Newly elected officials take oath of office

Andrew Giacomazza, who beat challenger Brandon Calore in November, was sworn in for another term as mayor of the Village of Woodbury during the Jan. 8 Village Board meeting. Tara Burek and Christopher Graziano, who along with Giacomazza were members of the “We The People” slate, also took their oaths of office.

“We the People” slate members Woodbury Town Supervisor Jacqueline Hernandez and Councilpersons Martha Lopez and Vernick Alvarez were sworn in at the Jan. 5 Town Board meeting.

Both incumbent and new trustees called for greater unity amongst Woodbury leadership and within the community.

Giacomazza shared his enthusiasm for greater collaboration between the town and village on such initiatives as land preservation to ethics.

“I am extremely excited about 2026. I am even more excited by the fact that uh I have the board I always wanted,” Giacomazza said.

Hernandez added that she looked forward to working with the Village Board and was glad they are dedicated to working with the town.

“It’s a privilege to be in a space where we’re going to be able to do great things for Woodbury,” Hernandez said.

Highland Mills resident Neil Crouse asked the board to consider adopting a resolution to change the trustee term of service from two to four years. He argued that limiting the terms to two years means that trustees are using their second year to focus on campaigning for re-election. He said the mayoral position should remain a two-year term.

James Ng of Highland Mills shared his appreciation for the community, many of whom came out to the recent Woodbury planning meeting to learn about a proposal for a battery energy storage system for Route 32. During that meeting, the planning board informed the applicant that they could not proceed because it is not permitted in that district.

Ng said despite what he called a win at the planning meeting, he still worried that the project could still go forward and encouraged residents to stay active and engaged.