This Week in Woodbridge

Local journalism is at the heart of a healthy democracy

When neighbors stay informed and engaged, our community thrives. The Woodbridge Town Chronicle is committed to keeping that tradition alive — and we need your help to spread awareness. Please share this newsletter with friends and neighbors so more people can join the conversation and stay connected to what matters here at home.

To help readers discover other local writers on the Substack platform, today we also highlight the work of our Woodbridge neighbor Jen Just, who writes Politics and the Press in Gilded Age Chicago. Her recent post, “The Importance — and Duty — of Journalism to Good Government,” revisits remarks made in 1889 by Yale Law professor (and later Connecticut governor) Simeon Eben Baldwin. Baldwin argued that journalism had improved governance itself — forcing legislatures to open their doors, putting the people into the assembly, and ensuring that laws could only be well considered through public discussion.

It’s a fitting reminder here in Woodbridge, since Baldwin not only shaped debates about democracy but also helped preserve the open spaces we still cherish today at West Rock, where a road bears his name. Journalism, like public lands, is a shared resource — one we must tend carefully so it continues to serve the whole community.

And now, with our new Letters to the Editor feature debuting this week, we invite you to add your own perspective. As in the print newspapers of years past, letters can elevate community discourse — helping shape the civic narrative, not merely react to it. To submit, please send your text by email to the editor.

Below are this week’s highlights from the Woodbridge Town Chronicle:

Elections

Vote411 guide launches soon; Meet the Candidates Night set for October 16

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the League of Women Voters of Amity’s Meet the Candidates Night on Thursday, October 16, from 7–9 p.m. at Amity High School. Co-hosted with Amity students, the evening will feature remarks from First Selectman candidates and informal conversations with all local candidates on the ballot in Bethany, Orange, and Woodbridge. The League’s online voter guide, Vote411.org, will also launch after October 6, giving voters an easy way to compare candidate bios and positions in one place.
Read more ➔

Government

Three ‘Living Treasures’ honored

The Human Services Department celebrated its 7th annual Living Treasure event on September 25, recognizing Stephanie Ciarleglio, Richard Forselius, and Barbara Hagan Smith for decades of volunteer service to Woodbridge. The evening highlighted the spirit of community engagement while raising funds to support The Woodbridge Center.
Read more ➔

Letters to the Editor

This week we launch our new Letters to the Editor feature — a forum for community voices to be heard and shared. The first letters raise concerns about the financial risks of Beecher Road School proposals and emphasize working together across political lines in town life.
Read more ➔

📅 Coming Next Week
This Week in Woodbridge arrives every Monday — with fresh local reporting, election updates, and community stories.