Board of Finance (BOF) Chair Matt Raimondi attended Monday’s (Dec. 2) Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting to highlight issues he has encountered attempting to utilize the Town’s email communication system to communicate BOF news with residents — something he said First Selectman Toni Boucher is preventing.
Raimondi said he wanted to update residents on the recent BOF vote establishing guidance for the upcoming FY 2026 budget-setting process.
Raimondi, who spoke during public comment at the start of the meeting, did not mince words about his recent interactions with Boucher, characterizing her actions as “censorship that undermines transparency [and] erodes trust” in Wilton’s government — comments which Boucher strongly repudiated.
Following Monday evening’s extended statements and exchanges between Raimondi, Boucher and several BOS members — with Town Counsel Ira Bloom in attendance and weighing in — the first selectman relented on Tuesday morning, notifying Raimondi she would send his update to residents on Friday morning, Dec. 6 “after review.”
Seeds of Discord
As GOOD Morning Wilton reported before Monday’s meeting, Raimondi emailed all four selectmen and Boucher last week, recounting his difficulties working with Boucher to get BOF newsletters distributed to residents via the Town’s e-alert system.
Raimondi asked the selectmen to add an agenda item for last night’s BOS meeting in an effort to resolve the issues and enable the BOF to continue using the e-alert system with the same access to residents the BOF has had in the past.
When the agenda item was not added ahead of time, Raimondi attended the BOS meeting and addressed the board during the first public comment opportunity, elaborating on the distinct shift from previous years in how the e-alerts are handled — which he said is now effectively “cutting residents off” from important information the BOF wants to share.
“A Troubling Precedent”
Raimondi began by saying he spoke on behalf of the Board of Finance, and was there to address Boucher’s decision “to prohibit the Board of Finance from using the town-wide email system — a resource funded by Wilton taxpayers — to communicate with residents.”
He called it a decision that “represents censorship that undermines transparency, erodes trust in government, and sets a troubling precedent for how we engage with our community.”
Raimondi said that for five years the BOF has used the town’s e-alert system to share updates, newsletters and surveys with residents to keep them informed and engaged. He said his priority “was ensuring that factual information continued to reach residents.”
“These communications inform residents, involve them in the decision-making process, and ensure their voices are heard. Without them, residents could miss critical updates about budget priorities, upcoming votes, and opportunities to provide input on how their tax dollars are managed. Silencing the Board of Finance risks cutting residents off from decisions that directly affect their lives, their wallets, and their community.”
As he did in his earlier comments to GOOD Morning Wilton, Raimondi asserted that Boucher had “no clear rationale” to deny the BOF’s usage of the Town’s email system other than she was unhappy with the recent 3.0% budget increase guidance set by the BOF. He noted she told him she had “exclusive control” over the e-alert system.
“The idea that one official can suppress another elected board’s communications simply because they disagree with its decisions is deeply concerning and sets a dangerous precedent. Fortunately, in Wilton, authority over town policies and procedures rests with this Board — the Board of Selectmen — not one official acting unilaterally,” Raimondi said.
Raimondi reiterated that his point was about open sharing of information with residents by elected officials and whether it was being “intentionally withheld here in Wilton.”
“As public officials, we are elected to serve the residents of Wilton, not to control or gatekeep the flow of information. Restricting communication is not just an inconvenience — it is a direct challenge to the principles of open government and an erosion of the trust that bind[s] leaders to their community,” Raimondi said.
He called on BOS members to ensure “transparen[cy], collaborat[ion] and responsive[ness]” where he saw it being challenged.
“It has already been three weeks since the Board of Finance voted on budget guidance, and further delays will prevent timely communication from reaching the public.
Restoring the BOF’s ability to communicate directly with residents via the townwide email system — “a practice that has served our community effectively for years” — would, according to Raimondi, “reaffirm the values that make Wilton a community where residents are informed, engaged, and empowered. Together, we can ensure that Wilton remains a beacon of good governance, where residents’ voices are heard, and where trust in our leadership is upheld.”
Boucher did not address Raimondi directly, but still responded to his comments, calling them “deeply disappointing, and factually untrue in many cases,” she said.
