Once again, the voters of the Town of Brattleboro have weighed in. Since all of the candidates were running unopposed, they all won. Turnout was not listed but it appears to be just under 1000 voters.
On the ballot questions, there were four, numbered 2 through 5. All of the ballot questions failed, including and notably, the 1% sales tax. John Allen suggested at tonight’s Selectboard meeting that with this vote (nearly 2-1 against), the Selectboard might want to give the 1% LOST tax a rest for a while.
Outside the snow is falling and Brattleboro snow plows are plowing. Just another night in the town that spring forgot…on Town Meeting Day 2015. Read on for links to full results and ballots.
Unofficial election results are here.
The ballots by district are here.
I'm sure it's just a matter
I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before the Selectboard dredges up the 1% tax again. They seem to be obsessed with getting it passed despite it’s obvious unpopularity.
A Blessing
History has shown that the Vermont State Sales tax has been a blessing…
(for New Hampshire.)
Another 1% on top of that will have Chesterfield and Hinsdale dancing all the way to the bank!
Numbers
Youth Vote: 390-679
Overspending: 449-596
Term Limits: 327-725
1% tax : 361-672
The biggest No was for term limits. We seem a bit undecided on the spending issue. Kids voting and new taxes don’t seem to be in favor.
One might also read this as “we don’t want to change the way things are.”
I was somewhat surprised at
I was somewhat surprised at the resounding “no” to RTM term limits. That proposal made sense to me since in a democratic society political offices (or most of them) do come with term limits. Change isn’t always something to be feared.But, maybe it is in Brattleboro?
term limits? where?
I know that the president of the US is limited to two terms – a legacy of FDR who just kept winning. Where are the other term limits? The courts have ruled that state legislatures cannot apply term limits to federal legislative offices.
I think term limits are not as common as you think. My dream would be to have 30 residents next year running for 15 available seats for their RTM district. This would lead immediately to needing to answer the question: what differences would each candidate bring to the RTM. That would lead to new ideas, new people and new energy.
Andy
Term Limits: they're everywhere.
Gubernatorial term limits (varying from state to state): Alabama, Alaska,Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,Hawaii,Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,Maine, Maryland, Nebraska,New Jersey, New Mexico,North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,Rhode Island,South Carolina,South Dakota, Tennessee,West Virginia. Also, Arkansas, Delaware,California, Michigan, Mississippi,Nevada,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Indiana. Various term limitations but term limits just the same.
Fifteen states have term limits on their Legislative members.Term limits have been overruled in the other states.
More municipalities nation wide than I care to list (Philly is one) also have term limits on their mayors.
It’s a big, wide democratic nation out there and term limits are alive and well.
more popular than I thought
Seems like most term limits are on the executive branch, 32 states and the federal government. Fifteen states with legislative branch term limits. Interesting that Vermont has no term limits on legislators or governors.
Most of the gubernatorial
Most of the gubernatorial limits are 2 consecutive terms with 3 years before a candidate can run for the same office again. State Legislative seem to lean towards a limit of being in office for 8 years out of any 12 consecutive years.
Low Turnouts
Every time there’s a low voter turnout, the vote goes conservative. That’s just how it goes. Less than a thousand? Even the cynical think that local elections are important. So what’s the deal when so few people even bother? Despair?
Official count
DISTRICT 1 of 2,679 – 390 voted – 15%
DISTRICT 2 of 2,394 – 357 voted – 15%
DISTRICT 3 of 2,473 – 362 voted – 15%

TOTAL Voters 7,546 – 1,109 voted – 15%
Official results here.
And, for those who say anyone can run and be a town meeting rep, quite a few people did put their names on the list but did not receive enough votes. They will not be reps.
not too late
“quite a few people did put their names on the list but did not receive enough votes”
There is a threshold of 10 votes, which does not seem draconian. If someone failed as a write-in and still wishes to serve they can attend the district caucuses before the town budget informational meeting on MONDAY, MARCH 16, 6:30 p.m. at the Academy School gym and ask to fill a vacant seat. It looks there are still open seats.
If you want to serve on RTM the most effective way is to get a petition filled out before the last week of January and get your name on the ballot.
15%?
15% stinks as a voter turnout. Is that a new low record? Jeez.
what is low?
I took 15% to be pretty good. Only one half of 1% of Brattleboro voters showed up to examine, ammend and approve the BUHS-BAMS-Career Center budget in February. That meeting is open to all legal voters in town (and the district).
0.5% approved a $27,000,000 budget! Makes 15% look pretty good.
Andy
You're kidding, right?
15% is pathetic. Only outdone by the perennial ignoring of the school budget, which multitudes gripe about but nobody ever shows up for discussing.
Yeah, I was kidding...
15% is worse than pathetic. Remember this election was about the very soul of self governance in our beautiful town. There was an opportunity to extend the franchise to high school students, there was a chance to limit the ability of people to serve in the RTM for more than 6 years at a time, not to mention the fact that people had a chance to save the business community from a 1% local option tax and thus save main street for posterity. I would have thought that maybe 75-80% would have understood the gravity and the opportunity of this past election.
It is hard not to go for satire…
Andy