The Tuesday, Nov. 11, Board of Finance meeting marked the last one for Chair Matt Raimondi, who did not win re-election in Wilton’s Nov. 4, 2025 municipal election.

The atmosphere at the meeting was reflective and emotional as residents and town officials thanked Raimondi, who will leave after four years on the board — two as chair — having earned wide respect for transforming how Wilton’s finances are discussed, communicated and managed on the resident volunteer board side.

The evening also marked farewells for member Sandy Arkell, who chose not to run again, and Vice Chair Stewart Koenigsberg, who has reached his term limit. But most of the night’s tributes focused on Raimondi, who colleagues and residents alike praised for his leadership, work ethic and commitment to collaboration.

A Chair Who Changed the Tone

Since becoming chair in 2022, Raimondi helped shift the tone of Wilton’s financial board governance from one sometimes marked by friction to one characterized by mutual respect and teamwork. He was widely credited with building bridges between the Board of Finance, the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen, and encouraging open communication and shared problem-solving.

Under his leadership, the board also formalized the process of setting budget guidance — an early benchmark for town and school spending — through a well-developed mill rate model, a process that has become a regular and transparent part of Wilton’s annual budgeting cycle. Raimondi also initiated the annual community budget survey, inviting residents to share priorities and feedback before the budget season begins — a tool now recognized as a valuable part of the public engagement process.

First Selectman Toni Boucher thanked the board as a unit when she opened Monday night’s public comment period.

“We thank everyone that has served, particularly your board members that may not be returning,” she said. “We appreciate the enormous amount of work that they have put in, the excellent service they provided, and the very kind and cooperative relationships with the Board of Selectmen and also with the Board of Education.”

She reiterated her special thanks to the outgoing members, “…particularly Chairman Raimondi and Stewart Koenigsberg, and I think, Sandy Arkell, who have been outstanding in their work for the Town, and we really appreciated their wonderful cooperation with us on the Board of Selectmen.”

Later in the meeting, Board of Education Chair Ruth DeLuca spoke more specifically on how Raimondi’s collaborative approach had strengthened the partnership between their respective boards.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch an environment where we can disagree and not be disagreeable,” DeLuca said. “That’s an important part of board work — that you can be heard, and you can also be listened to. It doesn’t necessarily mean that everybody always has to agree all the time. But it’s the respect that’s given around the table.”

She thanked Raimondi for modeling a respectful tone and building trust that made budget discussions more productive. “I think this board has modeled a tone that has made a difference,” she said. “You’ve shown that disagreement doesn’t have to mean division — and that’s something our town really needed.”

Former First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice, who collaborated with Raimondi throughout her final term, offered some of the most personal and pointed praise of the evening.

She thanked Arkell for her independent voice and Koenigsberg for his technical insight, then turned to Raimondi with visible emotion. “No Board of Finance chair has operated at the level that you have, with the passion and the commitment that you have,” she said. “You have elevated the role. You will be greatly missed by this board and by this town.”

She concluded warmly: “You’re a young guy, Matt. You’re going to be in Wilton for a long time. I hope someday that you will decide to do this again.”

Several residents spoke during public comment, offering appreciation for Raimondi’s steady leadership. Wilton Fire Captain Jeff Locher offered a succinct thanks: “Welcome to the new members, and a huge thank you to Matt Raimondi for your service.”

Kevin Hickey was effusive in his remarks. “Matt Raimondi has been the best thing that ever happened to this town. He’s done everything for this town, and I hope he continues to integrate somehow into whatever we have in town. God bless you, Matt, you did a great job.”

Christine Wachter thanked Raimondi for making the town’s financial process more accessible to residents: “You’ve been a great partner with the PTAs, bringing lots of clarity to parents in town about how the budget process works,” she said. “I sincerely hope that this won’t be the last time we see you on a board in Wilton.”

BOF Members Reflect on Collaboration and Professionalism

As the meeting drew to a close, fellow Board of Finance members spoke directly to Raimondi’s impact.

Arkell praised him for his leadership and even temperament. “You have brought this board together,” she said. “You’ve helped build that spirit of collaboration and leadership to get us to where we are.”

Koenigsberg called him “the ultimate public servant.”

“You have given us great direction, you’ve done an amazing amount of work by yourself, in terms of the surveys, in terms of the presentations that you make to all the folks in town and all the various groups in town. You have provided PowerPoint presentations every meeting; you have done an enormous amount of work — not only the quantity, but the quality of the work that you’ve done. The camaraderie that you’ve driven is just extraordinary.”

Raimondi, in his own remarks, reflected on what he had learned from his time on the board and from Wilton’s civic culture. “It has been an honor and a privilege serving the town,” he said, adding how grateful he was for the collaboration that helped the board achieve what it has over his four years as part of it.

“We did that because of what we saw tonight, which was collaboration, it was partnership. It doesn’t always mean agreeing with each other. We start off on different pages, we work together, and we get there in the end — and that is a credit to you all.”

The story has been updated to correct a quote that was misattributed to Lynne Vanderslice.