Exiled Woodbury Village Trustee Supports Breaking Social Security, Spreading Dangerous MAGA Ideology
Despite losing so badly he gave the world James Freiband, CJ Graziano is running again for a spot on the Woodbury Village Board, and he's bringing all his cool MAGA friends with him.
Pictured above: A full month after President Elon Musk’s claims about millions of dead people getting Social Security checks was debunked, the Woodbury Republican Committee continues to repeat that false claim. On Friday, March 21st, MAGA Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick said:
“Let's say social security didn't send out their checks this month. My mother who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain,” Lutnick said during an appearance on the “All-In” podcast. “She'd think something got messed up, and she'll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining.”
Well yeah, when your son is the billionaire former Chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald, I’m pretty sure Momma Lutnick isn’t hurting for money. Good for Momma Lutnick. Bad for millions of America’s elderly population currently living in poverty. Something tells me that if those people don’t get their Social Security check, they’d be a lot louder than the virtually non-existant fraudsters. Especially when President Musk, Trump, Vance, and other MAGA Nazis conflate waste with fraud and distort the actual numbers.
Meanwhile, a March 13th, 2025 leaked memo from Musk’s Acting Deputy SSA Commissioner, Doris Diaz, details a plan to further — and intentionally — break the Social Security Administration. In short, by making it difficult for Social Security recipients to get what they need, without going to an SSA Office. Offices which just so happen to be either shutting down or intentionally understaffed by President Musk.
When President Trump says he “won’t touch” Social Security, he’s telling you the truth. Trump’s not going to touch it. But Elon Musk will break it.
The local MAGA Republicans, like Woodbury Planning Board member, Tom DeLuca, — and recycled Woodbury Village Board candidate, CJ Graziano —are going to make it easy for Musk to do so.
Via Robert Reich, this is the MAGA plan in action:
How? By doing what the Woodbury Republican Committee just did: Repeating false information, and responding to fact checks with laughing emojis and Big Snowflake Energy.
I’m just going to ask you all one question: Do you feel FAR better off now? Because all of these people sure don’t. Neither do the majority of Americans according to the latest polling data.
So, if you see CJ Graziano coming to your door to get signatures over the next couple of weeks, ask him:
Is he going to use his voice and position on your Woodbury Village Board to defend our elderly and disabled residents?
How about our veterans, who are having their benefits cut by Musk, Trump, and Vance? Will he advocate for them?
Will Mr. Grazaiano defend the children of Monroe-Woodbury, the staff, and the teachers, from Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education?
Ask him. And if he gives you a bunch of MAGA talking points about “cutting waste and fraud,” ask him to provide you with actual figures and facts like I just did. Because we bring the facts here. Mr. Grazaiano does not, which is the point of our main story below.
And if Mr. Graziano can’t or won’t answer your questions? You should tell Mr. CJ Graziano, along with Local Bigot Brandon Calore, to get the fuck off your lawn.
P.S. If you collect Social Security, make sure to set up an Id.me account and use that to log into your SSA.Gov account before March 31st. You will need a smartphone, your driver's license, your social secuity number, an email account that you can access the ID.Me system. Not completing these steps may give Musk, Trump, Vance, and friends a reason to delay your payments.
A Candidate People Were So Unenthusiastic For; You’re Getting Him Twice
This will be a little inside baseball, but I promise you’ll enjoy the journey if you follow along.
When I started covering Southern Orange County in the Fall of 2023, CJ Graziano and Tara Burek lost their election in Woodbury. The voter turnout was low, and the local Satmar neighborhoods (Highland Lake Estates, WP3) came out in droves against Graziano and Burek. For Mrs. Burek, this is directly because the local Satmar population don’t like her husband, Chris Gerver, and wanted to replace him with Richard Cattagio. (He of Bear Murder Mystery Fame) They believe Mr. Gerver is too strict as Planning Board Chair, but what that really means is, they want another Tom Shepstone. Someone who will rubber stamp incomplete, incompetent, or outright false, applications and permits submitted before the Woodbury Planning Board. If you don’t know why that’s bad, I invite you to visit South Blooming Grove sometime. Have yourself a drink of the water while you’re at it. Trust me, it tastes great. You barely even notice the shit brown coloring anymore.
Over in Monroe, you had a huge voter turnout for Councilwoman Maureen Richardson. So, people in our area did come out to vote in the Fall of 2023. They just didn’t come out for CJ Graziano. In fact, to say people in Woodbury were unenthused about CJ Graziano is something we can backup with hard data. So, of course, he’s running again. Because, of course, he is. That’s MAGA for for you: Heads I win. Tails you lose. Everyone is wrong but me. (Hey. I say I’m wrong all the time. Can you say the same about any of these MAGA Nazis?)
