“I think more often we need regular people to raise their hands and step up in public service.”

For the past five years, Matt Pugliese has been one of those people who’s been raising their hand to step up and help the community. Matt has been making a difference in his community while serving as a member of the Old Saybrook Board of Selectman (BOS).

Matt’s journey into community service didn’t start with politics. It actually began with theater when Matt was serving as the executive director for the Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater in Middletown.

“It was actually nonprofit work that first got me involved. I decided to raise my hand and get involved there and help them grow and serve the community that way,” Matt tells the Harbor News.

Three years later, Matt began to dip his feet into town government when he joined the Old Saybrook Economic Development Commission in 2015.

“I look at economic development as a critical piece of any community. I served on the commission until about 2022, when I decided it was too much to do both that and the BOS,” Matt explains.

In 2019, Matt was convinced to run for a seat on the BOS and was elected to the board.

“I was at first told it would be two meetings every month. Then, three months later, we were meeting every day,” Matt says with a laugh.

Just as he was learning the ropes as a new member of the BOS, the whole world was thrown a wrench when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. Suddenly, Old Saybrook was grappling with managing unforeseen economic and health concerns, in addition to its regular town business.

“It was definitely a trying time,” Matt admits.

However, as the world has since returned to normal and Matt has become used to being a member of the BOS, he’s found that he enjoys being a voice for the average citizen at its meetings.

“My job is to ask questions and make sure that everyone listening in or reading the minutes knows what we’re talking about. There can be a lot of jargony words, but I try to ask questions the average person wonders about, like timelines and processes, so people understand why we’re doing something,” Matt says.

Matt believes that being involved with public service on a local level can connect you to your community and help you meet people what you might not have met otherwise.

“Looking back, I did a lot of things as a kid connected to public service, like the scouts, for example. And as I get older and I look now as my kids are entering high school, I think of different things I had the opportunity to do service-wise, and I try to make it so they have the same chances. I think getting involved in some way is something that connects people of all different ages to the community and people in it,” says Matt.

While he admits that it can sometimes be difficult when people vehemently disagree with each other, Matt’s favorite part of local government is the ability to come to a common understanding.

“Having really engaging conversation with people who come at things a different way than you,” Matt says of his favorite aspect. “You realize we’re all worried about the same things. We just have a different way of looking at something, and it’s good to get out of your bubble.”

For work, Matt serves as the deputy director for the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

“I basically administer grant programs primarily for place-based projects,” says Matt.

Many of the projects which Matt reviews have to do with housing, waterline and sewer extensions, and economic development opportunities.

Matt was born in Chicago and grew up in Middletown after moving to Connecticut. He has lived in Old Saybrook for over 15 years.

“My wife was from here originally, and family is really important to us, so we wanted to be close. Plus, we both think Saybrook is just an awesome community with a lot of community events, but also a small-town feel. We feel like all the events really bring out the community,” says Matt.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys cooking, as well as rooting for UConn athletics and his hometown Chicago Cubs. Matt’s favorite aspect of living in Old Saybrook is the scenic beauty of the town.

“I think my favorite thing is the location itself,” Matt says. “It is absolutely beautiful at the mouth of the Connecticut River. I go for sunrise walks by the causeway or the beaches, and it really clears your mind and makes you feel grateful to be alive and be there.”