RTM

Going Deeper into RTM and Democracy

by spoon | Op/Ed

Responding to comments to my post about RTM on Sept 17th:

Since last read comments remain most in mind I shall respond first to the statement that you “could buy the argument that RTM members were more informed if about 140 attended Selectboard meetings.” First, it isn’t clear if you are saying that all 140 should attend all 25 or so meetings each year or some members attend some. The next obvious question is: how many SB meetings should be required of voters choosing to attend an Open mtg? How would we ascertain this in either case? But we should put this aside because it gets into enactment details before we have a goal to act upon. There is a deeper implied issue. Should there be any qualifications at all?

Is Democracy Best Served By An Open or Representative Town Meeting?

by spoon | Op/Ed

In the first part of this examination of RTM and democracy it was demonstrated that RTM is in fact more representative now than it has ever been. In this part we compare direct democracy to representative democracy in the context of RTM. Open town meeting versus representative town meeting.

Virtually the entire body of literature on the subject of political democracy agrees on one thing. Direct democracy is ideal but it only works in a small body (say 10 to 15). This is because everyone can participate directly. Everyone can speak. Every view can be heard. But in larger bodies, all agree, democracy is better achieved through representation because, given the fact that only a limited number of people can participate systems and standards can be set up to enrich the quality of participation.  Serious representatives working in a sound and democratic meeting structure will produce decisions close if not the same as those in a direct democracy. Even in a group of ten decisions will likely not represent the views of every member. A perfect decision, 100% agreement, is rarely achieved. Democracy simply tries to get as close as possible.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, August 18, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.

The Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 8:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.

Is Representative Town Meeting Really Representative?

by spoon | Op/Ed

I have called Brattleboro home for the last 37 years, most of which I have been quite civically and socially engaged. Until now I had never heard the claim that Representative Town Meeting was not representative. Has something changed? I’ve given this a lot of thought and done some investigation. Resources include my complete set of Town Reports to 1992 and scattered editions stretching back to 1974. Town Reports contain the agendas and minutes of every meeting as well as the names of all Representatives, elected officials and a rich history of each year.

When my tenure as an RTM member began in the late 90s about two-thirds of the membership were upper middle aged, male, white property and  business owners and professionals. Of the latter they were typically lawyers, finance people, landlords and such. Many of the other third were their wives. On the rare occasion, back then, when a couple did not vote the same way a mirthful chuckle would ripple through the crowd. Most of the decisions in those days were decided by votes in the order of  130 to 10.  There was unity!  

Town Charter Revision Commission & Open Town Meeting

by RobertOeser | Town News

The next Charter Revision Commission [1] will meet Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and also on Zoom (the agenda [2] contains the Zoom link) Meetings are also being planned for August.

As you may be aware the Charter Revision Commission is recommending that the Brattleboro form of government be changed from Representative Town Meeting (RTM) to Open Town Meeting (OTM). A survey, the results of which are available online with percentages [3] show a preference for OTM [173 to 84].

At its June 4, 2025 meeting, the Commission voted 6-0 to approve a motion “that the Commission is committed to developing a plan to replace Representative Town Meeting with a system that would include an Open Town Meeting.”

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Bridge Over Troubled Island, Charter Changes

by cgrotke | Town News
brattleboro selectboard july 8 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard learned what the Brattleboro Charter Commission has been working on regarding the form of town governance and other possible changes to the Charter. The Commission has put over two years of work into this and the Chair seemed quite interested in being able to edit whatever they present, such as the form of town government, when it comes before the board again in September.

The next big discussion was about the old Hinsdale bridges. Hinsdale sent some semi-unanticipated reps to read Brattleboro the riot act. They seemed to take special glee in pointing out just how terrible Brattleboro’s problems are, and wanted to know if the town would agree that the bridges should be destroyed or sold.  A split vote at the end of the discussion means Brattleboro does not surrender in the battle

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Warnings

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro RTM Human Services Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 6:30pm in the Planning Services Conference Room in the Municipal Center (230 Main Street, 2nd Floor).

The Brattleboro RTM Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 6:00pm in Room 304 in the Municipal Center (230 Main Street)

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Board Hears Updates & Reports

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard may 20 2025

The Brattleboro Selectboard heard a number of updates and reports at their second regular meeting of May. They learned how a grant was used to help with housing, how a group would like to expand passenger rail service in the region, how Green Mountain Power is burying some of the most problematic electrical circuits, and more.

More, of course, included hearing that utility rates would be increasing.

Report of the Brattleboro Finance Committee for Special Representative Town Meeting

by fidel | Town News

The report of the RTM Finance Committee for the May 27 Special Representative Town Meeting is posted on the Town’s website.