Graziano is running again for the same reason MAGA candidates still abound despite their leadership being actively engaged in insurrection: Because the local Democrats suck.
It’s really that simple. If you had two decent Democrats on the Woodbury Village Board? I probably wouldn’t bother writing this post. But “decent Democrat” is increasingly an oxymoron. They’re too busy doing nothing, letting the country burn down, so they can take power in 2026, and then do exactly what they were doing before: Nothing.
Because, like we’ve said here before at The Monroe Gazette: The Democrats just want Trump gone. They don’t want to actually fix the things that gave us Trump in the first place. For example: If you expanded Social Security so that everyone over 18 got a check, and expanded Medicare coverage to anyone who wanted to opt-in to it, you wouldn’t have Trump. I’d bet my life on that.
The majority of people who voted for Trump, outside of the 35% that consists of fascists, weirdos, and CJ Graziano, would not have voted for him in 2016, 2020, and 2024. You know why? Because I talk to Trump voters all the time. You know what they want? Change. You know what he promises them? Change. What do the Democrats promise you?
So, Mr. Graziano is banking on this. The people that replaced him were so awful, most people in Woodbury just want Village Trustees Fabbro and Freiband gone. If the Woodbury Village Board ticket were three empty paper bags with smiley faces drawn onto them, everyone in Woodbury would vote for the paper bags. That renders most of this post moot. But. I also don’t think you should vote for anyone even remotely associated with this shit:
Or this:
Or this:
I get not wanting to watch another two-years of the comedy stylings of Fabbro and Freiband. Mother tells Fabbro what to do. Freiband needs someone to literally pull his strings. Otherwise, you’d be forgiven for confusing him with a corpse.
It is truly a shame, with such a deep bench of legitimately likable Republicans in Woodbury, that we’re getting Graziano again.
If it was me? I’d split the difference and vote for Giacozomma and Burek, and then Fabbro. As someone outnumbered four to one on the board, there’s very little damage Fabbro can actually do. In fact, it may force him to be what he hasn’t been in the last two years: Good at his job.
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Local MAGA Letters About Your Favorite Journalist
Above: Local Bigot Brandon Calore is the admin for Woodbury Connections. We’re going to address his letter and CJ Graziano’s MAGA letters (both published in this Facebook Group) below. Woodbury Connections has been a hot spot for anti-semitic conspiracy theories approved by Calore as the group’s Admin.
Mr. Calore is, once again, factually inaccurate. I am the Admin for Woodbury United. Not Mr. Mastrogiacomo.
Mr. Calore is particularly upset this weekend because he recently had a petition signature signing event at a local ice cream shop. (Not the one where Calore was accused of assaulting a disabled teenager. A different one.) In my capacity as a local resident, I called out the ice cream shop owner for hosting Calore. Because Calore factually has spread anti-semitic conspiracy theories. As a Jew, this sort of thing rubs me the wrong way.
The only other local business I’ve fought with was the one alleged to host Proud Boys meetings. By coincidence, Mr. Calore never answered the media when asked if he attended those meetings.
Can’t imagine if those two things are connected …
BTW: I’m not 100% sure what Calore means by “Bring him to Chester” other than CJ Graziano is probably drinking the same weird shit Calore is, and they’re telling each other stories. That’s how Calore (thinks) he knows who the Woodbury United admin is.
I don’t know what more can be said about Local Bigot Brandon Calore.
He was arrested for battery in Florida. He was accused of assaulting a disabled teenager at an ice cream shop at the height of the pandemic in Woodbury. (The cause for the assault was that the girl’s mother asked him to put on a mask. Mr. Calore would then sue the mother for defamation, and lose.)
He “resigned” from the Town of Cornwall after his co-workers accused him of threatening to harm them physically.
He’s currently running around telling everyone the Mayor of Woodbury — his opponent in a Republican Primary — is a “RHINO” even though his campaign is being coordinated with the assistance of State Senator James G. Skoufis. (In fact, Calore’s campaign posters are recycling an old Skoufis tagline for another candidate who ran and lost for New York State Assembly.) Calore, with Skoufis’s help, is also looking to be cross-endorsed by the Woodbury Democrats.