Boucher indicated she planned to briefly address the topic later in the meeting during her selectman’s report, and that the issue would be discussed more fully at the Dec. 17 BOS meeting.
“We have invited Mr. Raimondi to come and attend and participate fully in that discussion with the full board and with anyone else that wants to attend at that time,” she said.
Boucher added that she was particularly concerned about any suggestion of “censorship” and “in no way” suggested the BOF would not have the ability to issue newsletters, merely “just at the appropriate time, during budget season.”
At that point, as Boucher attempted to move on from the discussion, First Selectman Bas Nabulsi made a motion to add an agenda item, for a “discussion about how we can facilitate a prompt BOF communication to the public” and specifically, “what might be done in the interim [before the Dec. 17 meeting] to allow the communication to go out before our next meeting.” After some brief back and forth, Nabulsi’s motion passed.
Boucher “Deeply, Deeply Offended”
When the agenda returned to the topic later in the meeting, Boucher offered a sharp rebuke of Raimondi’s comments.
“I first want to make a statement because my character has been questioned,” she said. “I’m offended by the public statement made, that I engage somehow in retribution when I disagree with a particular point of view… That I would ever engage in censorship [is] patently false.”
“I am deeply, deeply offended by these statements made public,” she said. “I’m looking forward to us discussing it further in more detail on [Dec. 17], when we make that a major topic of discussion.”
Boucher was adamant that the use of the e-alert system is entirely at her discretion — a view Town Counsel Bloom validated.
Boucher said she is not unwilling to allow BOF communications, but only at the appropriate times. “Regular” or “ongoing communications” from the BOF are “not appropriate,” she said.
“I was perfectly willing to go along with making sure that we have regular communication by both boards to the public during budget season. Right now, it’s fairly premature,” she said.
Boucher issues a monthly First Selectman’s update to residents via the e-alert system on wide-ranging topics as well as other timely news or announcements, such as her recent message about the passing of former Gov. Jodi Rell.
Bloom spoke at some length about his perspective as an attorney for several municipalities for over 26 years and a one-time member of both Westport’s Board of Education and legislative Representative Town Meeting board.
“This is not a question of censorship, and it’s not a question of transparency, and I wish Matt had not started off with those accusations, because that that is not the issue here,” Bloom said.
He emphasized that, in his view, discussions “at the board table” are most important, and that communications outside of board meetings should generally be very limited.
“I look at what is the… best way for those people to speak on the issues before them, what best serves the community, so that there’s some clarity and consensus and deliberation and the better decision making.” Bloom said, adding, “Good boardsmanship means at your board table.”
Too many newsletters or email communications that possibly offered opinions outside of meetings (he also referred to “blogs” or social media posts) could create “a free-for-all” environment, ultimately creating more confusion for residents, he added.
Bloom referred back several times to the Town Charter as the guide for what is allowed and appropriate for town officials to do. “That’s our governing document, our Bible.”
By those terms, he said, a board chair can “make some comments [but] there is nothing in the charter that gives the chair any particular authority to do anything but sit in on the meeting.”
According to Bloom, the appropriate forum for board chairs to provide comment is at their own board meetings, and also in particular for the BOF chair, at the Annual Town Meeting.
“The chair usually summarizes the budget, which has already been made after a careful deliberation, after public comment, after questions, the department heads, a budget is approved. And then in May, when you have your ATM, the [BOF] chairman articulates the results of all that deliberation so the public understands — but not before,” Bloom said.
However, he said updates and messages from the First Seletman sent to residents were appropriate under the Town Charter.
“The First Selectman, the First Selectwoman, is the Chief Executive Officer of the town, and there’s only one. That person has certain responsibilities to administer. Candidly, that includes deciding how the website should be handled and how emails should be handled coming from the town. That’s my opinion,” Bloom said, adding that most of the first selectmen he’s worked with in his 27 years have chosen to issue some sort of email, news column or update to explain what’s going on in town. “Have I seen Board of Finance chairs doing the same thing? I have not.”
Bloom later clarified his position, saying that while he didn’t think ‘regular, ongoing’ messages from other board chairs was a good idea, he allowed that communication providing “information” is fine, including “periodic” updates to residents about board decisions, actions or news.