Go to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rO3ELZP6e8HewXSf4CmYVbYtCaximdvL/view

The Finance Committee met weekly while the Selectboard was working on the revised budget and then held four meetings in May to prepare the report.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – May 20, 2025

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will have a regular meeting on Tuesday and will hear lots of updates and reports – on expanding rail service to Connecticut, electric company projects, state legislation, FY25 budget numbers, and the results of a Utility Rate Study to see if Brattleboro customers are paying the right amount.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation if the Chair anticipates what you are about to say is germane.

District 8 Meeting – A Community Conversation and Preparation”Informal Meeting” for Special Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting!

by GS | Town News

All are welcome to join District 8 Chair Gary Stroud for an important community discussion about the Town Budget and how it will impact Property Taxes and Town Resources.

This meeting is a chance for Brattleboro residents—especially those in District 8, represented by Rep. Mollie Burke—to learn about and share their views on the newly revised Town Budget coming before the Representative Town Meeting at the end of Tuesday May 27th 2025.

Brattleboro District 9 Forum

by fidel | Politics

District 9 residents in Brattleboro are cordially invited to attend a forum to express their opinions about the revised budget prepared for a special Representative Town Meeting (RTM); the new budget is intended to replace an earlier version that was voted down by RTM and will, if approved, guide spending in the next fiscal year which begins 1 July.

The forum will be held in the Community Room (third floor) of the Brooks Memorial Library at 7 pm on Wednesday 14 May. RTM members from District 9 are encouraged to attend to hear their constituents’ opinions.

God of Democracy Where Art Thou?

by spoon | Op/Ed

The Charter Revision Commission is making its public debut on Monday, the 30th, in the Library at 6 pm. And online too.  After two and a quarter years it is introducing itself by asking the public what to do about one particular question: should Representative Town Meeting vote itself out of existence and revert Town Meeting to the former and more common open meeting style.  

I have not seen any of the evidence it has gathered pro and con but perhaps they will share that at the meeting itself though at that point perhaps not as useful as it might be.  Presumably they have gathered evidence inasmuch as that is what Charter Revision Commissions are appointed to do.  

Town of Brattleboro to Revise FY26 Budget Following RTM Vote

by Not Signed In | Town News

Following the Representative Town Meeting’s (RTM) vote not to approve the Town of Brattleboro’s proposed FY26 budget, the newly seated Selectboard will begin work to revise and resubmit a new budget proposal.

“We stated our reasoning and knew it was an uphill climb,” said Selectboard member Peter Case, “but we live in a community that still respects democracy, so now it’s back to the drawing board.”

The original FY26 budget included a combination of strategic investments to address community safety concerns and build long-term capacity. It proposed funding for additional police officers to respond to sustained increases in crime, while also supporting the behind- the-scenes work needed to launch One Brattleboro—a collaborative initiative that brings together public safety, social service providers, and community partners to reduce future reliance on police through prevention, outreach, and coordinated response.

Representative Town Meeting Representatives Have An Opportunity

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

Representative Town Meeting Representatives could reject this year’s budget and the 12.1% increase in municipal property taxes.

Charter prohibitions prevent representatives from telling the Selectboard what specifically to cut, but they can tell them to cut the budget by any amount, and can strongly suggest what needs to be trimmed by the board.

Representatives are in a unique position this year, though. Voters rejected two incumbents that created this budget and replaced them, and the Chair that led this budget process stepped aside and was replaced.  If voters had had the chance, the remaining two Selectboard members might have been tossed, too. 

Brattleboro Election Night Email Report – Unofficial Results

by Not Signed In | Politics

Please see attached for Brattleboro’s Unofficial Town Meeting Day and WSESD election results. These are the results from the ballot tallies, not including write-in votes, and not including other towns’ results for the WSESD races. The projected winners are in bold.

Note that these are numbers that were crunched after a VERY long day. I will reiterate that they are UNOFFICIAL.

David Levenbach, Candidate for Re-election to RTM

by fidel | Politics

Hello Neighbors,

I am running for re-election to a three-year term as a Representative Town Meeting (RTM) member for District 9 (formerly known as District 3).

I am asking you, if you feel comfortable doing so, to vote for me and, more, to encourage your friends in District 9 to do so as well.

I have been a member of Representative Town Meeting since 2019. Beginning in 2019, I have been elected every year to its Finance Committee which scrutinizes the Town budget to provide a report each year to inform RTM (and the public generally) of issues before that body votes on the budget article; in three of those years, I was chosen to chair the committee.