He’s done nothing on the Woodbury Town Board except limit public comment, throw out the Town’s Ethics code, agree to move meetings to a time people can’t attend, and ignore multiple FOIL requests. One of which is probably going to get the Town sued. (I’ll let you know this week after our attorney meets with their attorney.)
So, whenever I see him say or do anything, I shrug my shoulders.
I did want to say something about the Woodbury United Facebook Group. I am the admin. I’m not going to kick people out for being weird assholes. The only thing I have been doing is removing sock puppet accounts. Mr. Calore wants to sue the Admin of the Woodbury United Group. Well, here I am, dude. But watch out for when we depose you because I will make that deposition public so everyone can read it. And you will have to answer for everything you’ve done going back to the arrest in Florida.
Now, let’s talk about Mr. Graziano’s letter. And since CJ thinks I’m a blogger, we’ll just go through his letter here line by line like a blogger would. Gotta give ‘em what they ask for, you know?
“Good afternoon Woodbury, apologies as this is going to be a long one.”
Have you tried saying nothing? No? Ok.
“Today I write to express my disappointment in what has transpired over the past few months in and around our wonderful community. It is only March, and the nastiness of the upcoming local elections has already gotten way out of hand, perhaps unfortunately past the point of no return.”
I guess we will pretend there isn’t a little coup happening right now. Because to CJ Graziano, what you and I see as a direct assault on democracy, is just another Saturday afternoon.
I hate to break it to you dude, but nothing is normal right now. So, if you seriously think this November is going to be a normal election, hoo boy, are you going to be mad as hell when that angry mob shows up to the polls to flush out every single person running as a Republican.
And it ain’t going to be because of me. It’s going to be because of Trump, Musk, and Vance. But I’m sure you’ll blame me, right?
“I am most disappointed by someone who calls themselves a “journalist,” yet in reality is nothing more than an Op-Ed blogger forcing their personal agenda on everyone else.”
LOL. Yup. Ah. The old MAGA chestnut. “It’s the journalist’s fault!”
A national storm is coming, my friend. And everyone running as a Republican is going to pay.
Also: Who exactly am I forcing my opinion on? Like, is there a section at the Woodbury Public Library where people are Clockwork Orange-style forced to sit in chairs and read this shit?
I’m glad Mr. Graziano thinks I’m far more important than I am. Flattered. Thanks CJ. You really made my day.
“Journalism is not an opinion”
Frederick Douglas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ida Tarbell, Barbara Ehrenreich, and William Lyod Garrison would like a word. But give that MAGA is based around deleting information and re-writing history, CJ can be forgiven for not knowing who any of those people are.
“Journalism isn’t calling people names”
Really? Because Tucker Carlson’s old show was considered journalism by a judge. Jon Oliver too.
“and journalism certainly does not attack people just because they don’t agree with your extremely narrow viewpoint of the world.”
Can I tell you all something? I saw him say this yesterday, and I was like “What?” And then I started laughing. And after I was done laughing I was like, “Oh. He means MAGA.”
So, according to CJ, if you think there’s a coup happening right now, that’s an “extremely narrow viewpoint of the world.”
OK dude. So people have nothing to worry about right now with Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Food Stamps, and Veterans benefits. Right?
… Right CJ?
CJ? Where did you go?
“Journalism is the reporting of facts in an unbiased way, regardless of if you agree with someone.”
This has never been true in the history of journalism in America. Everyone has a slant. The AP too. In fact the AP was formed to help swing a presidential election. Did you know that?
What is true is that, for most of the 20th Century, you had commercial journalism that offered a voice from nowhere. But even then, there was a slant. I’ll give you another example: The Photo-News practices the voice from nowhere, and even they have a slant. Watch any local Woodbury meeting. Then look at how much or how little they talk about something that happeend at that meeting. THAT is a slant.
“Unfortunately, Brandon Mendelson has completely lost any and all objectivity and has jumped both feet into the rabbit hole of ego and self-importance.”
It’s BJ. Only my ex-wife can call me Brandon, and I don’t know you in that way CJ, nor would I ever want to know you in that way. Gross.
I do totally cop to writing, in general, as being an act of ego and self-importance. In that case, I’ve been guilty of that shit since 1998. You got me CJ!
“When I decided to run for office, I was undeniably clear on one point, I am here to represent ALL of Woodbury. Not just the people who voted for me, not just my own political party, but everyone.”
Really? Because you have really strong views about the Satmar. How about you share some of those with the public.
“Whether you like me, hate me, vote for me or against me, it is my job to represent our entire community equally and fairly. I will never favor anyone, and I will certainly never use my position as a weapon to hurt anyone, no matter who pressures me to do so.”
