This Week’s Letters to the Editor

Editor’s Note: The Letters to the Editor section in the Woodbridge Town Chronicle is a place where community voices can be shared and heard. In the print newspapers of years past, letters to the editor were often the liveliest section, where readers spoke directly to one another, the broader community, and its leaders. To submit a letter for consideration please refer to the submission guidelines.

From $13 Million to $80+ Million: What Happened to Beecher’s 20-Year Promise?

To the editor,

Ten years ago I stood before a Town Meeting and encouraged the town to vote in favor of a $13 million bond issue to update and renovate Beecher Road School. After numerous meetings with Superintendent Guy Stella, I was convinced that this would keep Beecher in good shape for 20 years. We told taxpayers that this was a good investment and they responded by passing it on the first vote. Everyone was satisfied that investing in Beecher was the right thing to do to make it a strong facility for twenty years.

Unfortunately, the Beecher board is now looking to either completely renovate or rebuild the school at a cost of anywhere from $80 million to $120 million or more. What happened to the 20 years we were guaranteed? This is sheer lunacy and to saddle the taxpayers with this large a bond issue will raise taxes significantly and destroy our bond rating. In addition the Town will be penalized for still having the original bond, another cost to taxpayers.

I invite all taxpayers to pay a visit to the Bethany Community School and the four Orange elementary schools and ask yourself which school is by far the best. It is Beecher by a large margin. And yet Orange and Bethany have no plans to renovate or rebuild.

It is time for taxpayers to tell Mica Cardozo and the Board of Selectmen that enough is enough. We are fighting the two hundred unit apartment buildings that have come to being because of the horrible decisions of the Cardozo administration and TPZ. We have to stop this wild spending spree before we can no longer afford our property taxes. Enough is enough.

— Matthew T. Giglietti

The writer was a member of the Woodbridge Board of Finance from July 1986 to December 2023 where he served as Chairman for 35 years (1988–2023).

Editor’s Note: Letters reflect the perspectives of their authors. They are published to foster dialogue about issues of local concern, including questions of governance, transparency, and accountability, as well as topics such as highlighting upcoming or past events from community groups. To submit a letter for consideration please refer to the submission guidelines.