The quick results:
Brandie Starr and Tim Wessel will fill the available one year seats on the Brattleboro Selectboard. David Schoales, running unopposed will return in a 3 year seat.
Bag Ban non-binding resolution passes.
Compassionate City non-binding resolution passes.
Full unofficial results attached. Explore and analyze!
Congrats Brandie and Tim
Thanks to everyone who ran, and thanks Chris for keeping us posted.
Schools
If I’m reading this right, it looks like former Selectboard member Spoon Agave is heading to the school board now.
(Maybe this year one of you out there reading this will watch school board meetings and share some notes? Please?)
…
Sorry there wasn’t room on the SB for all three of the one-year candidates. The forum led me to believe they would have made a good team. Hop on next year, Davey!
Popularity
How does one determine who will make for good governance?
How does one learn, in our culture, how to lead and govern effectively?
Elections, sadly, boil down to a popularity contest between the candidates.
And, after being elected, it is the rare person who does not assume an air of superiority.
I once told a friend who had just lost a mayoral race:
“Winning is good for the ego.
Losing is good for the soul.”
we can try our best
It is tough, and mistakes can be made.
For me, I was happy to read responses to questions posed, and to hear answers spoken at the forum. The forum especially had some hard, pointed questions and gave an opportunity to see how each candidate responded in a public setting.
All three of the 1 year candidates had a track record of town participation in a variety of forms, including participating in conversations here over the years.
I felt I had a better sense of who they were and how they’d approach things than, say, those running for president last fall. : )
You hit the nail on the head regarding our lack of leadership and governing skills – I’d add a basic sense of civics, too. Our educational system tipped too far toward STEM and dropped the ball on the other things that make civilization, uh, civil. We could have more mock elections in schools, for example, or we could pick up on earlier efforts to get young people involved (though, we just voted against the youngest candidate…) in local government, but whatever we did would need to be sustained and become part of our culture, and not just a one-time feel-good exercise.
It’s partially up to us citizens to keep the egos in check… and to “lead our leaders” (a few famous leaders have been attributed with the saying” There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader”)
Following our voters
I like your last quote, and I feel it is already coming true since my fellow Selectboard newbie and I are already doing our homework on how to best move forward with implementing the plastic bag ban in a way that will work for the whole town.
I’d like to also applaud your nod to civics engagement and education, and let everyone know that there is exciting work happening locally in this area too.
Finally, please consider joining your town government this coming March 15th, when you could simply show up and become a Town Meeting Rep at the annual caucus night for each district. This year there are TWELVE available positions, yours for the volunteering. It’s an easy commitment, and an amazing way to get experience with running our town.
https://www.ibrattleboro.com/sections/town-news/brattleboro-town-meeting-informational-forum-and-district-caucuses-public-invited