With the flurry of cancellations and postponements in the area, would it be smart to postpone Brattleboro’s Representative Town Meeting?
On one hand, Brattleboro hasn’t had any confirmed cases. And there is a bit of time pressure on representatives to pass the budget before the fiscal year ends. Perhaps it would be best to get this out of the way early and hold it as scheduled.
We now have all interviews for Brattleboro Selectboard candidates available, and Tuesday is the day to get to the polls and vote if you haven’t already done so. Here are the links to candidate interviews, the candidate forum video, representative statements, and general election information. It is all to help guide your last-minute voting decisions.
Selectboard Candidate Interviews, alphabetically:
Kurt Daims is running for a one year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.
Tell everyone a bit about yourself… who are you?
I was born nearby and travelled widely. I worked for inventors, started my family and loved the ocean in San Francisco. In 2002 I came to Brattleboro with my family. I devoted myself to raising and home-schooling my daughters and to public service. I hope to consolidate the power of the people in town government and help Brattleboro become town that acts as a member of the community of towns and cities As director of the non-profit Brattleboro Common Sense I taks the credo “Think globally: act locally” for an aggressive, pragmatic grass-roots politics, which I believe is needed to save an endangered world.
Ian Goodnow is running for a one-year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.
Tell everyone a bit about yourself… who are you?
My name is Ian Goodnow. I grew up in Essex, Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2014, with degrees in Political Science and Russian Language. I’m currently enrolled in the Vermont Law Office Study Program, which is an alternative way to become a lawyer in Vermont. Instead of law school, I moved to Brattleboro to study under Tom Costello at Costello, Valente and Gentry P.C. I am also a Justice of the Peace and through that role serve on the Board of Civil Authority and am the alternate on the Developmental Review Board. In my free time, I love backpacking, eating dumplings with Ruth, my fiancee, and talking about movies.
Can you believe it? iBrattleboro’s been going for 17 years. You’ve been people-powering journalism in Brattleboro for almost two decades.
This year, I leave it mostly to you to reflect on your accomplishments. (In addition to your thoughts, feel free to ask questions. We’ll answer anything today.)
Oscar Heller is running for a one-year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.
Tell everyone a bit about yourself… who are you?
My name is Oscar Heller. I’m a programmer and graphic designer with my own web design business called 10F Design. I serve on the energy committee and the finance committee, and I’m a town meeting rep for District 3. The energy committee played a big role in successfully convincing the Selectboard to create the new sustainability coordinator position, and I also served on the hiring committee for the position.
The Brattleboro Selectboard heard about planning for one or more possible communications districts at their regular Tuesday meeting. Fiber might be coming to southern Vermont, depending on the results of a new survey everyone is encouraged to fill out and how applicable those results are to a business plan.
The Hazard Mitigation Plan was reviewed, liquor violators questioned, and reports given on a recent town governing day at the state level.
At the last two meetings of the Brattleboro Selectboard, members of the board and the Chief of Police implored people NOT to use social media for official business, such as reporting crimes.
“Don’t rely on social media,” said board member Tim Wessel. “Social media has never been a form of reporting things,” added Chair Brandie Starr.
Where could the public have gotten such a crazy idea as to use social media for town business? Perhaps from members of the Selectboard?
David Schoales is an incumbent running again for a three year seat on the selectboard.
Tell everyone a bit about yourself… who are you?
Do you have any special powers or skills to offer?
Intoximeters, a manufacturer of breathalyzers used in Vermont, is under criminal investigation in Michigan.
Captain Mark Carignan of the Brattleboro Police confirmed that Brattleboro uses this brand of breathalyzer, and that the use of the machine if coordinated by the state forensic laboratory.
He shared this message from the lab:
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, at 4:00pm at Harmony Collective, located at 49 Elliot Street.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
Daniel Quipp, and incumbent, is running for a a one year seat on the selectboard.
Tell everyone a bit about yourself… who are you?
Like many people around here, I wear a few different hats. Obviously, one of these is my Selectboard hat. I hope to earn the voters’ trust to wear it for another year. I have two jobs – I work for SEVCA and help people keep their lights on and homes heated through our crisis fuel program and I work as a community organizer in southern Vermont for Vermont Interfaith Action. I also wear my community radio hat. I’m currently the president of the WVEW 107.7 FM board and also host a weekly show playing new alternative music called ‘Brand Spanking New’ (Thurs, 6 to 8 pm). When I’m not doing one of those things I’m probably either hanging out with my wife, eating sandwiches at Amy’s, playing tennis or reading and drinking warm beverages.
Elizabeth McLoughlin is a current member of the Brattleboro Selectboard and is running for a three-year seat.
Tell everyone a bit about yourself… who are you?
About a dozen years ago, I chose Brattleboro, together with my family, my Mother-in-Law, our jobs, and our whole lives– we moved to Brattleboro, where our youngest daughter attended BUHS. This move, after many years of visiting family in Brattleboro, was a happy choice. My husband and I both started small businesses. I own a planning and environmental consultancy business. I volunteered for a number of Town and civic committees, most notably: the Planning Commission, The RTM Finance Committee, BASIC, the Skatepark Committee, and the Empty Bowls Dinner Committee.
My Selectboard service is an outgrowth of the understanding I gained participating and contributing to these civic committees.
The Brattleboro Selectboard contemplated strange things at their regular Tuesday meeting. Shall we plant $16,000 worth of carbon-capturing trees? Could we do without paved roads? Should we bring the trolley back along RT. 9? None of these were agenda items per se, but they were intriguing side thoughts to scheduled conversations.
A municipal broadband survey is coming your way, the sustainability coordinator is on the job, and most liquor licenses will be renewed without incident.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will return to non-FY21 business at their next regular meeting, granting permits for festivals, approving liquor licenses, and proposing parking spaces.
The board will also be introduced to Stephen Dotson, Brattleboro’s new Sustainability Coordinator and will hear about carbon offsets and renewable sources of electricity. You can bring up other matters during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held a quick meeting to approve the FY21 budget, Town Meeting warning, and Representative Town Meeting warning. They also discussed a planned sidewalk for the new Hinsdale Bridge and changes to RT 142.
During public participation, citizens questioned the police chief about the recent uptick in vehicle break-ins.
The Brattleboro Selectboard discussed some final issues related to the FY21 proposed budget, approving raises for non-union employees but delaying pool improvements for up to a decade, and settled on a final number that… increases property taxes.
The Current is going away, to be replaced entirely by spotted Moovers. All this and more…
Anyone have any thoughts or observations about the Democratic primary? It’s almost a four-way tie going into Iowa and NH. Some opinions must be solidifying…
My most recent thoughts have been about specific reasons I dislike Biden. I don’t enjoy his “angry old man” act, whereby he raises his voice and points fingers at almost every debate question. But this I can live with – it is theater.
FY21 final budget matters and draft warnings for Representative Town Meeting will be the primary focus of the next meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. They’ll also grant quite a few special event permits, sign a new contract with the Town Attorney, and hear about the bus system from Southeast Vermont Transit.
You can bring up other issues during public participations, too.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held a special meeting to discuss final proposed FY21 budget items, accessible parking on Main Street, and erosion in the Connecticut River.
The board dove in to talk about upgrades at Living Memorial Park’s pool. There was also a big stink about diapers.
