TOWN OF WAPPINGER – Dutchess County Legislator Joey Cavaccini, a Republican, has assembled a bipartisan team to help him transition from county legislator to town supervisor to be prepared on January 1, 2024. The committee consists of volunteers with experience in government and several who have held elected public office.
“This respected group of individuals will continue to offer me advice and counsel as we build a strong foundation for this town government,” Cavaccini said. “It is my goal to provide our neighbors with the strongest and most effective administration we can.”
The transition team includes Town of Wappinger Highway Superintendent Michael Sheehan, Wappinger Town Clerk Joseph Paoloni, and retiring Town Justice Carl Wolfson, and newly-elected Dutchess County Legislator Rob Faust, a retired member of law enforcement with 30 years of experience. Faust will represent a portion of the town at the county level.
Wappinger Councilmen Al Casella and Christopher Phillips will join former Wappinger Town Supervisors Connie Smith and Joe Ruggiero in preparing Cavaccini for what may be hostility from outgoing Town Supervisor Dick Thurston, who Cavaccini defeated.
Cavaccini says he sent a memo to town employees calling for a “strong continuity of government” which he claims was ignored by Supervisor Thurston. “I am disappointed that this good faith effort was met by a factually incorrect memo from the outgoing town supervisor,” which he claims was an attempt “to scare town employees and elected officials into not doing what is right for our town.”
The supervisor-elect said the assembled transition team has dedicated public servants who, he says “put the best interests of the Town of Wappinger first and foremost.”
