Newsletter Volume 4 • Number 7
Bob Chaney and Veronica Chiavaroli are the Democratic Party’s endorsed candidates for the Board of Education
Bob Chaney never meant to get into local government. He was just volunteering at a Julian Curtiss School book fair but he soon found himself running the event, and then the talent show, and then the PTA. Fast forward, and the stay-at-home dad with a background in social work is now a well-known fixture at Board of Education and budget meetings, often testifying with one or both of his sons in tow.
“I guess my bubble slowly got bigger and bigger as I realized it’s not just about me and my kids,” Chaney reflected. “It’s about all the kids and parents in town.”
Veronica Chiavaroli’s path was just as personal. A Greenwich native and Greenwich High School graduate, she settled here with three kids and a stack of degrees in education and social work. Her advocacy began when her oldest entered the public preschool system as a special needs student. “At first, I didn’t feel qualified to give out advice,” she said. “But I realized I knew more than most parents, so I started helping others.”
Now, these two parent advocates are running together for the Greenwich Board of Education. What they bring is lived experience, professional insight, and an all-in commitment to Greenwich’s public schools.
Real Experience, Real Stakes
Between them, Chaney and Chiavaroli represent nearly every facet of the school system. His kids are in middle and high school. Hers are just beginning their public school journey. Their families have experienced both the Advanced Learning Program and special education services. He’s focused on infrastructure and morale; she’s deep in curriculum and special education.
Chaney helped build virtual learning programs during the COVID shutdown and in addition to school volunteering, is active in sustainability efforts like Waste Free Greenwich and is vice chair of the Julian Curtiss Building Committee. Chiavaroli works daily with families navigating special ed as a tutor and educational advisor. She serves on the Julian Curtiss Building Committee, the town’s ADA & Advocacy Advisory Council, and multiple PTA boards.
They don’t just talk about the system, they live it.
BOE members need to be in the schools
For both candidates, the cornerstone of strong leadership is communication. “Board of Education members need to be in the schools,” said Chaney. “PTA meetings, school events, talking to teachers and staff, those are the voices that should shape decisions.”
Chiavaroli agrees. “Special education isn’t just about meetings and paperwork, it’s about helping families get through the day. That takes knowledge, empathy, and real partnership.” Whether coordinating composting pilots or building pandemic learning programs, Chaney has built a reputation as a hands-on problem solver. And as any of Chiavaroli’s clients and neighbors can attest, she doesn’t just show up, she brings resources, referrals, and an educator’s instinct for meeting people where they are.
More than budgets and buzzwords
Both candidates stress the need for practical, school-by-school understanding, not just big-picture policy. “Greenwich is an exceptional district,” Chiavaroli said. “But we can reduce costly outplacements and strengthen outcomes if we support teachers and get it right the first time, in the classroom.”
Chaney agrees, “We need people who understand how the schools actually work,” he said. “Not just at budget season, but year-round, school by school.”
Their hope, they say, is to bring not just change, but collaboration, across committees, between public and private school communities, and above all, between families and the town’s education leadership.
A commitment to collaboration
What sets Chaney and Chiavaroli apart is their shared belief that education should rise above politics. They’re running on a platform of collaboration, across town committees, between public and private school communities, and most importantly, between families and the Board of Education.
“There is no partisan aisle when it comes to education,” Chiavaroli said. “Just kids. And we’re all responsible for them.”
Election Day is November 4. Let’s put real voices and real experience on the Board of Education.
Taking credit where credit’s not due
It was a strange and somewhat awkward ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Greenwich last month. The law was signed by President and native son George H.W. Bush in 1990. But a poster placed next to the podium where town officials spoke noted that just 10% of the needed improvements in town have been completed.
Now, the job of making so many public spaces and facilities accessible is costly and so not generally required until there are major alterations, but that doesn’t fully explain why we’ve done so little after so long. For decades, Town Hall dilly dallied, ignoring the law’s requirements to develop transition plans, and belatedly hiring an ADA coordinator.
But the real culprit is our Board of Estimate and Taxation’s Republican majority. They have repeatedly refused to fund ADA improvements, even when ordered by a consent degree. Again in April and also last year they cut back budget requests for streetscape ADA work. BET Budget Chair Leslie Tarkington famously worried more about “women who wear high heeled shoes” than people with actual disabilities. Talk about digging in your heels! It’s taken Democrats to save the day.
So it was stunning to see Tarkington, and a fellow BET member and anti-ADA crusader Karen Fassuliotis in the audience during the ADA celebration. (Fassuliotis tied the finance board in knots recently, claiming in error that an obscure provision in the ADA law exempted us from doing any work at all.) Were they there to gloat about how little has been done?
Vote in November for Row A, responsible and caring stewards of our community.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Get in the know
How does Greenwich raise the $521 million it needs for town expenditures this year? It’s not as simple as you may think. There’s no better way to understand the ins and outs of Greenwich town finances and local issues than reading BET candidate Douglas Fenton’s substack, Greenwich Schools and Local Issues. Sign up for email delivery here.
Action Calendar
Now. Support.
Greenwich teenagers are raising money for the American Legion CT Post #29. Your donations will help veterans support the causes they champion in our community—whether it’s helping fellow veterans directly, promoting patriotic education such as Boys State & Girls State, or actively supporting local youth sports organizations. Donate here.
September 14. Picnic.
Join us for our Campaign Kick-Off Picnic, an informal afternoon of food, conversation, and community. Meet local, state and federal leaders, connect with neighbors, and help us build momentum for a better Greenwich. Tod’s Point clambake area. Tickets here.
September 15. Run.
Be a part of it all. Run for the Representative Town Meeting this fall. All you need is 25+ petition signatures submitted by the September 15 deadline to the Town Clerk. Learn more here.
| Volume 4, Number 7 • August 7, 2025 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |