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Goshen Annual Town Meeting

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Image Description: Town Clerk Barbara Breor and Moderator Patrick J. Reilly Sr. at Goshen’s Annual Town Meeting on Monday, November 18th / Eric Warner
By
Eric Warner & Staff Writer

Goshen’s Center School Gymnasium was host to an annual town meeting on Monday, November 18th. The meeting had residents accept the Annual Town Report for the fiscal year ending on June 30th, 2024, accept the Town Auditor’s Report for the fiscal year ending on June 30th, 2024, and vote to authorize and instruct the Board of Selectmen to execute Town Aid Road agreements with the State of Connecticut for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. Goshen residents further voted on authorizing the Board of Selectmen to apply for and receive any state or federal grants for the benefit of the town provided that any appropriation of municipal funds shall be approved in advance by the Board of Finance, and if the amount exceeds $20,000, host a town meeting. Residents additionally appointed new members to various Town of Goshen boards and committees.

The meeting began with First Selectman Todd Carusillo requesting nominations for a moderator. Henrietta Horvay nominated Patrick Reilly. No one else was nominated. Horvay then motioned to close nominations. This was unanimously approved.

Following Town Clerk Barbara Breor’s reading of the meeting’s agenda, residents began voting to accept agenda items. Horvay motioned to accept the Annual Report. This was unanimously approved. Horvay motioned to accept the Auditor’s Report. This was unanimously approved. Horvay motioned to accept the Resolution for Town Aid Road. This was unanimously approved. Horvay motioned to authorize the Board of Selectmen to apply and receive State or Federal grants. This was unanimously approved.

The rest of the motions focused on electing members to various Town of Goshen boards and commissions. Kimberly Andrusia and Lori Clinton were nominated to the Recreation Commission for terms ending in 2027. No other nominations were made. Theresa Walla-Kelly motioned to close nominations. This was unanimously approved. Anne Craig was nominated to fill a vacancy in the Recreation Commission for a term ending in 2026. Erin Reilly motioned to close nominations. This was unanimously approved. Matthew Wheeler and Andrew Savage were both nominated to the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission for terms ending in 2027. Jeffery Damiano motioned to close nominations. This was unanimously approved. Adam Andrusia was nominated to fill a vacancy in the Inland Wetland and Watercourses Commission for a term ending in 2025. Lynette Miller motioned to close nominations. This was unanimously approved. Heidi Koenig was nominated to the Economic Development Commission for a term ending in 2027 but for a while no one else was nominated or volunteered for the other EDC term ending in 2027. Jaclyn Wheeler then asked Breor what the job description for serving on the EDC was. “You just sit there and you just help build the economic development of the town,” Breor explained. Miller then nominated Jaclyn Wheeler to fill the remaining term position on the EDC ending in 2027. Henrietta Horvay was nominated to fill a vacancy in the Economic Development Commission for a term ending in 2025. MacKenzey Melk-Pannullo was nominated as an alternate member to the Economic Development Commission for a term ending in 2027.

While the meeting was held in the gymnasium, no microphones were available to either the moderators or attendees, causing many residents to complain of not being able to hear who is nominating whom or what the moderators were saying. Carusillo addressed this at a Tuesday, November 19th’s Board of Selectmen meeting saying, “People in the background could not hear so we’re gonna probably try to get some type of microphone with some type of speaker system…” Member of the Shane Morehouse Kinsella Fund Committee Janet Hooper additionally suggested people who nominate others come up to the front and be given a microphone in order for everyone to be able to clearly understand who they’re nominating. She further suggested that the person who is nominated come up to the front for people to match faces with names as not everyone in town knows who everyone is. Carusillo spoke with Recreation Director Erin Reilly who said she’ll bring in a portable microphone to use for future town meetings.