Brattleboro, want to shake things up? Think you could represent the people of town better than those currently on the board? Got new ideas, or a new direction?
Run for the Selectboard! There is a three year seat and two one-year seats waiting for you.
Here's a quick guide to starting your illustrious politcal career:
1. Stop by the Town Clerk's office and pick up a petition. (Note: You may want a few petitions - see below).
2. Gather signatures. Each petition must be signed by 30 registered town voters.
3. Get your signed petition back to the Town Clerk's office by 5 p.m. on Jan. 26.
4. Get the word out and get people to vote for you.
One "trick of the trade" is to get a few petitions completed - one for each open seat available. That gives you flexibility at the last minute when you can evaluate who else seems to be running and decide which seat to run for.
Once your petition is accepted, it is time to think of campaigning. What platform will you run on? What can you offer the town? How will you get the word out? Will any local groups support your candidacy? What will your strategy be for the campaign?
The number of votes you will need to win will depend on the race. Maybe you will get lucky and run unopposed. Maybe you will battle it out amongst a field of many candidates. If you think you can get yourself around 1,000 votes, you may have a pretty good chance in a multi-candidate race.
You may find it useful to talk with current and former candidates for Selectboard to see if they have any advice. And if anyone reading this has run and would like to offer some additional advice, please do.