Former East Rutherford Councilman Joel Brizzi is running for a seat on the Becton Regional High School Board of Education, saying he will bring common sense financial accountability to the board.
Brizzi, who served for 21 years on the Borough Council during a time when the borough had the lowest property taxes in Bergen County, said he is looking to bring the financial restraint to the district that it lacks . As a councilman, he helped deliver three zero tax increase budgets in a row without cutting services to the community.
“There is no law that says you cannot have quality education that is also affordable for the taxpayers. We can have both,” said Brizzi.
For Brizzi, the father of two, the school district’s administration must learn to live within the means of the people who pay school taxes.
“In recent years, Becton’s Administration has been on a mission to expand the school and add expensive, non-essential amenities that the average homeowner cannot afford,” said Brizzi.
“I’m a parent and a taxpayer and I want to represent both on the Becton Board. I am not running to carry out anyone’s agenda. I am running to do what is best for the parents, the students and the taxpayers,” added Brizzi.
Brizzi was a vocal opponent of proposed $58 million expansion of Becton H.S. that was defeated in March 2018. If approved, the average taxpayer in East Rutherford would have seen a $176.17 annual increase in property taxes on top of the school district’s regular annual tax hikes.
Brizzi has lived in East Rutherford for almost 50 years and he and his wife
Jamie (Castiblanco) have been married for 32 years He has owned and operated a local business for 34 years. In addition to his service on the Borough Council Joel and his wife Jamie were sponsors of the “Thrive for excellence” scholarship at Becton for over 10 years, he is a former Babe Ruth League coach, the sponsor of Little League and Youth Soccer teams and served eight years as a member of the Borough’s Recreation Committee.