Prove it.
Publicly commit, right now, to defending Monroe-Woodbury Central School District.
Publicly commit, right now, to defending our local veaterns.
Publicly commit, right now, to protect to our elderly and disabled who depend on Medicaid and Social Security.
Otherwise? Shut the fuck up.
“When it comes to governing, I try to look at the issue objectively and do my best to act on it as fairly as I know how. I will never compromise my own integrity no matter who tries to pressure me, how many names you call me, or how many times you threaten me with political BS.”
Fuck, these people are long-winded, aren’t they? If only there was a way to describe people like that. Maybe something catchy like “they’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of ego and self-importance.”
Yeah. That’ll work.
“I am running to serve plain and simple, vote for me if you feel I can represent you, do not vote for me if you feel I cannot. It is really that straightforward, no hard feelings win or lose.”
The fact that CJ Graziano wrote this letter proves the above statement is categorically false.
“That being said, I genuinely believe everyone who runs for local office or volunteers for our local committees, commissions, and board puts themselves out there where others do not. Whether I agree with you or not, you should be treated and judged on your actions and issues, not based on a bystander’s warped and myopic vision of the world.”
Again, MAGA is the worldview CJ defends. I can’t stress that enough here. MAGA = Normal. Non-Maga (which, as we pointed out, is the majority of Americans): “warped and myopic vision of the world.”
Got all that? Coup good. You bad.
“Whether it’s Andrew Giacomazza, Kate Luciani, Jim Freiband, Matt Fabbro, Brandon Calore, Kelly Rinaldi, Martha Lopez, Jackie Hernandez, Vernick Alvarez, or Tara Burek Gerver, you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, not called names or threatened with lawsuits, or outright lied about.”
Who’s been threatened with a lawsuit in this group? Brandon Calore is definitely threatening me with one. But that's okay. It won’t end well for him.
Hey.
Just a thought: Did you ever notice how Mr. Graziano has had nothing to say about The Monroe Gazette since 2023, and the SECOND he learned I was writing a story about him, he’s now got something to say? I know for a fact that, a week ago, CJ was in a group chat, sharing Monroe Gazette posts and laughing about them.
Suddenly, CJ ain’t laughing.
That can’t be a coincidence. Right? Because that’s what this is really all about. CJ found out on Thursday I was writing a story about him, and here’s a letter saying I’m not a journalist.
“Hell, there is probably no single person I have disagreed with more than Mr. Freiband, but we are always civil to each other and can disagree like gentlemen. He beat me last time, may beat me again, but it doesn’t mean he should be treated at a sub-human level.”
I didn’t say he was subhuman. I likened James Freiband to a dancing reanimated corpse multiple times.
“Pretending to be a journalist who constantly attacks people as “MAGA,” “Nazi,” "racist" or “fascist” is not representing the news.”
If it looks like a Nazi, and it talks like a Nazi, how exactly would you like me to report it?
“Calling people names and making things personal is not news. In fact, for someone who seems to spew so much hate at Trump, Mr. Mendelson seems to emulate him quite often with the name calling, single minded condescending views, thinking only he is right, attempted public shaming, weaponizing the legal system, and inferring only he can save us all.”
Oh. Well that much is true. I 100% cop to using Trump’s weapons against the people who gave us Trump. 100%. Yup. You know why? Because MAGA are bullies. I do not apologize for bullying the bullies. In journalism, we call that comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.
I also like this fun MAGA Trick where they tell you what their enemy is doing, and it’s just the shit they’re doing. “Single minded consescending views, thinking only he is right.”
I say I’m wrong all the time, by the way. And never once have I said I was going to save any of you. That’s not my job. You have to save you. In fact, it’s been a common theme in all my writing. Nobody’s coming to save you.
But here we are with CJ accusing someone he doesn’t like with the shit he thinks, says and does. That’s cool bro. Let’s see how it works out for you this Fall when the storm comes.
“You live in a fantasyland where you utilize a single person editorial blog as a weapon against anyone and everyone you disagree with.”
Uh. I would LOVE to live in a fantasyland. Do you know where the next ship is leaving from?
We have also publicly, and repeatedly, explained our system of who we write about. It’s here. And I know for a fact that Mr. Graziano has read this too. Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good Facebook post though. Or a campaign. Because Mr. Graziano just demonstrated he wants to play fast and loose with the truth if it curries favor with the “We’re Sexually Curious about Nazis” crowd around here.
