Board Watch: Charter Revision work continues, new Beecher Building Committee meets

Board Watch is a recurring feature designed to provide a concise walk-through of activity as we keep track of the week’s civic work. Longer-form articles will appear when issues warrant deeper coverage.

Charter Revision Commission — May 6, 2026

The Charter Revision Commission (CRC) held its second meeting May 6 at Town Hall, beginning what members described as an initial high-level review of the fourteen issues referred to the commission by the Board of Selectmen (see agenda).

Chair Susan Jacobs explained that the Town Attorney had advised the group not to take formal votes on individual items at this stage, but instead to identify areas of broad agreement, questions requiring clarification, and topics needing more extensive discussion before drafting recommendations. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized that many of the proposed revisions are interconnected and may require additional legal or procedural review before moving forward.

Several proposed revisions quickly emerged as subjects likely to require significant additional discussion, including the following recommendations transmitted to the commission from the Selectmen: 

• whether to remove the First Selectman’s tie-breaking second vote on the Board of Selectmen; 
• whether Woodbridge should change to a system under which losing First Selectman candidates could still earn seats on the Board of Selectmen (BOS) based on overall vote totals; 
• whether referendum (by machine vote) should be required for annual town budget approval; 
• whether the Board of Finance and Town Plan & Zoning (TPZ) Commission should become elected bodies; and 
• whether TPZ commissioners should be prohibited from simultaneously serving on other town boards or commissions (as the Charter currently stipulates for Selectmen and members of the Board of Finance)

Commission members also discussed several more technical or administrative revisions that appeared to receive broader preliminary support, including more thoroughly updating charter language to reflect the town’s move from May to November elections and a suggestion to shift the commencement of elected terms from January 1 to December 1 to better align with the municipal budget cycle.

Commissioners described many of those revisions as largely “housekeeping” matters resulting from the prior election-date change, but did not discuss that charter revisions follow a different legal process — including Charter Revision Commission review and eventual town-wide voter approval — than the actions previously taken directly by the Board of Selectmen to address inconsistencies in the Ordinances after the transition from May to November municipal elections 

The election date change followed revisions to Connecticut election law in 2022 that made November the default municipal election date unless towns voted to retain May elections. In Woodbridge, a vote passed 3-2 at the October 12, 2022 BOS meeting to set the start date of elected terms of office to January 1, allowing the town to transition to the November election cycle. At the time, officials noted an intent to preserve approximately the same amount of transition time between election day and the commencement of terms that had existed under the former May election cycle, while also recognizing that several holidays occur between the November election date and the start of the calendar year (see recording). This prompted follow-up adjustments to amend Ordinance §75-5 extending board and commission terms through December 31, which the BOS voted unanimously to do, following a public hearing on March 8, 2023. Additional technical cleanup was undertaken on November 21, 2023, when the Selectmen also voted unanimously to formally shift the commencement dates of all elected and appointed terms to January 1.

Discussion at the CRC meeting also focused extensively on a proposal to allow leases of town-owned farmland for up to five years without triggering referendum requirements currently associated with longer-term leases over 1-year in length. Commissioners discussed concerns raised previously by members of the Agricultural Commission that one-year lease limits complicate long-term farming investments and eligibility for certain agricultural grant programs. Members also discussed the need for appropriate lease safeguards and performance expectations for continued agricultural use of town-owned land. (Click to download a PDF description of these agricultural fields and leases as submitted to the Sustainable CT program in 2018 for details.) 

Several commissioners expressed confusion regarding two of the Selectmen’s referral items — one involving spending thresholds and purchasing language and another concerning “professional qualifications” for town officers — with members agreeing that additional clarification from the BOS and town counsel would be necessary before meaningful review of these recommendations could continue.

The commission also discussed how to address proposed gender-neutral terminology revisions throughout the charter. Rather than rewriting each reference individually, several members expressed support for adding a general definitional provision clarifying that charter language should be interpreted in a gender-neutral manner.

The CRC agenda also included approval of prior meeting minutes and public comment, although it was noted for the record that no input was received in person or as correspondence since the previous meeting.

Click below to watch the full recording of the May 6, 2026 Charter Revision Commission meeting.

Beecher Building Committee — May 4, 2026

The newly established Beecher Road School Building Committee (BRSBC) held its inaugural meeting May 4 via Webex, electing officers, reviewing its formal charge, and considering initial public outreach efforts related to the proposed Beecher Road School project (see agenda). The meeting did not appear to have been recorded (see minutes).

Under Connecticut General Statutes §10-292v, school building committees must include both a member with construction industry experience and the chairperson of the local board of education, or the chairperson’s designee. Accordingly, the BRSBC includes WBOE Chair Steven Lawrence and three members of the former Beecher Infrastructure Upgrade Building Committee (BIUBC): Lynn Piascyk, WBOE Vice Chair; Marty Halprin; and Justin Rehm, who has a construction-industry background. Additional members present included Eugene Chiappetta and Lanna Moore, a Beecher staff member and town resident.

Non-voting members attending included Board of Selectmen liaison Maria Madonick, Superintendent Chris Montini, Director of Business Services and Operations for the Woodbridge School District Donna Coonan, Beecher Principal Analisa Sherman, Facilities Manager Vito Esparo, and Beecher teachers’ union representative Teresa Ramia, who also served on the former BIUBC. Town Administrative Officer and Finance Director Tony Genovese did not attend.

After Halprin and Piascyk were unanimously elected Chair and Vice Chair of the BRSBC, respectively, Piascyk read the committee charge to the group. Discussion included an overview of action items, the anticipated project timeline, and information regarding a parent-led Political Action Committee (PAC). As described by Madonick, the PAC is expected to advocate in support of the project when it goes before voters in a referendum expected this Fall, though a date has not yet been set.

Members were also informed about restrictions on the use of public funds and official municipal resources to advocate for or against a future referendum question during a defined period preceding the vote. Those restrictions are governed by Connecticut election law (§ 9-369b) and related State Elections Enforcement Commission guidance. During discussion of outreach efforts, Madonick referred to the parent advocacy group as “our PAC” and discussed possible social media distribution of public relations materials during what she described as “the quiet period” before the referendum.

Committee members also unanimously approved draft materials for an initial public outreach mailing, including a May 2026 newsletter and community survey intended for distribution to all Woodbridge households. The materials were reviewed through Webex screen sharing initiated by Lawrence, who led the discussion. The materials described the committee, outlined the rationale for the proposed project, summarized anticipated timelines and state reimbursement expectations, and included a survey seeking resident feedback.

The draft newsletter referred to the “proposed new Beecher Road School” and stated that the former BIUBC had concluded that construction of a new facility “was the only solution that fully addressed all three challenges and was the most cost-effective option.” Survey questions asked residents about their awareness of the project, sources of information they had seen, their priorities for the future of Beecher Road School, and demographic information including length of residency in town. The approved draft indicated that responses would be requested by May 29.

The committee also discussed establishing recurring Tuesday evening meetings every other week, beginning with a meeting contemplated for May 12 at 7 p.m.