With much confusion in the air over Joerg Mayer's retirement from the Selectboard, I decided to e-mail him and ask for the exact wording of his statement at the last meeting.
He responded that the statement printed in the Refomer is accurate, and that the minutes of the meeting will reflect that he added a sentence endorsing Audrey Garfield to fill his vacancy.
In addition, he wanted to make a statement about the timing of his announcement to clear up issues of who knew what and when they knew it. Here is that statement:
"Some people made assumptions as to why I resigned from the Selectboard. This is to set the record straight.
I said to Pat, long ago, that if Steve is re-elected I'll quit. That was in desperation that his being chair again would make it very uncomfortable for me.
Later on I told Kevin the same, by way of pleading for Greg to chair. I asked him to inform Greg and Steve of our conversation.
About the same time, too late for signatures to be collected, I caught this debilitating flu which was flooding Brattleboro. I was under medication for almost two weeks and only now begin to recover. It was scary and it told me that I am in no shape to perform Selectboard duties for now - and probably forever.
Finally, on Tuesday, I told one more person under the given promise (!) of strict secrecy that my health - or lack of it - made it imperative that I resign. He promptly alerted the press. I wish he had not.
Definitely a case of too soon old and too late smart. I am sorry to have made so many people uncomfortable.
Joerg Mayer"
As stated in another story here, no one alerted us with this news. We heard it as one hears rumors about town, and then made our own calls to confirm it.