“I tried to give you advice months ago to report the news and don’t make yourself the story, you have failed.”
Nope.
Never happened. I have talked to this man twice in my life, both for less than five minutes, and they were completely unremarkable encounters. I’ve been working as a journalist almost as long as Councilwoman Maureen Richardson has been alive. The fact that this guy thinks he gave me advice just proves everything else I’ve said thus far.
Also, hey, you know who doesn’t answer questions from the media? CJ Graziano. In fact, I HAVE asked him, multiple times — via email — over the last year, to tell us some of the other municipalities in New York State that have similar situations like the one between Kiryas Joel and Woodbury.
You know, how KJ owns property in Woodbury, and wants a tax break? CJ has loudly stated at Village Board meetings that what KJ is asking Woodbury for is unprecedented. But he has, NOT ONCE, ever provided any evidence to support this. He just says it and expects everyone to believe him. But we can’t see him when he’s up on his horse.
“You have attacked very close friends of mine baselessly for the sole reason of whom they voted for President.”
Nope. Mr. Tom DeLuca posted weird shit online that, as a Woodbury Village Planning Board member, can get the Village of Woodbury sued. That is a story. Journalism isn’t about hiding stories because it involves one of your pals. Weren’t you allegedly giving advice on how to cover the news? I sure hope you didn’t charge anyone for that info, because they deserve a refund.
But since we’ve clearly gone fact-free in this letter, cool story, CJ. Tell it to the Local Bigot. He’s buying what you’re selling.
“Not a single consideration for who they are, how much they have given to our community, and despite their unwavering volunteerism. Think about that, you want to control and eradicate anyone who doesn’t unconditionally agree with your point of view.”
How big a font do you think I can put “THERE IS A COUP” in?
There is a coup
As a journalist, it is my responsibility to out anyone who is aiding and abetting the ongoing MAGA coup attempt and putting millions of Americans in harm's way. You bet your goddamn large ass that I am going to warn people about this.
But again, CJ doesn’t think there’s a Coup. He thinks everything is fine. In fact, if you mention the Coup he’ll probably blame the Democrats.
“That is not about freedom, not about justice, and certainly not about human decency.”
And I suppose this is, then? Because this is the world-view you’re defending, pal:
“You want so badly to be the hero and the focus that your ego drives your actions. Sound familiar?”
It does. But my name isn’t CJ Graziano.
“This Country was founded so people can have and express different beliefs”
I guess Martin Luther King doesn’t exist in CJ’s worldview then, huh?
This country was founded by a bunch of wealthy landowning slaveholders who didn’t want poor people, women, or anyone who didn’t look like them to vote.
But then we fought a Civil War. And we fought a Civil War against the exact same ideology that exists within MAGA today: “Fuck you. I got mine. I don’t care about anyone else. Just Muh Freedum.”
We’re now back fighting that war again. And guess what side CJ is on?
“You may not agree with them and that is your right, but it is also their right to have their own, full stop. So go ahead, attack me, I expect this is going to put a target on my back. So, keep calling people names and spouting lies and libelous statements.”
If I’ve said something that is libelous, please do sue me. Please. I am begging you. Go ahead. Do it. Because I know the law real well, and I always bring the facts to back up my assertions.
As far as CJ goes, I spent virtually no time thinking about this dude for over a year, and after I click publish? I’m going to go back to never thinking about him again.
He’s your problem, Woodbury. You have to decide. Do you want a Schumer Democrat who will be useless on a Board where he sits 4-1, or do you want to continue empowering the authoritarian MAGA movement in your local community?
That’s your choice. Not mine.
“If you want to be a blogger then be a blogger, don’t impersonate a journalist to do so. What goes around comes around.”
Now THAT, my friends, sounds like a threat. Are you threatening me, CJ? Because I got a good lawyer too. You want to measure dicks; yours is going to be too short to box with God.
“And for those who think he is humorous, a word of warning; you could be next. In a heartbeat you can be the victim of his next crusade, stop giving him the power to do so.”
I’ll close with this. There is someone on the Woodbury Village Board I met with last Fall. And they will tell you exactly what I’m going to repeat here. I asked them, “Are you an asshole?”
They said no.
And then I said, “Then you will never have to worry about me writing about you.”
There’s only one crusade here, friends. An authoritarian movement is taking over this country. YOU are going to stop them.
Or not. Maybe you sit at home and do nothing. Let the CJ Grazianos make all the decisions for you.
To that, all I’ll ask you is this: How’s that working out for you right now? Did you all get “The Change” you were hoping for?