Vice chairman resigns from Beacon Falls finance board

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BEACON FALLS — Board of Finance Vice Chairman Joe Rodorigo submitted his resignation last week.

Rodorigo was elected to the board in 2013 for a six-year term. He served as chairman for two years and as vice chairman since December.

Rodorigo said he intended to do one full term, but not to seek a second term. However, with just a little over a year left in his term, Rodorigo said he doesn’t have the time and effort to dedicate to the position that it deserves.

“I don’t know how to do anything half way. It takes a lot of hours to put together the data and to fully understand the issue to give the public the answers they are looking for,” said Rodorigo, who has volunteered with the town for 16 years, including serving on the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Rodorigo feels the town is in better financial shape than when he started on the board and thanked the volunteers and department heads that worked alongside him.

Board of Finance Chairman Marc Bronn said the board will miss Rodorigo’s knowledge and experience.

“He was a tremendous asset to the board when he was chairman and to me as current chairman.  Everything that Joe did, whether we all agreed with him or not, was because he felt it was in the best interest of our town. Make no mistake about that,” Bronn said.

Rodorigo’s resignation left two vacant seats on the board. Former board member Brian Ploss, a Republican, resigned in August.

The Board of Selectmen this week appointed Democrat Lawrence Hutvagner and Republican Kyle Brennan to fill the two vacant seats.

Hutvagner is filling the seat vacated by Rodorigo. Brennan is replacing Ploss. Hutvagner and Brennan will finish out terms that run until 2019, when the seats will be up for election.

Hutvagner, who previously served on the finance board, is the chief financial officer for the town of Middlebury.

Brennan, who is pursuing his teacher’s certificate, is in the graduate program at the University of Bridgeport and student teaching at City Hill Middle School in Naugatuck. Brennan is also a contributing sports writer for the Citizen’s News.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the article published in the Oct. 18 Citizen’s News to include information on the Board of Selectmen filling the vacancies on the Board of Finance after press time.