committee. In January 2017, Steve resigned to 
serve on the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, a seat which he still 
holds.
  In addition to his civil service, Steve has dedicated much of his 
time and energy to a myriad of local organizations. He is a former 
volunteer for West Haven Hook and Ladder Company 1, a longtime member 
of the West Haven Irish American Club, a lifetime member of West 
Haven's Elks Lodge 1537, and a former member of the Knights of St. 
Patrick in New Haven, Connecticut's oldest continuously run Irish 
society.
  I would be remiss if I did not also take this opportunity to extend a 
personal note of thanks to Steve for his many years of friendship and 
support. Steve has always been known for his gregarious nature, ready 
smile, and big heart. Elected to our respective seats, myself to 
Congress and Steve to the General

[[Page E278]]

Assembly, in the same year, we have developed a special kinship, rooted 
in our passion for service and desire to make a difference in the lives 
of others. I am so proud to stand today to extend my heartfelt 
congratulations to Steve Dargan on this very special occasion. Steve 
has dedicated a lifetime of service to the community he calls home, and 
I cannot think of a more fitting accolade to recognize his dedication 
and commitment.

                          ____________________