Selectmen Weigh In
The selectmen seemed wary of Boucher’s stance on limiting BOF communications through the e-alert system.
Selectman Ross Tartell spoke first, saying he’d like to see regular communications from the BOF — as in last year’s budget planning process — as “ongoing practice” so that residents can make a “truly informed decision” on budget matters.
Selectman Josh Cole said he believes the communications are appropriate for information-sharing and transparency.
“I think there’s a distinction that has to be made… where a board chair wants to send out a communication that summarizes actions that have already been taken and approved on the board, that are purely informational in nature, that taxpayers benefit from, things that the board has already discussed — that’s an informational communication that I think would be appropriate, if board chairs felt the need for greater communication to the town residents and clear transparency… to be able to communicate directly to the public,” Cole said.
Selectman Bas Nabulsi said he agreed “1,000%” with Cole, and he pressed Boucher — to no real avail — to discuss a way to resolve the immediate issue of the specific e-alert Raimondi wished to send.
“I don’t think we [BOS] look good right now,” Nabulsi said. “I don’t think we should be standing in the way of the communication that the Board of Finance has put together, that they see value in communicating to our community. I don’t think that’s a good look. And my advice is that we allow the communication to be distributed as drafted, and then we reconvene and address what the policy should be more generally, so we don’t have the ‘slippery slope’ problem that Ira [Bloom] seems to think we’re going to confront.”
Selectwoman Kim Healy reminded the board that the e-alert subscription originally included BOF news as well as the selectman’s update. In fairness, Healy said, that should continue until residents and other Town officials are fully informed that Boucher is now managing the process differently than in the past.
Boucher said she would take the selectmen’s views “under advisement,” but did not say whether she would send Raimondi’s message to residents via the e-alert system.
On Tuesday morning, shortly after 11 a.m., Boucher emailed Raimondi, (and included the members of the BOS and BOF, Bloom and GOOD Morning Wilton on the distribution list) to say she would send his next newsletter out to residents on “her” email alert system on Friday morning “after review.”
She added that future requests would be considered on a case-by-case basis and future guidelines around the use of the system’s email lists will be discussed on Dec. 17.
Raimondi sent a comment to GOOD Morning Wilton after receiving Boucher’s email.
“The Board of Finance appreciates that Ms. Boucher has taken into account the unanimous feedback from her fellow members of the Board of Selectmen, and has agreed to allow our newsletter to be published. Direct communication with residents is vital to keeping our community informed, and we look forward to collaborating with the Board of Selectmen to establish guidelines at their December 17 meeting,” he wrote.
Vanderslice’s Views
Shortly after Monday evening’s BOS meeting, GMW received an emailed statement from former First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice, who indicated she had watched the meeting.
“I am providing a comment because there were a number of incorrect statements made at the meeting about the practices while I was First Selectwoman,” Vanderslice wrote.
She explained that the e-alert system was implemented during her tenure and she “knew it well.” She also commented on what it was intended to provide.
“A website with an e-alert email function was chosen because residents had been asking for years for better transparency, more information, and for that information to be delivered directly to their email,” she wrote.
“Residents who subscribed to the ‘Town News and Announcements’ were told they were subscribing to a diverse set of e-alerts from multiple boards and departments,” Vanderslice wrote, adding that many wished to have a single subscription for emails that “gave them all the information they needed”.
Vanderslice took particular issue with Boucher’s references to the mailing list as her own.
“That subscriber list was not and was never represented to the public as the first selectman’s ‘personal email list’ as referenced tonight,” Vanderslice wrote, noting that while she was in office, subscribers received e-alerts on diverse topics, from various boards/commissions and town departments.
Vanderslice believes past BOF e-alerts were “consistent with town counsel’s advice as to what was appropriate communication”. While the communications were sent to her office, it was only to execute the distribution, not for “approval” of the content (or, presumably, to decide the timing).
Vanderslice says the “increased transparency” was well received by residents.
“While first selectwoman, residents expressed their appreciation of the increased transparency achieved through the Town News and Announcements e-alert emails,” she wrote.